Often when people try to discover what makes an unrepentant serial offender tick, they look at the convicted's childhood. Were there any indications that they could turn into monsters? One of the biggest indications that a person is destined to be disturbed is seeing whether or not they have harmed animals, especially during childhood. Psychologists point to harming animals as proof of a lack of empathy. Such behavior also indicates a propensity towards aggression. While there isn't any hard data claiming the percentage of infamous offenders who began their career of pain by hurting animals, many believe that this is a serious warning sign.
Many of these offenders have admitted that harming animals was the first time they realized that they liked to cause suffering and, in fact, wanted to hurt people. Often neighborhood cats, dogs, and even crabs were the earliest victims of these menacing childhood "games," which often led to painful demises. One notorious offender even began targeting animals after seeing his father do the same.
This list features serial killers who have openly admitted to victimizing animals - leading them down the path to eventually claiming human lives.
David Berkowitz is best known as the "Son of Sam." He believed God was telling him to end lives, and the infamous offender struck down many via eight separate shootings in NYC, during the summer of 1976. At one point during his spree, Berkowitz is believed to have allegedly struck down a neighbor's dog.
He later targeted his neighbor Sam's dog, Harvey - Berkowitz had alleged Harvey was possessed by the demon who instructed the Son of Sam's nefarious deeds.
When Jeffrey Dahmer was a kid, his hobby was to terminate his neighbor's pets. Reportedly, he even impaled a dog's head on a stick and displayed it. According to interviews with forensic psychologist Carl Wahlstrom, Dahmer's father helped show him the ropes.
Together, they "bleached" deceased animals - a practice Dahmer later employed with his victims.
Best known as the Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo terminated over a dozen women between 1962 and 1964 in Boston. As a child, he would scoop up dogs and cats and secure them in a box. Then, he would target the trapped animals with arrows.
DeSalvo passed while incarcerated in 1973, having been sentenced to life in prison.
When he was a child, Ted Bundy reportedly derived pleasure from tormenting small animals, chiefly cats and dogs. Eventually, Bundy went on to terminate at least 30 people, although it's speculated that he had close to 100 victims.
During his childhood, Edmund Kemper was known to have harmed animals. Reportedly, Kemper even buried a cat alive. He later unearthed the feline and removed its head, postmortem. Terminating animals proved to be a sign of things to come. Between 1964 and 1973, Kemper ended 10 people, including his mother and grandparents.
Reportedly, Kemper had relations with his victims after ending their lives - again, including his mother.
Andrew Cunanan ended several people in 1997, including the famous designer Gianni Versace. As a kid, Cunanan reportedly used to take delight in harming animals he found near his home. In fact, Cunanan would gather up nearby crabs and hold fire to the crustaceans' eyes.
