Compare and contrast research paper (Essay Sample)

Compare and Contrast Research Paper Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Instructor’s Name Course Name and Number Date of Submission Compare and Contrast Research Paper There have been killers since the existence of the first human beings in biblical historical context, as evident in the story of Cain and Abel. A serial killer is an individual who commits a series of murders without any apparent reason and their actions are based on a specific pattern. On the other hand, a mass murderer is a person who kills at least 4 or more people at one time, and in one particular location (Sauer, 2015). Although a mass murderer kills four or more people at one time and in a given location, a serial killer kills people within 30 days, targeting either intimates or strangers (Holmes & Holmes, 2001). In criminal law, serial murder is the unjustified killing of an individual by another person, and it is usually motivated by intentional malice; hence, it is quite different from manslaughter. A serial killer kills three or more people within 1 month, and they usually make a “cooling down” duration between their murder acts. Notably, serial killers murder the victims in separate events and different places. Their main motives for such ill intentions are merely pleasure or psychological thrill. Serial killers usually lack empathy and they are not guilty of anything. Most serial killers are egocentric, an attribute that makes some of them be classified as psychopaths. Serial killers perform their serious offenses by leveraging a mask of sanity, which helps them to hide their true identity; hence, anyone may not realize their psychopathic tendencies because they usually express normal and charming appearances. Ted Bundy is one notable serial killer, who is known for a series of crimes, although he was a very charming individual. Bundy showed a false impression of himself because he was very charming and harmless to many people, including most of his victims. He would fake an injury; hence, he was an organized serial killer who meticulously and methodologically calculated his moves before executing any murder. He stalked victims for many weeks before executing the crimes, which are approximated to be approximately 30 murders in a span of 4 years up to 1978 before he was finally captured. Bundy is characterized by his psychological motivation to plan and execute his murders but he was quite unique and different from mass murderers who appear to kill randomly at an instant. On the other hand, Stephen Craig Paddock was an American mass murderer who committed several crimes. Paddock was a high-stakes gambler who executed several gunfire attacks. For example, he killed 58 people in a county music fans venue in Las Vegas in 2017, although he lacked any specific motive for the incident (Associated Press, 2019). Paddock’s Las Vegas attack was the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history. Just like Bundy, the serial killer, Paddock had no specific motive for carrying out the crime. The FBI confirmed that there was no significant motivating factor for executing the crime in the Las Vegas high-rise casino hotel. Although Bundy lacked any motive for committing his crimes, Paddock might have been influenced by his father’s criminal reputation. To some extent, Paddock obtained infamy for causing a significant amount of damage, although several other issues might have been responsible for the rampage. The 2017 Las Vegas attack claimed 58 lives and left 900 others sustaining serious injuries at the outdoor concert (Associated Press, 2019). Paddock’s inspiration for committing mass murders is thought to have originated from his father’s reputation because the latter was a serious bank robber, and had long been on the FBI’s list of wanted persons (Associated Press, 2019). Nevertheless, Paddock was similar to Bundy in their attributes, including their charm and innocent looks. The intentions to murder people conformed to their personalities. One documented serial killer: Ted Bundy Bundy was mainly a stereotypical serial killer. He was just a normal gentleman, handsome, charming, and highly intelligent, as evident in his sapiosexual personality. He was highly learned in a law school and earned an undergraduate degree in psychology. He loved women and had so many acquaintances of them. From the foregoing, Bundy’s charming and intelligent nature gave him an unsuspecting personality that facilitated his prey missions since nobody could realize his sadistic monstrous objectives. Bundy abducted, bludgeoned, and killed more than 20 women within just 4 years. Additionally, several other victims experienced traumatic encounters with Bundy, leading to serious injuries, and his power ended up terrorizing and traumatizing many people and eventually leading to a trail of shattered lives. Bundy’s notable serial killing was when he attacked a University of Washington student, and his criminal behaviors began when he was still at the University. Bundy was a ruthless student who could mercilessly beat his fellow students and at the Seattle home, and most of his victims often sustained serious injuries, some of which led to permanent brain damage. However, most of his crimes remained unproved for quite long until 1974, February 1 when his murder was first proven. On the said date, Bundy murdered Lynda Anna Healy who was reported to have mysteriously gone missing from the off-campus home at dawn. She left blood some blood stains on her pillow, although the bed was carefully made, implying that something mysterious might have transpired, and the investigations later revealed that it was Bundy who committed such a crime. In the same year, Bundy killed two victims on the same day. He claimed the lives of Janice Ott and Denise Mashind who were college students (Ott, 2021). The witnesses who hailed from Lake Sammamish State Park described Bundy as a young, charming man who sometimes asked women to assist him to carry his boat. The witnesses certified that several other women had gone missing in the area, and they suspected Bundy of the same. Further, Bundy went to Utah on August 30 the same year. He left his job at Washington’s Olympia Emergency Services Department and resumed his studies at the Utah University Law School. The following week, he stoke twice in a single day, masquerading as a police officer in Murray, he lured a 17-year-old girl, Carol DaRonch, and tried to handcuff her inside his Volkswagen Beetle before she gained consciousness and escaped narrowly. The following year, Bundy surfaced in Colorado, where he killed a 23-year-old nurse, Caryn Campbell, whom he abducted from her Snowmass hotel (Ott, 2021). Bundy was soon arrested on august 16, 1975, when he was apprehended briefly and handcuffed in a car. However, the police could not detain him for so long because the charges of evading police were considered a misdemeanor; hence, leading to his release after the short-lived stay in the prison cells. Two months later, the police selected Bundy from their lineup because most of the efforts intended to identify him failed terribly but the witnesses in DaRonch’s case pointed him out. The claims justified his arrest for attempting to kidnap DaRonch and two other women. On March 1, 1976, Bundy was convicted for abduction, and he was tried for five consecutive days when having been found guilty of aggravated kidnapping. The same year on October 21, he was charged with first-degree murder, and on January 15, 1978, he killed two students at the Florida State University, and three others sustained serious injuries (Ott, 2021). One documented mass murderer: Stephen Craig Paddock According to the FBI, Paddock’s motives for the mass massacres had no significant direction or any notable inspiration. His crimes were not even ideologically-motivated because he was not influenced by any peer group, and he always acted alone. The FBI opined that Paddock’s attacks were not motivated by any single factor. Upon his death, the FBI investigators did not locate any manifesto or suicide note, or any other form of communication that might have motivated the attacks. However, Paddock had a history of killing people in groups, especially those at the entertainment joints. Hence, mass murdering of people was a routine that was consistent with his personality. To some extent, Paddock’s original intention for committing such acts was to gain fame by executing mass casualty attacks, although his behaviors were largely influenced by his father, a bank robber who had been previously diagnosed with psychopathy. Paddock always trapped and exploited his victims through manipulation and duplicity. He then managed to attack them without warning, and eventually killing and injuring several victims. However, he was quite different from Bundy because he conducted thorough research on the internet to identify victims, and he majorly focused on planned venues where he would attack people in casinos, hotels, or music festivals. Surprisingly, Paddock kept strong positive interpersonal relationships, and he always ensured that he was not isolated before executing the attacks. Similarities Critical investigations into Paddock’s murders indicate that psychopathy played a major role in motivating him to commit the offenses. Paddock leveraged charm, manipulation, intimidation, and even violence to control his victims. His main interest was to satisfy his selfish needs, although he lacked any pre-defined goals. Notably, Paddock displayed specific personality traits that were characteristic of psychopathy. Just like Paddock, Bundy is considered to be a psychopathic offender because he could occasionally offend his victims, assault, rape, and even murder them in mysterious circumstances (Morton, n.d.). Therefore, there is an interesting relationship between psychopaths and serial killers although it is apparent that not all psychopath...