Serial Killers - What Age Do They (Usually) Start Killing?

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As part of my deeper look into the psyche of serial killers, I shall be delving into whether there are any common links between some of the world's most infamous serial killers, in terms of when their "career as a killer" began and how long it lasted. As with every question I start with no evidence, theories or opinion, this is simply a compilation of hard data to determine whether there are any common threads or interesting nuggets. Common threads like: what age do serial killers begin killing (is it part of a teenage angst, midlife crisis, end-of-life burst, or is there no average age)? How long their career span lasts? Across what age-range? If there are any similarities at all. 

Serial Killers - Career Span by Dates & Age

What follows is an alphabetic list of 54 of the UK & USA's most infamous serial killers, the dates (if known)​​ of their first and final killings and the killer's age when these crime were committed. 

• Aileen Wuornos – 30th November 1989 to 19th November 1990 (33-34 years old)
• Albert DeSalvo – 14th June 1962 to 4th January 1964 (31-33 years old)
• Albert Fish – 11th July 1924 to 3rd June 1928/15th Dec' 1932** (54-58/62 years old**)
• Anthony Hardy – December 2000 to December 2002 (49-51 years old)
• Beverley Allitt – 21st February 1991 to 22nd April 1991 (22 years old)
• Colin Ireland – 8th March 1993 to 12 June 1993 (39-40 years old)
• Cynthia Coffman –   October to November 1986 (24 years old)
• David Berkowitz – 24th December 1975 to 31st July 1977 (22-24 years old)
• Dennis Nilsen – 30th December 1978 to 26th January 1983 (33-37 years old)
• Dennis Rader – 15th January 1974 to 19th January 1991* (29-45 years old)
• Donald Neilson - February 1974 to 14th January 1975 (37-38 years old)
• Dorothea Puente – 1982 to 1988* (53-59 years old)
• Ed Gein – possibly during 1947 and 1952 (41-46 years old)
• Edmund Kemper – 27th August 1964 to 20th April 1973* (15-24 years old)
• Faye Copeland – 1986 to 1989** (72-75 years old)
• Fred West - July 1967 to June 1987* (26-47 years old)
• George Joseph Smith – 1912 to 1914 (40-42 years old)
• Graham Young – 21st April 1962 to February/March 1971* (14-23 years old)
• H H Holmes – August 1886 to July 1894 (25-33 years old)
• Harold Shipman – 1975 to 1998 (29-52 years old)
• Henri Desire Landru – January 1915 to 15th January 1919 (45-49 years old)
• Ian Brady – 12th July 1963 to 6th October 1965 (25-27 years old)
• Janie Lou Gibbs – 1966 to 1967 (34-35 years old)
• Jeffrey Dahmer – 18th June 1978 to 19th July 1991 (18-31 years old)
• Joel Rifkin – 1989 to 1993 (30-34 years old)
• John George Haigh – 6th September 1944 to 18th February 1949 (34-39 years old)
• John Reginald Christie – 24th August 1943 to 6th March 1953 (44-53 years old)
• John Wayne Gacy – 3rd January 1972 to 11th December 1978 (29-36 years old)
• Judy Buenoano – 1971 to 83 (28-40 years old)
• Kenneth Erskine - 9 April 1986 to 28 July 1986 (22-23 years old)
• Kristen Gilbert – 1989 to 1996* (22-29 years old)
• Levi Bellfield – 21st March 2002 to 19th August 2004 (33-34 years old)
• Michael Lupo – mid 1980’s (30-35-ish years old)
• Myra Hindley - 12th July 1963 to 6th October 1965 (19-23 years old)
• Patrick MacKay - February 1974 to March 1975** (21-22 years old)
• Peter Bryan – 1993 to January 2004* (24-34 years old)
• Peter Manuel – 2nd January 1956 to 1st January 1958 (29-31 years old)
• Peter Sutcliffe – 30th October 1975 to 17th November 1980 (29-34 years old)
• Peter Tobin – 10th February 1991 to 26th September 2006** (44-60 years old)
• Raymond Morris – 8th September 1965 to 19th August 1967 (36-38 years old)
• Richard Ramirez – 10th April 1984 to 24th August 1985 (24-25 years old)
• Robert Black – 12th August 1981 to 26th March 1986 (34-38 years old)
• Robert Maudsley – 1974 to 1978* (21-25 years old)
• Robert Napper – 15th July 1992 to November 1993 (26-27 years old)
• Rodney Alcala – 12th June 1971 to 1979** (27-36 years old)
• Rose West - June 1971 to May 1987 (18-33 years old)
• Stephen Griffiths – 22nd June 2009 to 21st May 2010 (39-40 years old)
• Stephen Port – 19th June 2014 to September 2015** (39-40 years old)
• Steve Wright – 30th October 2006 to 9th December 2006 (48 years old)
• Steven Grieveson – 26th May 1990 to 25th February 1994 (19-23 years old)
• Ted Bundy – 1st February 1974 to 9th February 1978 (28-31 years old)
• Ted Kaczynski – 25th May 1978 to 24th April 1994 (36-52 years old)
• Trevor Hardy – 31st December 1974 to 8th March 1976 (29-31 years old)
• Velma Barfield – 22nd March 1971 to 4th June 1978 (39-45 years old)

* murder spree interrupted by a prison sentence or confinement to an institution
** including suspected murders or theya re still under investigation for further murders

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What age is a serial killer most likely to start killing? Statistically in their twenties, with that figure tailing off the older they become, but there are an unusually high proportion of serial killers (including Gacy, Shipman, Sutcliffe, Dahmer and Bundy) who all began their "killing" careers as their 20th and 30th birthday loomed nearer or passed by.

• First killed in their teens - 6 out of 54; Graham Young (aged 14), Edmund Kemper (15), Jeffrey Dahmer (18), Rose West (18), Myra Hindley (19) and Steven Grieveson (19).
• Twenties - 22 out of 54; Patrick MacKay (21), Robert Maudsley (21), Beverley Allitt (22), David Berkowitz (22), Kenneth Erskine (22), Kristen Gilbert (22), Cynthia Coffman (24), Peter Bryan (24), Richard Ramirez (24), H H Holmes (25), Ian Brady (25), Robert Napper (26), Fred West (26), Rodney Alcala (27), Judy Buenoano (28), Ted Bundy (28), Peter Manuel (29), Trevor Hardy (29), Dennis Rader (29), Peter Sutcliffe (29), John Wayne Gacy (29), Harold Shipman (29).
• Thirties - 16 out of 54: Joel Rifkin (30), Michael Lupo (30), Albert DeSalvo (31), Aileen Wuornos (33), Dennis Nilsen (33), Levi Bellfield (33), Robert Black (34), John George Haigh (34), Janie Lou Gibbs (34), Raymond Morris (36), Ted Kaczynski (36), Donald Neilson (37), Velma Barfield (39), Stephen Griffiths (39), Colin Ireland (39), Stephen Port (39).
• Forties - 7 out of 54: George Joseph Smith (40), Ed Gein (41), John Reginald Christie (44), Peter Tobin (44), Henri Desire Landru (45), Steve Wright (48), Anthony Hardy (49)
• Fifties - 2 of 54; Dorothea Puente (53), Albert Fish (54)
• Sixties & Above - 1 of 54; Faye Copeland (72)​

What is the average span of a serial killer's "career"? This is the hardest question to answer as serial killers tend not to quit, they usually only stop when they are caught. The FBI states that the average male serial killer has a "career" span of 2-3 years, with female serial killers lasting almost 11 years. Often females are rarely caught as (1) they don't hang around after the murder, (2) they tend not to take souveniers, and (3) they usually kill by poisoning, which means they don't have to be in the same room, street or country as their victim.

That said, often females are not included in lists of serial killers as they tend to kill many victims in a very short period of time, which categorises them as a "spree-killer". Therefore, what follows is the same 54 serial killers with their "career span" listed shortest to longest. 

1. Steve Wright – 1 ½ months
2. Beverley Allitt – 2 months
3. Colin Ireland – 3 months
4. Cynthia Coffman – 2 months
5. Kenneth Erskine – 3 months
6. Donald Neilson – 11 months
7. Stephen Griffiths – 11 months
8. Aileen Wuornos – 1 year
9. Patrick MacKay – 1 year 1 month**
10. Stephen Port – 1 year 3 months**
11. Richard Ramirez – 1 year 4 months
12. Robert Napper – 1 year 4 months
13. Raymond Morris – 1 year 11 months
14. Albert DeSalvo – 1 year 7 months
15. David Berkowitz – 1 year 7 months
16. Trevor Hardy – 1 year 9 months
17. Anthony Hardy – 2 years
18. Peter Manuel – 2 years
19. George Joseph Smith – 2 years (est)
20. Janie Lou Gibbs – 2 years (est)
21. Ian Brady – 2 years 3 months
22. Myra Hindley – 2 years 3 months
23. Levi Bellfield – 2 years 5 months
24. Faye Copeland – 3** (est)
25. Albert Fish – 3 years 11 months or 8 years 5 months
26. Steven Grieveson – 3 years 9 months
27. Ted Bundy – 4 years
28. Joel Rifkin – 4 years (est)
29. Henri Desire Landru – 4 years
30. Robert Maudsley – 4 years*
31. Dennis Nilsen – 4 years 1 month
32. John George Haigh – 4 years 6 months
33. Ed Gein – 5 years (est)
34. Michael Lupo – 5 years-ish (est)
35. Peter Sutcliffe – 5 years 1 month
36. Robert Black – 5 years 7 months
37. Dorothea Puente – 6 years* (est)
38. John Wayne Gacy – 6 years 11 months
39. Kristen Gilbert – 7 years*
40. Velma Barfield – 7 years 3 months
41. H H Holmes – 7 years 11 months
42. Rodney Alcala – 8 years** (est)
43. Edmund Kemper – 8 years 8 months*
44. Graham Young – 8 years 10/11 months*
45. John Reginald Christie – 9 years 7 months
46. Peter Bryan – 10 years* (est)
47. Judy Buenoano – 12 years
48. Jeffrey Dahmer – 13 years 1 month
49. Peter Tobin – 15 years 7 months**
50. Ted Kaczynski – 15 years 11 months
51. Rose West – 15 years 11 months
52. Dennis Rader – 17 years*
53. Fred West – 19 years 11 months*
54. Harold Shipman – 23 years** (est)​

* murder spree interrupted by a prison sentence or confinement to an institution
** including suspected murders or they are still under investigation for further murders
​(est) indicates that exact dates cannot be accurately stated

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If you "enjoyed" this blog post try; Murderers by Motive; Odds of a US Presidential Assassination, Killer Couples Part 1 & Part 2, Famous British Serial Killers - Where Are They Now? Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Killers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals

No plans for this weekend? Looking for a curious & quirky treat for that certain special? Book onto Murder Mile Walks.

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Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, 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.