More Serial Killers.....
on Biography. This one is a French serial killer by the name of Michael Fourniret. You can watch me on this show as an expert tonight, Friday, December 18 @ 8 pm ET on the Biography channel. Here is a description of the show:
You can see more about the show here.
He's known worldwide as the "Ogre of the Ardennes." Frenchman Michel Fourniret's exploits terrorized Europe in the 1980s and '90s as he kidnapped, raped and murdered nine young women in a reign of terror across France and Belgium. When he attempted to kidnap his 10th victim, his wife refused to conceal his sickness any longer. She went to authorities. Fourniret was arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison where he remains today.
You can see more about the show here.
Labels: media stuff
posted by Helen at 7:43 AM
9 Comments:
Is there something in the definition of "serial" that precludes multiple murderers like hit men and gang violence? It seems that to be considered a serial killer, you have to have no other motive than emotional imbalance.
"Stand by your man" is one thing... but the wife didn't say 'enough is enough' until rape/murder #10?
She belongs in prison as well.
9 is fine
10 is one too many!
everyone has their standards after all
Why wasn't his wife prosecuted as an accessory? I know the answer, I was just wondering what the official reason was.
Well, I'll be watching it, Dr. Helen.
Just finished up my last final for this semester just a few hours ago...would be nice to watch something for fun for a change.
Professor Hale,
Some gang bangers and hit man may be serial killers, but I think most are not. It's not at all straight forward that just because someone has killed a lot of people they are serial killers. If that's all you consider necessary for the label 'serial killer', then you may have to label professional combat soldiers serial killers (I know some may be, but almost all of them are not). That 'emotional imbalance' criterion is THE defining characteristic of someone who has a compulsion to kill rather than someone who kills because he/she thinks those killings are necessary.
Also, off the top of my head, I cannot think of anyone labeled a serial killer who merely killed their victims. All the ones I can think of tortured their victims or mutilated their dead bodies or killed them in an extremely brutal fashion.
I'm certainly not a psychiatrist or expert, but that's my guess.
Regards,
Ken
Well, crap -- I'd like to see the story/analysis, Dr. Helen, but BC isn't on our cable lineup. Oh well.
"All the ones I can think of tortured their victims or mutilated their dead bodies or killed them in an extremely brutal fashion."
And they seem to consistently go after the same kind of victim and kill in exactly the same way (with escalation).
Ken,
That touches on my point. Is the term "serial" intended to denote a fashion of killer other than multiple victims? or are you just making the definition fit the pattern of those who have been described as such? One of my favorite pinata's is the tendency to improperly use words to create inappropriate meanings. Words used to have a specific meaning. Now it seems we all just make it up as we go along.
Without complex and definitive language, it becomes more difficult to discuss complex ideas. It is the complex ideas that advance civilisation.
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