TV Interviews with infamous Serial Killers & Murderers - Part 1

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What differentiates a serial-killer from a murderer? Both of them kill... but both kill for very different reasons; with murderers their actions are either a crime-of-passion, an act of aggression, or a spontaneous action in a fit of jealousy, need or greed, where-as although serial killers are also compelled to kill, they have an innate ability to blend into their surroundings, to pre-plan, to find order amidst the chaos and (sometimes) - if needed - the ability to bottle-up their volatility, where-as for the rest of their days, they can appear like just a regular person, just like one of us. 

What follows is the first part of a series of interviews with some of the world's most infamous serial killers so you can get a better sense of how they were perceived by their victims and followers as either powerful, alluring and messianic, or intelligent, caring and compassionate, even when they were not, which is what makes serial killers so fascinating. 

Theodore Robert Bundy; an American serial killer, kidnapper, rapist, burglar and necrophile who assaulted and murdered 30+ women and girls (although the true figure may never be known) across seven states between 13th August 1961 and 9th February 1978. Bundy was executed by electrocution on 24th January 1989, aged 42. It is believed that much of Bundy's anger towards women stemmed from his illegitimacy. 

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer: dubbed "The Milwaukee Cannibal", Dahmer is an American serial killer, rapist, necrophile and cannibal, who raped, murdered and dismembered 17 young men and boys between 18th June 1978 and 19th July 1991 in Ohio (Wisconsin). Dahmer was convicted of 16 life sentences, but was beaten to death on 28th November 1994 by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver. 

Stephen Port: dubbed "The Grindr Killer", a British serial killer and rapist who is currently (one of 71 prisoners) serving a whole-life sentence, having murdered at least four gay men by luring them to his East London flat for drug-fuelled sex using GHB and making their over-doses look like suicides. Convicted in November 2016, the Police are investigating 58 other suspicious deaths.

Edmund Emil Kemper III: dubbed "The Co-ed Killer", he is an American serial killer, necrophile, kidnapper and (possible) cannibal, who - between 27th August 1964 and 20th April 1973, which includes an earlier prison term - murdered 10 people, including his own paternal grandparents and his mother. Ed is easy to identify being 6 foot 9 inches tall and has a remarkably high IQ of 145.

Issei Sagawa: although not a serial killer, Issei Sagawa (known as Pang) is a murderer and necrophile, who in 1981 whilst in Paris, shot and cannibalised his Dutch classmate Renée Hartevelt. Upon his arrest he was committed to Matsuzawa mental hospital, but with the charges having been dropped in France and unable to be convicted in Japan, Issei was free, and after his release he became a minor celebrity.

Joel Rifkin: dubbed "Joel the Ripper", he is an American serial killer who between 1989 and 1993 is believed to have murdered and dismembered 17 victims in New York City and Long Island, as well as (possibly) a few more at the Gilgo Beach murderers, but was only proven and charged with the deaths of 9. Rifkin is serving 203 years in prison. 

Arthur Shawcross: dubbed "The Genesee River Killer" and "The Rochester Strangler", Shawcross murdered 14 victims, most of whom were prostitutes but some were also children, between 7th May 1972 and 28th December 1989 in Rochester and Watertown (New York). He was charged with 10 counts of murder, sentenced to life in prison, but died of a heart attack on 10th November 2008. 

John Wayne Gacy Jnr: dubbed "The Killer Clown", is an American serial killer and rapist, who - whilst posing as a respectable business man, charity worker and children's entertainer - tortured and murdered at least 33 young men and boy at his home in Cook County (Illinois) between 1972 and 1978, until their feted remains were discovered under his floorboards. Gacy was executed by lethal injection on 10th May 1994. 

Charles Manson: an American cult leader of the Helter Skelter cult dubbed "The Manson Family" who - under his orders, believing him to be a deity and divine leader - committed nine murders between 18th May 1969 and 10th August 1969, most notably actress Sharon Tate. Manson is currently serving nine life sentences at Corcoran State Prison (California). 

Dennis Nilsen: dubbed "The Kindly Killer", a British serial killer and necrophile who between 30th December 1978 and 26th January 1983, lured at least 15 young men to his flat (many of whom were homeless) and after food, alcohol and sex, strangled them in their sleep and dismembered their bodies. Nilsen is currently serving a whole life sentence and HMP Full Sutton in East Riding (Yorkshire). Read a full and detailed profile of Dennis Nilsen here. 

Richard Ramirez: dubbed "The Night Stalker", he was an American serial killer, burglar and rapist, who between 10th April 1984 and 24th August 1985, broke into numerous apartments in the San Francisco area and murdered 14 people using a variety of weapons including guns, knives, a machete, a tyre-iron and a hammer. He was sentenced to die in the gas chamber but died of B-cell lymphoma on 7th June 2013. 

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Part two of television interviews with infamous serial killers and murders will appear here soon.  If you "enjoyed" this blog post, why not take a peek at; Killers As Kids, Killers By Age, Birth Name, Diet, Drink, Height, IQ, Job, Lunar Cycle, Motive, Music, Name,  Nickname, Star Sign, Dead Or Alive?, Last Meals, Last Words, Not Caught, On TV and even their Pets 

Of course, if you'd like to learn more about serial-killers and murderers, BOOK NOW onto Murder Mile Walk, a guided walk of Soho's most notorious murderers. 

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Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, podcaster, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.