Cultural Obsession and Reality.

While serial killers and mass murderers have existed at all times in human history, the reporting of their crimes seemed to have reached an all-time high during the 1980s. A series of incidents that came to light during this decade as well as increasing success by the FBI in predicting the behavior of serial killers led to a greater public awareness of their existence. The decade also saw some horrible incidents of mass murder, explained in some cases as retribution by fired or harassed employees. In other cases motives were unavailable.

Ted Bundy.

While many serial killers are less-educated drifters who may in some instances travel across wide areas killing their victims, in some cases the serial killer is a highly intelligent, seemingly socially respectable person. Ted Bundy was of this type. As one noted expert on...