S4:E2 "The Angel Maker"

Background: The BAU is called in to investigate a murder that links back to a serial killer that was executed the year before.

A copycat killer takes off where a serial killer had left off.  The BAU was able to link the murders to a serial killer who had been executed due to the detailed replication of the murders. The victims died from blood-forced trauma to the head, most likely from a hammer.  Then the victims were sexual assaulted postmortem; for the copycat this meant placing the original killer's semen on the bodies.  Following this, a constellation was stabbed into the victims abdomen, most likely with a screw driver.  When the killer left the houses of the victims, both the original and the copycat, all the windows in the house were opened.  Lastly, there was never forced entry in these murders, suggesting that the copycat killer was looking for easy targets.

The BAU soon find out that the copycat killer was obsessed with the initial serial killer.  In fact, the

copycat killer was in love.  The copycat killer, who was a women, was a major groupie of the serial

killer, she eventually fell deeply in love with him, and would do anything in her power to finish what

he started.  She was his "angel."  In fact, at the end of the episode she... Sorry, you will have to watch the episode and see for your self what happens:)


Anyways, I would like to touch on the topic of obsession, as it seems to be the most important aspect of this entire episode.   According to Psychology Today being obsessed can be someone who is "lovesick" and "cannot eat or sleep," they may go as far as "to harass and stalk" the person that they are obsessed with. Obsessed people will do anything to please the person they are obsessed with as well.  Many individuals suffer from romantic obsession, as in this case.  Chasing a love interest may be an unconscious urge inherent to perpetuation of the species, but it may become intrusive when the pursuit goes too far as well.  In this case, the "copycat" was obsessed romantically with the initial serial killer and believed that she had to finish what he had started.  This was one of the ways she was able to get close to him after he had died.  She also went as far as taking his remains out of his grave and keeping them at her house. Gross!  She was so fixated on this man...  Obsession is like a disease.  Once obsessed, there is no escaping.  In my opinion this girl was psycho. Obsessions can turn into cases of a compulsive personality disorder if the person does not get help soon enough too. A person can get help from psychologists for disorders such as these, but obsession is something that is extremely difficult to overcome, even with help.

    

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201501/obsessed

Doubt S3 E1

At an all-girls school in Flagstaff, Arizona, three women were already murdered when the BAU arrived. All the victims arms were crossed, which is a sign of remorse, and that the murderer wants the victim to rest in peace. The night the BAU arrives on campus, another girl is murdered. Her corpse shows no signs of fighting back, yet she was holding a mace. This indicates that the victim knew and trusted her killer, and that he is most likely part of the campus. The director of the college wants to evacuate the school for the protection of the students, and the BAU fears that this will only encourage the killer’s murdering spree. They are increasing the amount of security and surveillance in order to lower the chances of another murder. 

Profile: The un-sub is someone with high access to the college and community. He was able to kill and be unseen even in a highly trafficked and survived campus. He is a "spree-killer" because he has killed 4 women in three days (something has most likely set him off in the past few days). He has only killed white brunette women, so the stressor most likely involves a women in his life who fits the same description. (Wife, mother, girlfriend) The un-sub may feel emasculate, and rejection may be a common theme in his life. The un-sub displays a great amount of anger, and stabs his victims repeatedly, even after they're dead: seconds later he feels remorse. It is possible that he feels guilty because the victims trusted him.

 The BAU soon finds out that the un-sub is a member of the campus security, because markings on the dead women came from a Taser (the campus police are not allowed guns). Garcia, the computer analyst for the BAU, looks for any security guards who attempted to join the military, but failed. One campus officer Nathan Tubbs did, and was declined because he failed his psych evaluation. He was one of the only officers to show up to all the crime scenes, even when he was not on duty. Nathan Tubbs also recently lost custody of his daughter after a divorce with his wife. The police break into his apartment and find newspaper clippings of all the killings and knifes. Nathan isn’t on the schedule to work, yet is patrolling around and finds a student walking alone. He offers to drive her to her car because "it is his duty to keep her safe". The BAU solve that he is the killer, and find him and the girl in the car before he could harm her.

The police psych evaluation says he had border line, antisocial, and sociopathic tendencies. While in custody, another murder occurs, by someone posing to be the serial killer. It turns out to be a girl on campus, Anna, who died her hair brown for Nathan Tubbs. Once he was released (because they had no evidence), Anna takes Tubbs to a courtyard where they can be alone. The girl is a recluse, antisocial, and often talks about suicide. Anna says she wants Nathan to kill her like the other girls because she is too afraid to commit suicide herself. Nathan refuses so she stabs him in the stomach, then stabs herself. Both end up dying, and while the result was devastating, the BAU knew that Nathan Tubbs would no longer be able to harm any more girls.

Extreme Aggressor S1, E1

"For heaven’s sake catch me before I kill more I cannot control myself"-The Lipstick killer 1945

In Seattle Washington a woman is looking to buy- a retro sports-car that is listed at a surprisingly low price. After the seller offers a test drive, she agrees, but he didn't want to sell her the car, he wanted to kidnap and kill her. The BAU gets brought into the case after four dead people were found and locals called the un-sub (unknown subject) the "Seattle Strangler". He keeps his victims for seven days then strangles them long after they are dead because he "enjoys it". When the BAU team arrives, they don’t want to view a suspect list to keep their perspective unbiased, and Gideon believes he is in his early twenties because of "beautiful arrogance". The victims were clothed which is a sign of remorse, yet the un-sub viewed women as disposable, which created a conflicting profile.

Profile: Un-sub is a white male in his late 20's. The violent nature of the crimes indicates a previous crime record, most likely petty theft. They categorize him as an organized killer, which means he is careful and smart. The un-sub is also psychopathic not psychotic and has good hygiene. All the murders involved rape, “but rape without penetration is a form of picquerism, which tells the BAU that he is sexually inadequate”. Psychiatric evaluations should show a history of paranoia stemming from a childhood trauma (death of family member), so he now he feels persecuted and watched. Murder gives the un-sub a sense of power: organized killers have a fascination with law enforcement, and will inject themselves into the investigation, which makes them feel powerful and in control. Because of this, Gideon knows the police already interviewed him.

Later, the police finds one of the un-subs, and go through his home in order to try to find the girl, and to better understand the killer. In his attic, there is a game called "go", considered to be the most difficult board game ever conceived, and he was playing himself on it. "Go" is a psychologically revealing game, and there are profiles for every player. Judging by the game, Spencer Reid is able to analyze that he is an extreme aggressor. In result of the conflicting profile, the BAU is able to determine that there are two different un-subs. In an attempt to find the second, they go to the jail in which the first un-sub was held to try to figure out if he made any friendships. While there, they talk to the security officer who always patrolled the area and he said "Half our job is protecting them from each other". The man’s name was Timothy Vogel, and he was the owner of the sports car used to abduct the girl at the beginning of the episode. They follow the car after it leaves the jail, but soon realize he tricked them, and was going to murder the girl and dump the body.

During a interview with the first un-sub, Hodge begins to talk about “reciprocity”: when the car dealer lowers the price as a favor, and the buyer feels obligated. He uses this as a comparison between the two un-subs and how they are manipulating and using each other as leverage.  

They realize the girl is being kept on a boat, and rush to the shipyard to save her. When they arrive, the second un-sub is threatening to kill the girl, but Gideon taunts him saying things such as :"I wouldn’t if I were you. If you kill the girl, you have nothing, kill me instead." or "What are you a lousy shot" and "I think you're a moron. You're at the gym five times a week. Not even Viagra helps. I wonder what they used to call you back in high school. Short stack? Tiny Tim?" With those words, the un-sub cracks and shoots Gideon in the arm, which gives the the police enough time to save the girl. 

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." –Joseph Conrad

Season 4 Episode 22: "The Big Wheel"

           In this episode of Criminal Minds, the officer team tracks down a serial killer who targets white, blonde women in their early thirties. The killer records each murder with a video camera that is hidden in his glasses, and sends them to the police with the message “Help Me.” By watching the videos, the officers are able to conclude that the killer suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. OCD is defined by http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/obssessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd.htm as “an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualized behaviors you feel compelled to perform.”

            The killer, (Vincent), displayed many symptoms throughout the show that are linked to OCD.  He would turn door handles exactly two times before opening each door, he would make sure his bed was perfectly made and his room was spotless before leaving the house, he would have all of his food pre-made the night before and cut into perfect triangles, he would wipe public door handles and sanitize them before touching them, and he would not step on the cracks in the sidewalk while he was out walking. He is also very afraid of germs – he wrapped his steering wheel in plastic wrap, uses hand sanitizer frequently, and uses a bar of soap only once, then throws it away - he has an entire cabinet full of about 100 bars of soap in his bathroom. He would commit a murder exactly every 12 months, and would target white, blonde women by stabbing them with a large knife that he always carried around with him. Many people didn’t suspect him at first since he seemed shy, quiet and harmless on the outside. The officer team was able to finally track him down after speaking with a blind 10 year old boy whose mother was murdered. This boy was actually Vincent’s mentee, since Vincent helped out with youth in the community. After further thought, the boy was able to realize that Vincent was the one who murdered his mother, since Vincent starting acting very strange around him ever since the police started looking for serial killer that fit Vincent’s description. In the end, Vincent was finally caught by the officer team, and was put in jail. Vincent knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he was unable to stop himself because his OCD was getting too strong to ignore – that’s why he wanted the police to stop him, and pleaded for their help by sending them videos of the murders.

Fear and Loathing, S2 E16

“From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.” -Socrates

The BAU goes to a suburb on the edge of New York City to investigate a serial killer who has been targeting young black girls. It is believed to be a hate-crime because the city is only 8% black, and his victims are extremely specific. Swastikas were painted on all the victims’ faces, and each girl was stabbed post-mortem which indicates sexual homicide. (The swastikas were used to distract the police from the true motive of the murder). All of the victims were passionate about singing and were overall good students and good children. After analyzing the data of the victims, the BAU is able to produce a profile: The un-sub is a black man, most likely between the ages of 30-35. They know he is black because of his victims (people often kill within their own race), and he is a smooth talker with a high-intelligence, and is involved in the music industry. The local police are hesitant to release the profile because it will only create more tension between whites and blacks.

After releasing the profile to the community, a young black girl steps forward saying that a man came up to her after church choir practice saying that he owns a recording studio and would love to hear her sing more. This specific black girl said it was obvious that he was lying about his intentions, and that she knew who he was before he introduced himself. Soon after the release of the profile, a missing persons report is made for another young black girl. The perspective then cuts to the missing girl, Allie, who was singing in his studio. He compliments her, says her voice must be sore, and then offers her a bottle of water. After drinking it, she becomes extremely dizzy because the water was spiked with drugs, and he begins to attack her. In attempt to fight back, Allie kicked him where it hurts, and ran like hell. She makes it into the street but is unable to move fast or talk coherently because of the side-effects of the drug. The BAU soon finds Allie and takes the serial killer into custody charged with the murder and abductions of the girls. Overall, his specific case highlights persuasion, segregation, and the use of drugs.

S3:E8 "Lucky"

Background: In this episode, the BAU focus their attention on a cannibalistic serial killer.

This episode starts out at the Hazelwood Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Florida where a seventeen year old boy is being released. The doctor in charge strongly suggests that the hospital should not release this patient who is sadistic and delusional.  Unfortunately, according to the law, he has to be released because he is turning 18 years of age.  The doctor worries that this patient will go back to his old ways.  The doctor is right and the kid, many years later, turns out to be a cannibalistic serial killer that the BAU has to track down.  Floyd Fallin believes strongly in Satan and his beliefs encourage him to kill.  His victims, if they are found, all have pentagrams cut into their bodies.  This is his mark.  Most of his victims, however, are not found.  This is because he kept them to eat.  The original body that gained the interest of the BAU was only a partial (missing the trunk and bottom limbs).  Upon examining, the pathologist found ten fingers in the victims stomach.  Floyd Fallin had forced his victim to eat these fingers, as a message.  All ten fingers were index fingers, which was his way of saying, "this isn't the first person I have killed." All in all, this is a sick and disturbing episode to watch.

Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. Cannibalism is used typically as a scare tactic in times of war.  It is highly illegal and a horrifying concept to think about. It is one of the ultimate, unspeakable taboos out there today.  Floyd Fallin would be considered a spiritual and ritualistic cannibal.  He believed that the powers and spirits of the dead would be transferred to him by eating their flesh.  Eating human flesh produces a euphoric state which activates the pleasure center of the brain's of cannibals such as Floyd. Floyd Fallin also falls under the category of a criminal cannibal, which is obvious as well.  He felt powerful eating the flesh of another human being and repeated this act of killing and eating humans several times.  Floyd Fallin in unable to fit into society or function normally.  This explains his bizarre acts and beliefs.

http://www.crimecasefiles.com/blog/2011/10/the-psychology-behind-cannibalism/

Season 2 Episode 14: "The Big Game"

 

          In this episode of Criminal Minds, the officer team pursues a religious killing team in Atlanta that sets up computer webcams to record their murders to post them on the Internet. This team of killers is known for calling 911 at the scene of the crime right before they commit the murder. After listening to the recorded 911 calls, the officers find it strange that one person on the team seems to be afraid and apologetic for the murder they are about to commit, while another stronger voice who identifies as “Raphael” seems to yell at the other man and say that it is “God’s will” to kill these sinners.
         After extensive research and investigation, they find that it is not a team of killers responsible for these murders – but rather a single person suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. This man, known as Tobias Hankel, had a very difficult childhood. His father was a religious preacher who constantly abused him – he would hold Tobias under water in attempts to drown him, hit him, and even burn him with hot metal crosses to brand him with the symbol of Christ. Even though his father abused him, Tobias still loved and honored his father. After his father died, Tobias believed it was his responsibility to keep his world alive – which is possibly why Tobias developed two different personalities (his own personality and his father’s). Raphael would command him to kill people he believed were sinners, such as wealthy people or people who were dishonest. He would break into their house and slaughter them like an animal – Raphael’s way of religious sacrifice. After the murder, Tobias would feel extremely guilty and pace back and forth whispering “What did I do, what did I do! They didn’t deserve that, it’s not what God wants!” Raphael would quickly break through, yelling “Stop talking nonsense, those sinners got what they deserved!” This type of internal conflict would happen quite frequently with Tobias. Later on in the episode, he actually kidnapped Spencer (one of the officers) and tortured him. Whenever he would talk to Spencer, he would constantly switch between personalities – sometimes he would be the kind and compassionate Tobias, and other times he would be the controlling and sinister Raphael. One minute he would be apologizing to Spencer for the way his father was treating him, and the next Raphael would start torturing and beating him again. According to (http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/neurological_institute/center-for-behavorial-health/disease-conditions/hic-dissociative-identity-disorder), “DID results from extreme and repeated trauma that occurs during important periods of development during childhood. The trauma often involves severe emotional, physical or sexual abuse, but also might be linked to a natural disaster or war,” which would explain how Tobias’s abusive past is linked to the development of his disorder.