Katie Ward, Staff Writer

 The grotesque acts of career criminal Charles Manson and one-time boy scout John Wayne Gacy are a few of the nightmares handled by criminologist Robert K. Ressler.

 Visiting Appalachian State University  Tuesday evening as part of the Forum Lecture Series, Ressler, a self-professed "monster fighter," brought to life the most notorious crimes in a presentation entitled "Violence in Society."

 Ressler obtained his bachelor and master of science degrees from Michigan State University.  Aside from his 35 years experience with law enforcement, he maintains university affiliations as an assistant professor at Michigan State University and Georgetown University.

 An expert in his field both nationally and abroad, Ressler served as founder and past director of the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program.  He served as a consultant for movies such as "Copycat"  and hit television shows "The X Files"  and "The Profiler," as well as an expert witness for several books.

 Ressler's interest in the bizarre profiles of these villains first began at age 12 when he and his friends established a detective agency.  This was in response to their interest and fear of a 17-year old serial killer on the loose.  Although it was nothing more than make-believe, Ressler believed, at the time, that he had a hand in bringing the "perverted individual" to justice.

 From that moment on, Ressler's interest in homicide grew into a lifetime vocation.  This escalated into a study of 36 sexual killers from 20 state prisons.  The study highlighted 250 suspected victims.  Information gathered from Ressler's study continues to remain the forefront in developing criminal profiles.
 
 Ressler is presently viewed as the nation's foremost criminologist and expert on violent crime.  He is also accredited with coining the phrase "serial killer."

 Ressler opened his presentation by defining several key terms used in homicide classification.

 According to Ressler, a crime may be classified as serial only if it is premeditated and methodical.

 Most serial homicides are sexually driven and satisfy some level of fantasy. "In serial murders, fantasies become the fuel," Ressler said.

 Serial crimes involve a minimum of three victims, three events and three or more locations.  In most cases, serial murderers remain unidentified until their capture, according to Ressler.

 Spree homicides, on the other hand, involve a fleeing fugitive and in most cases are not premeditated.  Spree homicides are categorized by a positive identification of a fugitive even before his or her capture.

 Mass murder reflects a third common classification, Ressler said.  Mass murders are characterized by a number of victims  killed at one time in a common location.  Mass murder initiated the wave of violence that moved society toward serial murders, said Ressler.

 A career in criminology has brought Ressler face-to-face with some of the world's most notorious killers.

 He had the opportunity to dabble in the dealings of Charles Manson on three occasions.

 Termed as a "career criminal," Manson spent most of his life in prison.  Manson is described by Ressler as "an intelligent man with the ability to influence people."  He is characterized by Ressler as funny and entertaining but dangerously lethal.  Manson is infamous for turning unsuspecting people into a group of guilt-free killers.

 Ressler also profiled the life and times of John List, an insurance broker who killed his entire family in a "family homicide."  With no past criminal history, List fled the scene and was on the FBI's most wanted list for 17 years.

 Ressler used the List case to reveal the technological advances that have been made in the field of forensic art.  This phenomenon is widely practiced in South Africa and England, he said.

 Using an age-advanced picture, artist Frank Bender put an end to the mystery that boggled the minds of professionals for nearly two decades.

 Bender used the photograph to create a three-dimensional clay bust replicating John List.  The bust was released into every possible media outlet, and after nearly 18 years with no clues, List was brought to justice.

 Other technological advances include odentology, or forensic dentistry.  With this practice, criminals can be identified by bite marks left on their victims.  This tool is more commonly accepted as a form of forensic investigation, said Ressler.

 Ressler continued the lecture with the discussion of serial killer Ed Gein, whose actions served as inspiration for movies such as "Psycho"  and "Silence of the Lambs."  Ressler's real life experiences also served as motivation for the production of "Silence of the Lambs," where he acted as an expert consultant.

 As the movies depict, Gein practiced postmortem mutilation to make clothing from human flesh.

 According to Ressler, Gein appeared relatively harmless.  However, he has long-since been referred to as a hunter of graveyards, after digging up decaying bodies in order to satisfy his fantasies.

 The lecture and slide show concluded by mentioning the three most infamous criminals of our time.  Among these three legends are Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy.

 During a luncheon interview with Dahmer, Ressler sat face to face with the notorious killer. "Needless to say, I brought the food," Ressler said.

 Ressler found Dahmer to be bright and honest but quite introverted.  Dahmer fantasized about sexual acts involving dead bodies and began his killing spree at age 17, Ressler said.

 Creating a "museum of body parts," Dahmer became notorious both in society and behind the steel bars of prison cells.  Within a year and a half of arriving in prison, Dahmer was killed.

 Ressler had several close encounters with John Wayne Gacy, otherwise known as "The Clown."  Although he was charged with only 33 murders, Ressler remains confident that Gacy's victims range from 45 to 60 people.

 It was to Ressler's surprise that Gacy grew up a mere four blocks from Ressler's childhood home and occasionally delivered groceries to his unsuspecting family.

 On the evening of Gacy's execution, Ressler woke with piercing chest pains.  Turning on the television after the pain subsided, Ressler realized that Gacy was executed at the exact moment that his pain was experienced.

 "He passed through on his way to hell to say good-bye," Ressler said.

 Ressler concluded his accounts with the discussion of Ted Bundy.  An intelligent law student, social worker and security guard, Bundy had many faces.  However, he will long be remembered for the face that masked a killer.  This "relatively charming and easy to talk to" monster admitted to his murders before his execution in 1988.  However, he failed to include any specifics in his testimony.

 In addition to his presentation, Ressler entertained questions in a press conference prior to the formal lecture.

 Ressler provided statistics showing that there are an average 20,000 homicides a year, a 10,000 person increase from the 1960's.  This number is partially due to an increase in juvenile crime.

 Is serial killing inborn in humans?  According to Ressler, everyone is neutral at birth.  In other words, we are not born as serial killers.  It is also virtually impossible to become a serial murderer overnight except in cases of severe psychosis, he said.

 He attests to the nurture philosophy, stating that "anyone can become a serial killer if the conditions are right, but it usually begins at a young age."

 Teachers are in the prime position to detect developmental problems in order to correct them early on in development, Ressler said.

Ressler also answered questions regarding the insanity plea, describing it as difficult to prove.

 "The insanity plea should not be a ticket to pass go." Ressler said.

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