Serial Killers in the Paranormal World

By: Sam Little

Very few people would ever believe that the world of the paranormal often bleeds over into the mind of a serial killer. I myself was a bit taken back by that very statement some time back when a friend had brought it up while we discussed a true crime show on TV. I will admit that some crimes are committed with what seems to be apparent supernatural powers. The most disturbing of these supernatural crimes would have to be those in which someone loses their life as a result of the person exhibiting the profound abilities. Of course of such crimes the worse is serial killing. Serial killers are feared, and rightfully so as they kill one person after another with no direction or cause just the need to fill a void within them selves that seems to beckon for the blood of others. In this article I want to focus not on the serial killer in general, but those who commit this crime with the aid of what be true paranormal ability. We will browse through cases including Jack the Ripper, the Blood Countess, Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, and even a vampire that lives very near to my home town. So lock your windows, and doors, turn that security system, and let's descent down the rabbit hole.

Serial killers in all respects are no new fad in the real world. Dahmer, Gacy, BTK, Unibomber, and the list stretches on. Some of these tragic minds are so deranged it seems the line of humanity is completely wiped away. This may in fact be what makes them so dangerous. But of course some are more dangerous than others, those are the ones who seem to have abilities not common in the everyday life you and I share.

Beauty, poise, and a charm unmatched by her equals, Elizabeth Bathory had it all. That beauty would be overshadowed by her cruelty in the end but what made her a part of the paranormal archives of countless researchers? Bathory, who kept many servant girls on hand to tend to her every need, was obsessed, to the point of near insanity with her youth and beauty. One day while brushing the countesses' hair a young servant made the mistake of puling to hard on the royal locks. This enraged Bathory who in turned struck the girl with enough force to open a wound on the girl's lip. (some sources say nose). The blood trickled onto the back of Bathory's hand.

This small yet powerful amount of crimson flow would start a very deceitful and demented ball rolling down a hill that would lead to one of history's most disturbing cases of serial killers. These deeds would be enough to remove the memories of the beautiful countess and replace them with the dreadful image of the Blood Countess. Looking at the blotch of blood that now stained her hand she quickly wiped the red liquid away. To her surprise, maybe even shock the skin underneath the area appeared rejuvenated and young. I shudder at the thought that ran through the head of the once charming lady of dignity as she saw her own body grow younger.

Most people imagine the creation of thought as a hamster spinning a wheel, or a series of cogs cranking away within the head of the thinker. If this was the case Elizibeth's thoughts could be summed up as a werewolf seeking a victim or the gears of a torture device cranking away, eager to saw the bone of a screaming soul.

Bathory's servants began to turn up missing. As soon as one girl would go another would be hired to replace her. This kept a steady flow of young life giving blood for the Countess to use. She would hang these woman upside down over large vats. A knife would suffice for the deed of slitting their throats and collecting the essence of life into the large bath vats. Bathory would bathe in the spilled blood of her once loyal servants and each bath gave her a more secure feeling she would never lose that beauty she was noted for. This deed was not unlike many vampire stories of that time. (rumor even grew that she would engage in lude and unheard of sexual acts with these servant girls before killing them) Of course after hearing of the countless disappearances no respectable girl would work in the palace. Fear spread that any lady who would dare anger the countess would be killed and fed to wolves, but had the truth been known that fear would have been much worse. As servants vanished the need for more help grew and Bathory would find a most abundant source. The homeless were not scarce. Girls were sought in the streets and offered a steady wage, a home, and food to eat if they would become the servant to the countess. No doubt these girls were as afraid of those who had the luxury of a steady home, but at the same point their lives were not what they wanted and hopes of steady pay and the comfort of a roof over their head led many to agree to come to the palace.

The homeless gave Bathory a new tool. Noone cared for these "bottom feeders" and therefore would not miss them in the event they turned up missing. Being royalty she would evade all accusations that she had killed anyone. Eventually she was caught and locked away for her crimes. It was once estimated over 200 people were slain and their blood used for ceremonial baths by the Blood Countess. After years in solitude the guards who watched her swore she retained her beauty far longer then she should have.

Bathory became a stable in the field of vampiric research. Many assume the vampire is a thing of the past, a silly superstition that no longer plagues society. If you feel this way I suggest you skip the next account.

While not in fact a serial killer, had he not been caught Rod Ferrel would have most likely became one. Rod began his transition as a good student, a polite young man, and a role model but that would quickly change. It is often said that a thin line separates insanity from genius and Rod may in fact be a spokesperson for that statement. Rod began, along with his friends, to play a game called "Vampire, the Mascarade." The game is a role playing game not unlike Dungeons and Dragons. (Let me say I have played the game, and it does not reflect the behavior Rod Ferrel acted on).

The game is mean for fun and had actually been praised by horror actors for it's role playing aspect and improv potential. Sadly games like this are often blamed for various deeds. Rod began to display a different attitude after playing the game for several weeks. He began to dress in what is often referred to as Gothic attire. He4 also began to become the apparent leader of his group of friends who now shared the fashion sense Rod had taken as his own. The Gothic look is not a bad thing, but where this new lifestyle would take Rod Ferrel would in fact be the darkess reaches of the human mind.

He along with his group of friends had decided to go to Florida where Rod's girlfriend resided with her parents. Rod however was no longer Rod. He had taken on the personality of his role playing character and had almost lost sight of who he really was. Despite a desire to not go the friends tagged along anyway, leading some to speculate Rod used a vampire like charm on the group. I myself have always felt peer pressure was more the case. Rod's girlfriend had told him she grew tired of the control her parents had over her. The curfew she had to keep, the rules and guidelines had made her feel trapped and in truth the parents were guilty, of course their charge is simply being good parents.

Upon arriving in the Florida home the father of the parents approached Rod with concern as to why he was there and Rod in a fit of rage made use of a tire iron and killed both the mom and dad. As if this was not enough he than drank a small amount of the father's blood. This was followed by the taking of the family's mini van. Rod and his vampire pals were destined to reach New Orleans, the vampire haven. This would not be the case as one of Rod's friends, apparently after breaking a spell of control of sorts, called the police and the group were apprehended.

Rod relayed his story to authorities with no compassion for the lives he had taken. He insisted he was a vampire. The insanity plea was thrown up but quickly revoked and then lawyers sought to get Rod a smaller charge by indulging the court with accounts of the emotional distress the boy had come to know. Psychologist even testified that Rod had an emotional state equivilant of a 4 year old. This would not work as the judge made a sentence of life in Prison Rod Ferrel. In his statements the judge said that his family and society had failed him but this would not justify premeditated murder. The vampire aspect of the case should have stopped there but when asked about the verdict, Rod's own mother grimly stared into the camera and quoted what has been called the vampire credo. "We live forever". Now speculation had arrisen that Rod controlled even his mother. What made this case so appealing to me was Rod lived in Maury Kentucky which is mere hours from my home.

The obvious ties to the paranormal in the last two crimes is the vampire aspect. The vampire has long been a topic in paranormal circles. That vampire aspect is what binds these two heartless killers to the world of the paranormal. Now let's look at some cases involving serial killers that do not have such vampiric ties. Yet they still find their way into the archives of paranormal research.

Growing up I was always into pshcology and criminology. I found myself nose deep in true crime book. As a freshmen in high school I had read well over 100 true crime books and in doing so I felt confident with my knowledge of the criminal mind. My girlfriend at that time and now member of DPRT, Tiffany Rivera took a notice of my love of true crime and gave me the book, "Nightstalker". The book was about serial killer Richard Ramirez. Despite the morbid way he killed he was in all truth a fascinating man.

What linked Ramirez to the paranormal was his inner struggle with voices. These voices led him to steal and eventually commit murder. Many have gone as far as to say he was in fact possessed by the devil him self and in truth I feel possession may have been what caused a rational man to do what he did. I have mentioned the thin line between genius and insanity. Richard often found himself straddling the fence between the two. The lines of right, wrong, good, and evil did not thin out for the man called the Nightstalker, they simply just did not exist.

By 18 he had put his faith in Satan. Under the voices of his new master he moved into California. Now a man of a new trade, Richard was breaking and entering homes. On June 28th 1984 after finding no item of value in the home of 79 year old Jennie Vincow, the voices inside his head took over. He stabbed the old lady multiple times and finally ended her life by slitting her throat. Richard, now imbued with Satan's power and the energy the murder had given him raped the corpse. The world was now in shock of a man that defied the laws of morality and displayed more violent nature then previously seen in a killer.

Soon his killings would not end with rape or death, he would mutilate the body after it was dead, and soon pentagrams and other satanic symbols would surface at "stalker crime scenes. Eventually several mistakes ended Richard in custody and his life would now be one within the confines of bars. Seeing the small ad langly stature of this man, authorities began to question how he was able to do what he did for so long. Richard would only answer that Satan guided his actions and that satan was with him when he did what he did. Not only did Ramirez claim to hear satan but he also claimed to be filled with him at the times he carried out the murders. Possession is no doubt a part of paranormal research and if any serial killer has ever displayed signs of the phenomena it would have to be Ramirez.

Tucked away in the files of Scotland Yard's is the case of the mysterious killer known to the world as Jack the Ripper. To this day the identity of the man is unknown. His crimes do not make him a paranormal subject but the accounts given by witnesses put him right there in the same area of strange our previous cases have put forth. After slitting the throat of one of his victims the ripper was spotted by a street begger who swore that he saw the man leap to the top of a 12 foot fence and jump down to the other side where he turned to look back at the bum. The red glow of his eyes startled the witness and he was to scared to move or act. Other witnesses claimed the ripper was able to move with alarming speeds and that his body was covered in course fur. This became known as the werewolf theory and in fact put our friend the ripper in the paranormal bracket but that alone was not what kept him there.

One witness account claims the ripper was in fact a spirit and he saw him vanish through a wall. Of course these are all outlandish and no proof really supports them but what about our next case, where evidence seems to fall right along with her culprit.

Mention the name Charles Manson and you have already created a stir. No man is more looked upon as evil than Charles Manson. In 1969 the Manson Family began. Despite a bum like appearance and a lack of manors Charlie was able to draw people to him. The idea soon grew within the family that Manson was not only a leader but a guru, even a prophet of oncoming times. The family engaged in sex and drugs and acts that even at the time were considered taboo. How does Manson factor into the world of paranormal research? If you have to ask that question than you need to move to a new location jot under a rock. First a strange event. the mountainside headquarters of the family to find a bus. The bus could not have made the trip to the location by any means. Cops quickly asked Manson how he got such a vehicle to the home. "I flew it up here, man". Was the reply Charlie gave. Cops sought a better answer in the ranks of the Manson family and to their shock the same answer was given by all who lived in the area.

As strange as that was it would get much worse. Under the influence of Charlie several of the family ventured to the home of actress Sharon Tate and in a very bloody way murdered the woman and removed her unborn baby. This would be the first of a series of murders all supposedly under the control of Charles Manson. Mind control is a paranormal phenamina that we have really yet to tap into. Manson obviously had been able to if the accounts of his followers is to be believed.

The prosecutor who pursued Manson had told him that his time was soon up. That statement would haunt the man for the rest of his life. While in court Charlie peered at the prosecutor and looked down at the watch he wore. suddenly very expensive time piece stopped working.

Were these cases signs of paranormal atypical serial killer behavior misinterpreted. I will leave that to you, happy hunting!!!