Becoming Evil: Serial Killers

Prior to the true crime explosion, psychologists and criminal investigators thought they had the serial killer figured out; but the answers are much more complex and troubling; the profile of the typical serial killer has changed dramatically.

American culture and its urban settings, streets of prostitution, homeless and lost people, will continue providing the victim pool for serial killers.

At the turn of the 20th century, America was on the move; it was changing from a country of farmers and small towns into a nation of growing urban centers.

After surviving the Great Depression and World War II, America entered an idyllic age, The Atomic Age, where wholesome values and classic Americana were king.

There was a golden age of female serial killers in the U.S. and Europe; female serial killers that targeted their children, husbands, and other family members.

There's been a long-held belief in the public that serial killing is largely an American phenomenon.

Starting in the 1990s, serial killing in America has transitioned and adapted to the changing world, while at the same time in many ways staying the same.