Killing animals criteria for serial killers

Convicted Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen has been in the local news recently.  The photo caption in the Anchorage Daily News reads, “Convicted serial killer Robert Hansen with the horns from a record-class Dall sheep he killed”. The FBI has recognized the connection between animal cruelty and serial killers since the l970s, when analysis of the life histories of imprisoned serial killers suggested that most, as children, had killed or tortured animals.  Other research shows consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. 

Despite overwhelming evidence to suggest that killing animals for pleasure leads to violence towards humans, sport hunting is still a way of life in Alaska.  The photo of this serial killer sure reminds me of a photo of Governor Palin – she was so proud of this behavior that this photo was on her homepage on the state’s government website!

Tags: animal cruelty, Sarah Palin, Serial killers, VP Sarah Palin