Gerard John Schaefer
Theories based upon biology, psychology, sociology, and socio-psychological observations and analyses have been formulated with the hopes are identifying factors that may influence and individual's behavior. In the case of prolific serial murderer Gerard John Schaefer, a psychological analysis of his behavior may be the best approach to better understanding factors that influenced his actions.
Gerard John Schaefer was tried and convicted for the murders of Susan Place and Georgia Jessup who were last seen on September 27, 1972. The remains of Place and Jessup were found in April 1973 and gave investigators cause to issue a search warrant to look for evidence tying Schaefer to their disappearance. The murders of Place and Jessup occurred while Schaefer was free on bond after being charged with false imprisonment and two charges of aggravated assault after he kidnapped, bound, and tortured/tormented Pamela Sue Wells and Nancy Ellen Trotter (Newton, n.d.). Schaefer is also suspected in the 1966 disappearances of Nancy Leichner and Pamela Nater, the 1969 disappearances of Leigh Bondies and Carmen Marie Hollack, the 1970 disappearances of Peggy Rahn and Wendy Stevenson, the 1972 disappearances of Belinda Hutchens, Mary Alice Briscolina and Elsie Lina Farmer, and the 1973 disappearance of Colette Goodenough and Barbara Ann Wilcox (Newton, n.d.). Items belonging to the aforementioned women, except Rahn and Stevenson, were recovered in April 1973 during a raid on Schaefer's mother's house. Furthermore, only the remains of Place, Jessup, Briscolina, Farmer, Goodenough, and Wilcox were ever found.
Schaefer is considered to be a mission-oriented killer, at first viewing women as whores and prostitutes and eventually coming to the conclusion that "indecent women and prostitutes should be destroyed for the welfare of society" (Newton, n.d.; Arrigo, 2006). Though Schaefer attempted to flaunt his power over people, such as his students while he was a teacher, or the issuance of superfluous traffic citations while...
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