Statistically speaking, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class upbringing. In fact, over 90 percent of serial killers are men.
Most serial killers are in their 20s or 30s.
Most mass murderers are single or divorced.
As children, soon-to-be serial killers often torture animals.
More than 60 percent of serial killers wet the bed beyond the age of 12.
According to the A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, many serial killers are obsessed with starting fires. Ottis Toole, George Adorno, and Carl Panzram are just a few of the many serial killers with a childhood history of arson.
Many mass murderers and serial killers have an extraordinarily high IQ. For example, the Unabomber is a genius.
A lot of serial killers come from dysfunctional families with an absent father. Marc Lepine (mass murderer of 14 people) is one of the many examples of fatherless serial killers.
Many serial killers suffered through childhood abuse. “The Boston Strangler” Albert DeSalvo was even sold off as a slave by his alcoholic father.
Serial killers often have a history of attempted suicide. Charles Edmund Cullen, the most prolific serial killer in the history of New Jersey, had 20 suicide attempts throughout his life.
Mass murderers are often loners who have very few social connections.
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