Many serial killers tend to involve strangers, said Simon Fraser University criminology professor Neil Boyd.
“Any kind of study of serial killers (finds) these are people who kill according to a repetitive pattern, with a similar motivation,” he said. The murders of Bosma, Babcock and Wayne Millard do not appear to qualify, he said. Two of the victims — a former girlfriend and his father — are personally linked to Millard. (Nothing has been proven in court and Millard’s lawyer says he plans to plead not guilty.)
“A serial killer is usually someone who kills victims he doesn’t know and he picks these victims for a variety of reasons, and there’s a common theme,” such as the college coeds targeted by Ted Bundy or the sex workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside favoured by Robert Pickton, Boyd said. He added serial killers typically work alone, although there are exceptions, such as convicted killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.
