Over the last ten years, my study of the most notorious serial killer of them all, Jack the Ripper, has led me to profile other, more recent serial killers, to gain a profile of the man who committed the Whitechapel murders. My work on the subject has been published in True Crime magazine (UK) and other crime stories have been included in my book: Heroes & Villains: Forgotten Irish Stories. In this article, I’ve used my expertise to provide a profile of America’s most wanted – the Long Island serial killer – the man responsible for the murders of at least ten people: 8 women, one man and a baby girl.
With the recent discovery of a tenth victim, it is now more important than ever that this man who has evaded capture is caught. So, if you are searching for a definitive profile of the Long Island serial killer using other serial killers as a guide, then look no further.
Peter Sutcliffe (UK), Robert Hansen (USA), Gary Ridgway (USA), Robert Pickton (Canada) and Steve Wright (UK) are known to be responsible for the murders of more than 100 women – mainly prostitutes, but also runaways and vulnerable women walking home alone at night. Between them, they claim to have killed more than 150 women, though even this figure may be higher.
To their friends and families, they were just “ordinary guys” going about their daily lives. Nobody suspected they could be serial killers.
When each killer’s profile is examined, there are many similarities across their lives. (You can read my completed research here.) In brief, here are my original findings:
All five serial killers had unhappy or dysfunctional childhoods, were loners or poor communicators.
All five men left school having achieved poor academic results and worked in non-professional, low-skilled employment throughout their lives. Three of the five men changed jobs frequently.
Four of the five had been married. Pickton was the exception. Three of the five men had divorced twice.
The age of the men at the time of their murderous campaigns ranged from early 30s to mid 50s.
All five men had either mental disorders or suffered from serious addictions.
Three of the five had served in either the army (one) or navy (two).
Also, three of the five had taken “trophies” from their victims.
Two of the men said they “hated” prostitutes and two others claimed they had been “swindled” out of money while frequenting them.
All five men had already come to the attention of police for crimes unrelated to murder.
According to the media, the public and even the police themselves, four of the five police investigations were deemed to be badly “mishandled”. Steve Wright’s case was the exception as he was captured, tried and jailed within a relatively short time frame.
In the Long Island serial killer case, New York police have only identified 5 of the 10 victims. They believe all the women and the man dressed in women’s clothing had worked as prostitutes and that the baby belonged to one of the women. Forensic testing of the victims’ remains has revealed that some of the murders may have taken place as far back as 1996.
Using the results from the comparisons of the 5 serial killers above and recent police and newspaper reports concerning the Long Island serial killer, it is possible to create a detailed profile of the individual who committed the murders:
He is white, working class, and employed in a low-skilled/ manual job.
He is aged between early 30’s and late 40’s and is of average or below average intelligence.
He has used prostitutes from an early age (late teens).
He was married at least once but is now separated or divorced.
He was living alone at the time of the murders, most likely in the Long Island agricultural district where he had access to the sacks described in police reports.
He has changed jobs frequently in the last decade.
He suffers from some form of addiction or mental disorder and is likely to have spent time in a rehabilitation or mental facility.
He may have spent time in military service in his late teens / early 20’s.
He is already known to the police for crimes unrelated to murder though his military record may have helped to get any charges against him dropped or buried.
He may have applied for employment within the police service – as a manual worker or as a services driver – but was rejected because of the above charges on his record.
The killer drove a van which allowed unencumbered sexual activity at the back. He used this vehicle for his low-skilled employment and to transport and dispose of the victims’ bodies.
The van had a US motif or logo which is “trusted” by the public and would not have aroused suspicion at any hour of day or night.
He was interviewed by police in the Long Island investigation but was viewed as too “inconsequential” to be a killer.
He is no longer living / working in the Long Island district and has since moved to central New York or another US State.
Sources: Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper , by Michael Bilton, 2004; Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit , by John Douglas 1996; Department of Psychology, Radford University Report , 2008 and various New York, Washington, Los Angeles and UK newspaper reports