Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy
Introduction
“A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, usually due to abnormal psychological gratification, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant break between them” (Wikipedia). Notorious serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 men between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms, and then murdered by a fellow prison inmate in 1994 (“Jeffrey Dahmer Biography” para 1). John Wayne Gacy was a “question of sanity”, U.S. serial killer who dressed as a clown and was found guilty of killing 33 boys and young men (“John Wayne Gacy Biography” para 1). The contributing factors as to why Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy became serial killers were very similar as well as very different.
The Beginning of Jeffrey Dahmer …show more content…
Dahmer wanted nothing in his formative years and was a mostly happy child until the age of six, when a minor surgery to correct a double hernia seemed to effect a change in him (para 2). Following Dahmer’s surgery, which coincided with the birth of his younger brother, David, he became increasingly insular and lacking in self confidence (para 2). Around the same time, a career opportunity for his father, resulted in the family moving to Ohio, and the boy’s insecurities deepend. By his early teens, he was disengaged, tense, and largely friendless. (“Jeffrey Dahmer Biography” para 3). Dahmer’s facial expressions transformed from childhood smiles to a motionless blank stare, a look that remained with him throughout his life (Montaldo
Introduction
“A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, usually due to abnormal psychological gratification, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant break between them” (Wikipedia). Notorious serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 men between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms, and then murdered by a fellow prison inmate in 1994 (“Jeffrey Dahmer Biography” para 1). John Wayne Gacy was a “question of sanity”, U.S. serial killer who dressed as a clown and was found guilty of killing 33 boys and young men (“John Wayne Gacy Biography” para 1). The contributing factors as to why Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy became serial killers were very similar as well as very different.
The Beginning of Jeffrey Dahmer …show more content…
Dahmer wanted nothing in his formative years and was a mostly happy child until the age of six, when a minor surgery to correct a double hernia seemed to effect a change in him (para 2). Following Dahmer’s surgery, which coincided with the birth of his younger brother, David, he became increasingly insular and lacking in self confidence (para 2). Around the same time, a career opportunity for his father, resulted in the family moving to Ohio, and the boy’s insecurities deepend. By his early teens, he was disengaged, tense, and largely friendless. (“Jeffrey Dahmer Biography” para 3). Dahmer’s facial expressions transformed from childhood smiles to a motionless blank stare, a look that remained with him throughout his life (Montaldo