Southern Brutality : True Crime Nonfiction : Serial Killers

Hidden Evil Series Volume 2

By: Caroline Bardot

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The term “serial killer” was first introduced in the 1970s by FBI Agent Robert Ressler. Shortly after joining the FBI in 1970, he was recruited to join the newly developed Behavioral Science Unit where he became fascinated with the psychology behind violent offenders. He wanted to better understand the motive behind a murder – what caused the person to act out in such a way, and what similarities these individuals shared. Ressler recognized that most offenders knew their victims, but there was a certain type of killer that picked their victims at random, and often killed multiple times. He coined the term “serial killer” because of the episodic nature of the homicides and how it reminded him of the television serials he watched as a young boy. The general public, as well as law enforcement, and criminal psychologists have often wondered what motivates a person to become a serial killer. It is interesting to note that many serial killers exhibit the same psychological behaviors including sociopathy, psychopathy, and antisocial tendencies.

Although we may never know what causes a person to become a serial killer, it is often a topic that fascinates many people. Perhaps it is the morbid curiosity, or the ability to view evil from a safe distance. The topic continues to infiltrate our media and entertainment with an endless spate of true crime documentaries, podcasts, and TV shows. The truth is there are monsters walking among us – they are your neighbors, co-workers, peers, and sometimes even family members. This book will focus on two serial killers whose stories appeared to be all but forgotten.

Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins – An American serial killer who brutalized the state of South Carolina from the 1950s through the 1980s. Known as “The Meanest Man in America,” Pee Wee confessed to over one hundred murders, although not all of these murders have been proven. His brutality knew no boundaries – he raped, stabbed, shot, drowned, and tortured numerous innocent victims, mostly hitchhikers along the coast of South Carolina.

Charles Frederick Albright – An American serial killer who was convicted of murdering three prostitutes in Dallas, Texas in 1991. He became known as “The Eyeball Killer,” after his victims were found with their eyes removed with surgical precision.

It is the classic question of nature versus nurture, but childhood trauma is a recurring theme that repeatedly shows itself in all serial killer biographies. As a society, we often want to place blame on a single event, it's just human nature. What if there is no real explanation as to why people become serial killers? What if the only logical explanation is that some people are just born evil?