-The term ‘serial killer’ was coined by FBI agent Robert Kessler or Dr Robert D. Keppel in the 1970s
-In the 1980s, the FBI claimed that at any particular time there were roughly 35 active serial killers in the U.S.
-The term ‘serial killer’ was first used to describe Ted Bundy.
-A serial killer is someone who commits three or more murders over an extended period of time with cooling-off periods in between.
-According to the terms used by criminologists, there are 3 types of murderers: serial killers, spree killers, and mass murderers.
-The first known serial killers in American history were the Harp boys, two cousins who killed indiscriminately during the Revolutionary War.
-Gary Leon Ridgway a.k.a. The Green River Killer, confessed to 48 murders, more than any other U.S. Serial killer.
-Pablo Alonso Lopez claimed to have killed more than 300 people in Peru, Ecuador and Columbia. That would make him the most prolific serial killer in history.
-Cult leader Thug Behram was said to have strangled 931 victims between 1790 and 1830 with a ceremonial handkerchief
-Three warning signs commonly displayed by serial killers during childhood, known as the Mac Donald triad, are fire-starting, cruelty to animals and bed-wetting.
-Some believe that legends such as werewolves and vampires were inspired by medieval serial killers.
-3 parts of serial killer make up: 1) Abuse, 2) Brain damage, 3) Mental illness; or being a psychopath (Bundy, BTK)