Serial Killers Who Didn’t Fit the Stereotype
Serial Killers Who Weren’t the Sharpest Tools in the Shed
From Dexter and Hannibal Lector to Tom Ripley and Patrick Bateman, the serial character template remains consistent, even if the details are tweaked. Killers are charming, usually attractive and — above all else — the smartest man in the room.
This has become the template for serial killers thanks, in large part, to the cases that have made the biggest headlines. Men like Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer and even John Wayne Gacy have reinforced the idea. Time and again, killers that lacked in sex appeal were always described as charming and gregarious. They are also routinely described as ‘fiendishly clever’, either a genius or someone with above average intelligence, and as someone who is focused, methodical and smart enough to stay at least one step ahead of the police.
There are plenty of examples of serial killers who were smart or even of genius-level intelligence — but there are also plenty of stories about those who were at the other end of the spectrum.
Henry Lucas & Ottis Toole
If there was ever a criminal duo that disproved the adage ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’, it’s Ottis Toole and Henry Lee Lucas. The men were roughly as stupid as they were ugly, and that’s…
