Serial Killers - VISIONARY TYPE

This category of serial killers includes those serial killers whose homicides are committed in response to “voices” or “visions” that demand that a person or category of persons be destroyed. For some, the voice or vision is perceived to be that of a demon or evil force; for others, their killing is in response to a directive from  God. Directed by a vision of God, Herbert Mullin set out to save the world from eminent destruction (a deadly earthquake which he believed he could ward off by killing). In the process, he lethally “sacrificed” 13 people to propitiate the God whose commands he obeyed. The “Red Demon” killer decapitated or stabbed four elderly women because a red demon within would give him peace of mind only if he killed.

Whatever the particular content or perceive source of the “vision”, the end behavioural product for the serial killer is homicide. The perpetration of lethal violence is legitimized by the vision that the killer has experienced. Unlike most other serial killers, the visionary type is sometimes definitely out of touch with reality. Since the visionary hears voices or sees visions, this type of killer is often adjudged psychotic.