Serial murder

Serial murder is the killing of multiple victims in separate events by the same offender, with a period of time between killings.

Behavioral linkage analysis: The process of assessing whether crimes share an offender by comparing behaviors and crime-scene features. Investigators use recurring behaviors to assess whether separate killings belong to one series.
Homicide: The killing of one person by another, whether unlawful or lawful under a jurisdiction’s rules. Serial murder consists of multiple homicides linked to one offender.
Jack the Ripper: The unidentified killer responsible for a series of murders in London’s Whitechapel district in 1888. The case became a lasting reference point in the public history of serial murder.
Victim impact statement: A statement describing how a crime affected a victim or surviving family, often presented during sentencing. Survivors can express the lasting consequences of serial killings in court.
Geographic profiling: A method that uses crime locations to estimate an offender’s likely base of operations. The locations of a series can help narrow where an offender lives or works.
Mass murder: The killing of multiple people in one event or within a short period, usually at one location. Its killings occur together rather than in separate events over time.
H. H. Holmes: Herman Webster Mudgett, an American murderer convicted of killing Benjamin Pitezel in 1895. Later popular accounts cast Holmes as an early serial killer, often with claims exceeding established evidence.
Cold case: An unresolved criminal investigation that has stopped receiving active investigative attention. Unlinked or unidentified killings may remain unsolved for years.
Victimology: The study of victims’ characteristics, circumstances, and relationships to understand a crime. Comparing victims can reveal selection patterns across separate killings.
Spree killing: A series of killings at multiple locations without a substantial cooling-off period between them. It differs from serial murder in the pattern and interval between events.

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