Statistical analysis of the birth charts of serial killers by

In this study, hypotheses of astrologers about the predominance of specific astrological factors in the birth charts of serial killers are tested. In particular, Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces), the 12 principles (12 house, Pisces, Neptune) and specific Moon aspects are expected to be frequent among serial killers as compared to the normal population. A sample consisting of two datasets of male serial killers was analysed: one set consisting of birth data with a reliable birth time (N=77) and another set with missing birth times (12:00 AM was used, N=216). The set with known birth times was selected from AstroDatabank and an astrological publication. The set with unknown birth times was selected from three specialised sources on the Internet. Various control groups were obtained by shuffle methods, by time-shifting and by sampling birth data of 6,000 persons from AstroDatabank. Theoretically expected frequencies of astrological factors were derived from the control samples. Probability-density functions were obtained by bootstrap methods and were used to estimate significance levels. It is found that serial killers are frequently born when celestial factors are in Mutable signs (with birth time: p=0.005, effect size=0.31; without birth time: p=0.002, effect size=0.25). The frequency of planets in the 12 house is significantly high (p=0.005, effect size=0.31, for birth times only) and the frequency distribution of Moon aspects deviates from the theoretical distribution in the whole sample (p=0.0005) and in the dataset with known birth time (p=0.001). It is concluded that, based on the two datasets, some of the claims of astrologers cannot be rejected. Introduction This investigation is stimulated by astrological research articles about the birth charts of serial killers (Marks, 2002; Wickenburg, 1994). Unfortunately, the hypotheses by astrologer Liz Greene and others about the natal charts of psychopaths and serial killers (Greene & Sasportas, 1987a,b; Greene, 2003) are not tested in these research articles. I feel the challenge to do that in a more detailed study. Evidence for astrology is largely lacking, though some studies have reported small effect sizes (Ertel & Irving, 1996). It could be reasoned that if some of these astrological effects are genuine, higher effect sizes are to be expected in samples that are more homogeneous with respect to certain behavioural or psychological factors. Serial killers can be considered quite homogeneous with respect to common psychological traits, which manifest at an early age, and with respect to background, which is mostly dysfunctional, involving sexual or physical abuse, drugs or alcoholism (Schechter & Everitt, 1997; Schechter, 2004). If astrology works, then one would say that serial killers should display common factors in their birth charts. Correlation 25(2) 2008 Jan Ruis: Serial Killers 8 8 Specific sorts of behaviour, such as animal torture, fire setting, bed-wetting, frequent daydreaming, social isolation and chronic lying, characterize the childhood of serial killers. As adults they are addicted to their fantasies, have a lack of empathy, a constant urge for stimuli, a lack of external goals in life, a low self-control and a low sense of personal power. The lack of empathy or remorse, the superficial charm and the inflated self-appraisal are features of psychopathy. Serial killers have also been said to have a form of narcissistic personality disorder with a mental addiction to kill (Vaknin, 2003). In many psychological profiles of serial killers the central theme is frequent daydreaming, starting in early childhood and associated with a powerful imagination. It leads to the general fantasy world in which the serial killer begins to live as protection against isolation and feelings of inadequacy arising from this isolation (Ressler & Burgess, 1990). Many serial killers enact their crimes because of the detailed and violent fantasies (power, torture and murder) that have developed in their minds as early as the ages of seven and eight. These aggressive daydreams, developed as children, continue to develop and expand through adolescence into maturity, where they are finally released into the real world (Wilson & Seamen, 1992). With each successive victim, they attempt to fine tune the act, striving to make the real life experiences as perfect as the fantasy (Apsche, 1993). Serial killers, of which 90% are males, must be distinguished from the other type of multiple murderers: rampage killers (Schechter, 2004), which include mass and spree killers. The typical serial killer murders a single victim at separate events, while reverting to normal life in between the killings, and may continue with this pattern for years. In contrast, a mass murderer kills many people at a single event that usually ends with actual or provoked suicide, such as the Columbine High School massacre. A spree killer can be seen as a mobile mass murderer, such as Charles Starkweather and Andrew Cunanan. The FBI definition of a serial killer states that they must have committed at least three murders at different locations with a cooling-off period in between the killings. This definition is criticized because it is not specific enough with respect to the nature of the crimes and the number of kills (Schechter, 2004). A person with the mentality of a serial killer, who gets arrested after the second sexually motivated murder, would not be a serial killer in this definition. Therefore, the National Institutes of Justice have formulated another description, which was adopted in the present study: “a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone. The crimes may occur over a period of time ranging from hours to years. Quite often the motive is psychological, and the offender’s behaviour and the physical evidence observed at the crime scene will often reflect sadistic, sexual overtones.” Five different categories of serial killer are usually distinguished (Newton, 2006; Schechter & Everitt, 1997, Schechter, 2004): 1. Visionary. Is subject to hallucinations or visions that tell him to kill. Examples are Ed Gein and Herbert Mullin. 2. Missionary. Goes on hunting "missions" to eradicate a specific group of people (prostitutes, ethnic groups). Missionary killers believe that their acts are justified on the basis that they are getting rid of a certain type of person and thus doing society a favour. Examples are Gary Ridgway and Carroll Cole. 3. Hedonistic, with two subtypes: Correlation 25(2) 2008 Jan Ruis: Serial Killers 9 9 a. Lust-motivated: associates sexual pleasure with murder. Torturing and necrophilia are eroticised experiences. An example is Jeffrey Dahmer. b. Thrill-motivated: gets a thrill from killing; excitement and euphoria at victim's final anguish. An example is Dennis Rader. 4. Powerand control-seeking. The primary motive is the urgent need to assert supremacy over a helpless victim, to compensate for their own deep-seated feelings of worthlessness by completely dominating a victim. An example is Ted Bundy. 5. Gain-motivated. Most criminals who commit multiple murders for financial gain (such as bank robbers, hit men from the drug business or the mafia) are not classified as serial killers, because they are motivated by economic gain rather than psychopathological compulsion. Many serial killers may take a trophy from the crime scene, or even some valuables, but financial gain is not a driving motive. Still, there is no clear boundary between profit killers and other kinds of serial killer. For instance, Marcel Petiot liked to watch his victims die through a peephole after having robbed them of their possessions. Here sadism as a psychological motive was clearly involved. Both sadism and greed also motivated Henry Howard Holmes, and sadism was at least a second motive in “bluebeard” killers such as Harry Powers (who murder a series of wives, fiancées or partners for profit). Schechter (2004) argues that all bluebeards, like Henry Landru, George Joseph Smith and John George Haigh, are driven by both greed and sadism. Other investigators, such as Aamodt from Radford University (2008), categorize bluebeards in the group of power-motivated serial killers. Holmes (1996) distinguishes six types of serial killer: visionary, missionary, lust-oriented hedonist, thrill-oriented hedonist, the power/control freak and the comfort-oriented hedonist. In this typology, bluebeards are placed in the comfort type of serial killer group. Other arguments that bluebeards should be included in the present study are that they fit the serial killer definition of the National Institutes of Justice, and that like typical serial killers, they engage in planning activities, target a specific type of (vulnerable) victim, kill out of free will and at their own initiative, avoid being captured, and pretend to be normal citizens while hiding the crimes. Other multiple killers for profit, such as bank robbers and other armed robbers, hit men from the drugs scene, the mafia or other gangs, are generally not considered serial killers. Neither are other types of multiple murderers such as war criminals, mass murderers (including terrorists), spree killers and murderers who kill their partner out of jealousy. These killers are not incorporated in this study. Since definite boundaries between the different types of multiple murderers are hard to draw (Newton, 2006), I used a checklist in order to define serial killers in this study and to distinguish between serial killers and the other types of multiple murderer. This checklist is based on the characteristics of serial and rampage killers (Holmes, 1996; Schechter, 2004) and is included in Appendix A. For reasons of homogeneity, and because females usually have different motives as compared to males and over 90% of serial killers are males, this investigation was restricted to mal