The Zodiac Killer- A Case Study

Paper Summary:

The Zodiac killings are one of the most publicized crimes in recent history. This paper suggests that the Zodiac may not be a "serial killer" according to the standard descriptions, but instead meets the description of a spree killer. Evidence from his letters and ciphers as well as from his victims is used to support the case. The paper begins with a description of the seven confirmed killings, followed by the profile of the killer using his level of intelligence, his collection of a trophy from the final killing, and his apparent level of social dysfunction to create a composite "psychological profile" of the killer.

Outline:
Introduction & History
Profile of the Zodiac

From the Paper:

"Profiling any serial murderer is a difficult task because, as one author writes, "the motives, gains, and etiology of serial murder differ from those of other forms of homicide (Holmes 2002)." The Zodiac killings are a good sample case to analyze in the context of the typologies of male serial killers offered by the text "Murder in America" because no existing profile based on the killer's own perspective exists. As such, the best way to describe the typology of the Zodiac is to examine the victims and evidence left behind."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Holmes, R. M. (2002). Profiling Violent Crimes: An Investigative Tool (3rd ed.). Sage Publications: London UK.
• Gibson, D. C. (10/30/2004). Clues from Killers: Serial Murders and Crime Scene Messages (3rd ed.). Praeger Publishers: UK.
• Knox, Sara (2004).A Gruesome Accounting: Mass, Serial and Spree Killing in the. Journal for Crime, Conflict and the Media. 2, 1-14.
• Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In W. M. Kurtines & J. L. Gerwitz (Eds.), Handbook of moral behavior and development. (Vol 1. pp. 45-103). Hillsdale NJ: Erlbaum.
• Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn Kroehler. (2005) Sociology The Core. 7th. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

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