Linda Sage

Serial Killer Genes = MAOA & CDH13?

Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has often been labeled the “warrior gene” for its association with higher levels of aggression in response to provocation. According to certain studies, individuals with low levels of the gene are more likely to respond aggressively when they think they have been wronged.

Which is a gene linked to high levels of aggression in its low-activity form.

CDH13 also contributes to maintaining excitatory and inhibitory functions. It has been suggested that disturbed neural connectivity is the main pathophysiological mechanism underlying behavioural problems in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder whose core symptom is losing impulse control. Thus, it is strongly associated with violent criminality.

It’s estimated that about one-third of the population of Western civilisation carries the low-activity form of the MAOA gene, however, the population that are serial killers is far less than 1%.

Not Just Genes Alone

Common traits in serial killers include sensation seeking, a lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, a need for control, and predatory behaviour. All of these character traits are consistent with psychopathic personality disorder.

Many studies have suggested, there is a myriad of environmental factors that can play a pivotal role in the formation of a homicidal mind. Some factors that have been suggested are an estranged father, low socioeconomic status, lack of maternal sensitivity, poor living conditions, childhood abuse, and many others. However, there are serial killers that do not come from these backgrounds and there are multitudes of people that come from similar backgrounds that do not go on to become serial killers.

The question still remains: Are serial killers born with a desire to kill, or is it something that they develop over the course of their lives? Nurture or nature? Well, it seems that both genetics and conditioning may play a role in the creation of a serial murderer.

The conditions that result in a serial killer are complex and varied.

With the sounds of jingle bells and happy new year fading into the distance, it is time to focus on looking forward, planning and getting excited to what might be.

Though, I am sure that like me in the past years making resolutions, or setting goals with gusto as the new year enters and by mid to late January they have all been dashed or forgotten. We are so fickle with ourselves, a broken promise here and berating there, soon adds up and we self-sabotage our self-esteem and our self-confidence.

This year is different I hear and even say, but to make it different, I have to be different, I have to act differently and most crucially think differently.

Very recently I was in a networking meeting, just a small one, but may I say very classy with enos of experience and knowledge, we all spoke about the lessons learnt from the past year and what positives we would take into the new one. As is the case an unexpected bolt of light comes when least expected. In the last few minutes of this meeting Peter Edge did an over all summary very sincinctly we had all discussed the need and desire to re-evaluate our lives and what brings value to us.

It is so true, time is our most precious asset and commodity, filling it what brings value to ourself, enhances our wellbeing and psychologically, emotionally and physically, so that in turn we can provide more value to others.

All speakers are in the service industry and as such our performance very much depends on how well we are. Keeping our input value high, means that our output value will be at an optimum. As car owners, we select carefully what fuel we put into our vehicle, because many people have found out the cost, disruption and damage that is done by filling up with the wrong one.

By filling our time with the wrong concepts does the same damage internally to our mechanisms. Simply by choosing to live and spend time with choices of like to, love to, want to, choose to rather than the have to, should and must make such a huge difference.

If you are re-evaluating your life and your time to what brings you value, what would it be?

People often ask me - “Why did you choose psychology?”

Let me say, it was never my childhood dream to spend my adult life in and out of prisons.

We are going back many decades now to when I was looking at leaving school and making a choice of career. To be honest, I did not have a clue, I was very tempted by the police, but women in those days were certainly not thought of as equals to the males in the force as it was then.

One thing in my life my father ever refused me with no discussion was to sign an application form for the WRAF. So, that was a no go.

I was the first in our family to go to university, my dad was so proud, he had visions of a doctor or solicitor in the family! When I went off to Canterbury (Kent) University Open Day, I had no idea what I was going to be looking for, I was just excited about going. I had my own little light blue Es**rt and I felt very grown up, going on this adventure.

I was impressed with the buildings and structure of the university, so many people there, teenagers chattering and the Dons in what seemed like regal regalia.

I spoke to several people, before I listened to a lecture about psychology and the fascinating world of what goes on inside our brain. I was hooked.

Much to my dad’s dismay I made a choice, he was far from impressed, even many years later with a Masters he was proud of me achievement, but not until several decades later when I did my Honours Degree in Education did he think that was a proper degree. However, I have been so amazingly lucky, I do not feel that I have worked many days in my whole life. Each day is different and often a challenge, but also enlightening.

While at university I struggled a bit with the Humanistic, and Psychodynamic fields of Rogers and Freud, they always seemed a little “fluffy” to me, so easy for manipulation and mostly long term treatment plans. When I first came across Ulric Neisser and Albert Ellis the spark was fanned and cognitive/REBT psychology was where I was headed.

I think I have been very fortunate in my time, when I started psychology was not a household word, mental health was to lock them up and throw away the key, counselling & behavioural therapy did not exist for the general population and criminal profiling was not taken seriously until 1986 when David Canter successfully profiled the Railway Ra**st, but still many policing areas were sceptical.

I have seen many changes, more openness about mental health, more understanding of cognitive function, more research on all areas of brain, genes and emotional development. We know more, but we certainly don’t know all - yet.

I did not start in the prisons until later, in fact, probation & victim support were my first areas of practice, but that leads to another question for another day.

Serial Killers are Different

Less than 1% of our population are serial killers - Thank goodness!

There are grades of perpetrators and likewise grades or categories of prisons. They vary in their security, staffing levels, housing (ie single or double cell occupancy), and wing placement.

The A to D category listing is deemed on three points:

- risk of escape
- harm to the public, if they were to escape
- threat to the control and stability of a prison

The lower the threat of the prisoner the lower the category of prison they will be housed in. Cat A is the highest to cat D is the lowest.
These categories are for adult male inmates; women, youths 15 - 21, and children 10 - 15 are defined differently.

Category A
These are high security prisons. They house male prisoners who, if they were to escape, pose the most threat to the public, the police or national security.

Category B
These prisons are either local or training prisons.
Local prisons house prisoners that are taken directly from court in the local area (sentenced or on remand), and training prisons hold long-term and high-security prisoners.

Category C
These prisons are training and resettlement prisons; most prisoners are located in a category C. They provide prisoners with the opportunity to develop their own skills so they can find work and resettle back into the community on release.

Category D - open prisons
These prisons have minimal security and allow eligible prisoners to spend most of their day away from the prison on licence to carry out work, education or for other resettlement purposes. Open prisons only house prisoners that have been risk-assessed and deemed suitable for open conditions.

There are currently 117 prisons in England and Wales, 32 are the original Victorian fortresses. 12 are women’s prisons, 5 are Young Offenders Institutions, There are 8 cat A prisons for men, 2 Cat A prisons for women. In England and Wales the current prison population is around 86,300. 1,028 are classified as cat A prisoners and 72 of the cat A prisoners have full life tariffs.

Although we are seeing a huge influx of crime programmes, a monumental increase of interest in serial killers, most of which stems from the media and entertainment industry. In reality serial killers are a tiny percentage of our everyday crime, murder, manslaughter and r**e, unfortunately, are much more likely to affect the general public.

Criminal psychology is also referred to as criminological psychology, is the study of the views, thoughts, intentions, actions and reactions of criminals and suspects. It is a subfield of criminology and applied psychology.

Criminal psychologists have many roles within legal courts, including being called upon as expert witnesses and performing psychological assessments. Some types of psychiatry also deal with aspects of criminal behaviour. Several definitions are used for criminal behaviour, including behaviour punishable by public law, behaviour considered immoral, behaviour violating social norms or traditions, or acts causing severe psychological harm. Criminal behaviour is often considered antisocial in nature.

Most people do not realise that criminal psychology started in the late 18th century. There were four key aspects of the development of criminal psychology: philosophical, medical, legal and biological. Before criminal psychology, there was a conflict in criminal law between medical experts and court judges on determining how to proceed with a majority of cases which necessitated the development of a specialised field for individual investigations and assessments of suspects. It is generally accepted that criminal psychology was a predecessor to the broader field of criminology, which includes other fields such as criminal anthropology which studies more systemic aspects of crime as opposed to individual suspects and court cases.

One of the most media popularised tools is criminal profiling, also known as offender profiling, is a form of criminal investigation, linking an offender's actions at the crime scene to their most likely characteristics which helps investigators narrow down and prioritise a pool of suspects. Criminal profiling has advanced substantially in methodology and grown in popularity since its conception in the late 1800s.

Five behavioural characteristics that can be learnt from the crime scene are:
The amount of planning that went into the crime,
The degree of control used by the offender,
The escalation of emotion at the scene,
The risk level of both the offender and victim,
The appearance of the crime scene (disorganized versus organized).

The process of profiling is based on interpreting the behaviour observed at a crime scene. There are of course more than these five concepts and indicators to consider, it is also a time consuming analytical process which is continually evolving and improving.

How many of us step back when it doesn’t feel right, especially when it involves a loved one?

Our gut feelings, intuition, instinct, or inner voice (whatever you like to call it) are usually right and so often after an event or issue we think, why did I not listen or I knew that was going to happen? Hindsight is great, but often we have our own internal alarm bells screaming at us long before, but we choose to ignore them.

When somebody no matter who they are treats us badly and we let it go on time after time, make excuses for them, make allowances for them, even ignore their abuse, because we still want to see the best in them. We even go as far as taking responsibility at times, if I had not done .... or if I had not said .... Then history repeats itself.

However, it is a bitter pill to swallow to admit that we have become complacent in our responses, even co-dependent with phrases like oh this is how they are, it will all blow over tomorrow. What does it take to get to the point where our own self-esteem, and our own well being become more important?

I think from experience most of us have stayed too long in a relationship, a job or even a place, maybe for fear of the unknown, or habit. Once the determination has set in a decision is made life seems to get so much easier, opportunities appear because we are ready to see them and even the right people are around us to help us take that step into a new world.

It can be lonely and scary, but it can also be an adventure and opportunity. The only person that can take that first step of deciding enough is enough, is us, nobody can do it for us. Coming out of denial that everything will be better soon or next time is a fool's paradise, that first step is the hardest, but the most important.

Showing others around you that you respect yourself enough not to tolerate their disrespect will be a step on your new road. That gut feeling is usually our friend, so maybe it is the right time to listen to this friend that has been there for us, tried to help us and has our best interests at heart even when we don't.


Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation (GGAF)

Busting 3 Myths About Serial Killers

Myth 1: Serial Killers Are Dysfunctional Loners

The majority of serial killers are not reclusive, social misfits who live alone. They are not monsters and may not appear strange. Many serial killers hide in plain sight within their communities. Serial murderers often have families and homes, are gainfully employed, and appear to be normal members of the community. Many serial murderers can blend in so effortlessly, they are often at times overlooked by the police and the public.

Myth 2: Serial Killers Are All White Males

Contrary to popular belief, serial killers span all racial groups, genders and ages. The racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall population, however there are still significantly fewer women than men.
As well as murdering three people, the evil Peter Bryan proceeded to eat their brains.

Zahid Younis was locked up for 38 years after killing two women and hiding their bodies in a freezer.

Aman Vyas was dubbed the "E17 night stalker" after he turned a small area near his home in Walthamstow, East London, into his “hunting ground” jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years for the r**e of four women and murder of one.

Aaron McKenzie was jailed for killing his heavily pregnant girlfriend and their baby on June 29, 2019.

Danyal Hussein "butchered" two sisters to death after making a blood pact with a demon to "sacrifice women" in return for winning the lottery.

Myth 3: Serial Killers Are Only Motivated By S*x

All serial murders are not s*xually-based. There are many other motivations for serial murders including anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking.

There are many myths about serial killers and many quoted similarities, but each killer is different, their reasons for killing, the reasoning behind their method, and their triggers, among various criteria.

They are mixed gender, mixed backgrounds, mixed culturally, mixed ages, mixed intelligence and social levels. There is not one profile or birth sign that fits all.

This is the view from my small balcony right now! 21 degrees. another amazing day. How is your day going?

Crime & Dine on the Costa Blanca South, Hotel Algorfa is hosting this first evening on the 29th November at 7.30pm.

Dennis Nilsen, Jeffrey Dahmer and other serial killers will be under the spotlight at Algorfa serial killer talk.

A chilling and surprising talk on the lives and crimes of some of England’s worst serial killers is to be held in Hotel Algorfa.

If you are a fan of the morbid and macabre then you will be delighted to know that the first Crime & Dine night is particularly looking at the incredibly sinister similarities between Dennis Nilsen & Jeffrey Dahmer.

Serial killer expert Linda Sage will also give insights into England’s most notorious serial killers. The 2-hour talk features killers such as Robert Maudsley, Moors Murderer Ian Brady, and Myra Hindley, Rose West, Levi Bellingfield, Peter Sutcliffe and many more.
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The interest in true crime really is having its heyday lately following the release of several serial killer specials that have gripped the public.

There is limited space, so booking is essential for a sensational evening with a 3 course meal, wine or beer, plus Linda's personal annd professional insights into the murderous world of serial killers.

If you know anyone in the local area, please let them know. We will be bringing these evenings to the UK from mid January 2023.

Where did the term serial killer come from?

The English term and concept of serial killer are commonly attributed to former FBI Special agent Robert Ressler, who used the term serial homicide as a guest speaker in 1974 in a lecture at Police Staff Academy in Bramshill, Hampshire.

Over the centuries, there have been hundreds of documented cases of serial murder around the world, but the term “serial killer” is relatively new.

Today, however, serial murder, also called serial killing, the unlawful homicide of at least two people carried out by the same person (or persons) in separate events occurring at different times. Although this definition is widely accepted, the crime is not formally recognised in any legal code

However, when we look a little deeper, the term serial killer comes to light a lot earlier:

It has been said that the term ‘Serial Killer” was first used by a writer Dorothy B. Hughes in her A Lonely Place book published in1947.
I have looked but can’t actually find the term, but there are a lot of murders in a series.

In 1950 the term serial murder was used in The Complete Detective; being the life and strange and exciting cases of Raymond Schindler, master detective by Richard Hughes.

Historian Robert Eisler, used the term ‘serial killings’ in a lecture he gave in 1948 at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Though it was in reference to the continual killings by Punch and Judy, so does not really fit the criteria.

Taking the words internationally there are many more examples of the exact term, used with the present day meaning.

One such contender is Ernest August Ferdinand Gennat, a famous German detective from Berlin. He revolutionised police work with the process we now call profiling and he set up the first murder squad. The infamous serial killers Peter Kurten and Fritz Haarmann were also part of his work history, in 1930 he used the term Serien-morder, which directly translates to serial murder, then easily to serial killer.

In Germany in the 1920s and 1930s there were several high profile serial killing cases, just as there were in the 1970s and 1980s in the USA, so Gennat bought the concept of serial killers to light in the 30s as Ressler did in the 70s

There is one other to quote, but unfortunately, the Dutch journalist is unknown, wrote a review of the film Come of Amos in 1925 for the Algemeen Handelsblad newspaper mentioning a serie-moordenaar in an article.

So that may be the first one?

Dahmer is headed toward 1 billion viewing hours, proving that True Crime is as popular as its ever been, a trend that extends far beyond Netflix.

On the back of the huge success of Dahmer, Netflix has announced two further Monster series, but has not named the killers that will be featured as yet.

As a business decision, Netflix would not have made this announcement if they had not made such a huge return on their investment in this series.

Does it say more about our societies globally because the Daher series was in the top 10 viewing in 92 countries, but the fascination with serial killers is not new, since Jack the Ripper people talk about, study, write about and make films about the most heinous individuals in our world.

With all the media hype it is still important to remember that thankfully serial killers are less than 1% of killers, and detection processes are getting even better and quicker at identifying and capturing them.

Costa Blanca south is home to the new series of Crime & Dine, unique evenings starting in Hotel Algorfa

A 3 course menu with wine or beer, accompanied by surprising and shocking insights into the uncanny similarities between the lives and crimes of Dennis Nilsen and Jeffrey Dahmer. Plus a uniquely personal insight into life behind bars in some of England's most notorious prisons for 20 Euros.

Book your table (limited spaces) with Algorfa Hotel 966 729 707

House of Horrors

A seemingly ordinary couple move in next door and for the following 20 years those walls and doors hide the barbaric atrocities that are going on inside at the hands of the notorious Fred and Rose West.

25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, where the duo r**ed, tortured, killed and dismembered women and girls including Fred's daughter. Nine female bodies were found in the cellar and garden, including Heather, who was Fred's 16 year old daughter.

The gruesome discoveries came in 1994 as an extension of a missing person investigation for Heather, the West's had also lived at other addresses in Midland Road, in Cheltenham, and another body was also found there. Two other bodies, one of Fred's first wife and an eight-month pregnant lady were found buried in fields in Much Marcle.

After the extensive excavations of Cromwell Street, the house was deemed unsafe, Gloucester Council had the house demolished and all of its contents destroyed. All that remains is a footpath, linking Cromwell Street to Brunswick Square. Though it is still reported that crime followers or dark tourists are seen taking selfies where the den of depravity stood.

Rose was convicted on 10 counts of murder for the deaths at Gloucester Street and Midland Road for which she received a full life tariff, Fred was additionally accused of the two further murders, he took his own life while awaiting trial.

1% of killers are serial killers and an even smaller part of that percentage are women.

Deadly women are often motivated by money or hate. The Black Widows, kill their husbands/partners for greed, often an inheritance or insurance.

Angles of mercy are often medically trained in some way.

Folie a deux - collusion with a partner.

Serial killing is still very much a male orientated field, but females are most certainly drawn to their characters. That is why there are so many groupies, that write to and visit notorious killers.

Female killers don't get that sort of following from males.

Mary Ann Cotton an infamous serial killer, 3 of her 4 husbands, 11 of her thirteen children, 2 lovers and neighbours. Her preferred method was arsenic poisoning as it was often undetected at the time.

She was caught and hung in Durham prison.

Why are we fascinated with serial killers?

There is no doubt that the social appetite for grizzly details, in-depth knowledge and curiosity about the lives of some of the most heinous criminals seems to be insatiable.

Films, series, books, articles and podcasts about these notorious individuals seem to be overnight success stories.

Serial killers, thankfully are about 1% of killers, but some of them seem to be elevated into a super league of macabre individuals. They receive mail from global fans, some even get married in prison.

Why do they fascinate us?

Titillation - the excitement and the buzz that surrounds them.

Catharsis - experience of terror at a safe distance, so it helps to cope with it.

Cognitive Dissonance - recognition of own dark desires (so distant/so close)

We seem to be fascinated by how they have blended into our society until they get caught, although the media is keen to give them titles, they are not physically monsters, no horns or tails. They have colleagues, neighbours, families although there usually are not many, if any friends.

Serial killers are a cross section of society, it used to be thought to be the domain of the white, male perpetrator, but as time has shown there are cross overs into all ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders and intellectual abilities. It is still mainly a lone wolf environment, the killing couples are even more rare.

What is it that fascinates you about serial killers?

I was thrilled to join Active FM podcast Decoding the Crimeverse for a great interview, not only crossing the oceans but generations to talk about crime, criminology and consequences.

A lively chat to accompany your cuppa today.
https://iono.fm/e/1242447

Interview With Linda Sage Linda Sage is a criminal psychologist speaker, writer and broadcaster who now lives in Leeds, England. Linda has spent over 40 years with the most heinous criminals in the UK's recent history. Serial killers, s*x Offenders and psychopaths were her daily companions. She has lived and worked many plac...

Girl, 10, conquers all of the Munros in Scotland Quinn Young from Inverness has become one of the youngest people to climb all 282 mountains.

A huge thank you to all the people who responded to my poll, I must admit it was a surprise outcome for me.

It is easy to be complacent and get comfortable with the way we do things, if they are working, why change them? My 2023 business goals have been set by public opinion, rather than my estimation of need.

Over the years, I have varied and tried many avenues such as teaching, workshops and writing to broadcasting and public talks. However, my least used tool has been the virtual meetings and workshops, but it seems this is the area of demand by a long measure across all areas of work disciplines.

2023 for me will be:
- Webinars
- Writing - articles/book(s)
- Broadcasting - podcast (new one starting soon) being a guest,
radio and reviving Clubhouse
- Workshops - guest lecturing etc.
- Public talks - a new series of Crime & Dine

As, I say the super large response to webinars amazed me, because it is something that I have done occasionally, but must admit not very successfully, always to very small numbers. So, I need to do better and get planning for the first three months of 2023.

Thank you so much for all your help and support. I will keep you posted as to when the new launches will be.