Date of Award

Spring 4-2019

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Criminal Justice

Advisor/Committee Chair

Dr. Alan Lizotte

Abstract

This work examines the influences the media had in the “serial killer era” of the late 1960s into the late 1980s. While serial killers have made headlines in America since the 1896 capture of H. H. Holmes (Brown et al, 2015), the two-decade long hangover after the 1960s brought a rise of these violent offenders the likes of which had never been seen (Aamodt, M. G. 2016). This work defines the era as beginning with the Manson murders in 1969 and ending with the Columbine high school massacre of 1999 (Aamodt, M. G. 2016). This research explores the rise and fall of American serial killers, the emergence of the “breaking news” cycle following President Kennedy’s assassination, and the media’s sensationalism of violence.

This research can be used to determine the circumstances that foster these violent offenders. By determining the external factors that allow serial killers to thrive, law enforcement, policy makers, and the media can take steps toward identifying and neutralizing these factors. The information in this text is pulled from prior research about media influence on the general public, interviews with these serial killers, and the comparison in media coverage of these types of offenders before, during, and after this timeframe.

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