A murderer is someone who deliberately kills another person. This is often done with premeditation. Acting in defense that accidentally kills someone is still murder. Some murderers can therefore be divided into categories. In this article you can read what types of murderers there are.
Hitman
Two people are punishable here:
- the assassin
- the contractor
A hitman is someone who is hired to commit murder. The hitman often commits murder for money. A hitman usually does not work for one person, but works for multiple clients or does it once because he/she really needs money or drugs, for example.
Lust killer
A lust killer is someone who kills someone with a sexual motive. Often the victims are first stalked by the perpetrator, which often results in gruesome acts such as:
- rape
- the amputation or mutilation of genitals
- the removal of organs or body parts
- cannibalism
- necrophilia (sexual acts with someone who has already died)
A lust killer can also be someone who sees it as sexual satisfaction or gets excited when committing murder. Lust murderers are often men who suffered (sexual) trauma in their youth . Probably the most famous lust killer was Jack the Ripper. In 1888 he mutilated and murdered at least five women in London. All these women worked in prostitution. These murders are still under investigation, as the perpetrator is still unknown. Although lust murderers are usually men, Jack the Ripper may have been a woman, as the DNA of a woman was found on a stamp from a letter sent by Jack the Ripper.
Assassin
This is an unexpected unpredictable murder that is usually committed quickly. The most common ways of committing this murder are:
- strangle
- stab
- strike with an object such as a hammer and/or club
- shoot down
The murder is usually committed against a politician or a prominent person. Some deadly gases are sometimes called silent killers. It is something you cannot see, but it is deadly. A well-known assassination is the assassination of the old American president Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was killed in the theater with a shot to the back of the head.
Mass murderer
A mass murderer is someone who commits many murders in a short period of time. These can be both human victims and animal victims. A mass murder involves four or more victims in a short period of time without a moment of rest in between. Usually the murders are committed by one person and in one place. Most mass murderers kill themselves after their crime. The mass murderer can also kill several people remotely, for example by killing people with explosives.
Serial killer
A serial killer is someone who kills two or more victims. The murders here often have nothing to do with each other, which makes a serial killer different from a mass murderer. The murders are also committed with some time in between. The victims are often strangers of the opposite sex. Serial killers often want power over their victims and often take possessions of their victims with them; for some killers the ultimate power is cannibalism. Because serial killers often kill multiple victims, the murders are often committed in quicker and more sloppy succession.
Spreekiller
A spree killer has similarities with the mass murderer and the serial killer. These perpetrators also take the lives of several people. A spree killer commits two or more murders in a short period of time in different locations. Yet there is often very little time between these murders. The most famous spree killer is Anders Behring Breivik. 77 people died after a bomb attack and shooting at a summer camp.