1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 241 Bernie: I have a feeling of déjà vu!
Bernie stuffed the scrap yard registration record back into the cabinet and turned to ask Theodore:
"What should we do now?"

Theodore analyzed the general process by which the killer murdered victim number 1:

"The killer first encountered the victim between Maine Avenue and Fifth Street and approached the victim to strike up a conversation."

"The two agreed on a price, and the victim, number 1, got into the killer's car and left, ready to make the deal."

"The car was driven to a secluded area nearby. The killer may have made a deal with the first victim, or he may not have."

"The murderer attacked from behind, strangling the victim No. 1 by the neck with his arm."

"After confirming the death of the first victim, the murderer drove to the dumping site, a small pier on the southwest side of the tidal lake."

Billy Hawke pulled out chairs with Bernie, took out his notebook, and began taking notes.

Theodora passes the whiteboard:
"Now we are using the method of criminal profiling to distinguish the habitual methods and identifying marks used by the perpetrator during the crime."

He reminded the two of:
"Common methods are necessary means employed by criminals to successfully commit crimes."

“Identification markers are unnecessary actions taken by criminals to satisfy psychological needs.”

Bernie looked up, feeling a sense of déjà vu about the scene.

Billy Hawke also looked up, his face filled with astonishment.

The two looked at each other.

Bernie, being more experienced and having partnered with Theodore longer, spoke first:
"Attacking from behind."

"And it was with his arm, not with any other tool, that 'Cherry' was strangled."

Theodore nodded:

"An attack from behind can avoid direct confrontation."

"The killer may have chosen to attack from behind because he did not want to see the victim's face, so as to avoid unnecessary psychological disturbances such as guilt or reluctance."

"It could also be because the murderer believed that the deceased was not worthy of having a direct conversation with him."

"Or perhaps the act of killing the victim may conflict with some kind of cognitive dissonance within the killer, and a sneak attack from behind allows him to avoid confronting the victim's personality."

Bernie could understand the beginning, but he couldn't understand it at all later on.

He asked Theodore directly:
"What do you mean? Isn't this the same as what you said earlier about creating psychological interference?"

Theodore thought for a moment and then gave an example to explain:
"If the killer knew the victim and was very familiar with him, he might have chosen to attack from behind or use a mask to avoid seeing the victim's familiar face when killing him, in order to avoid psychological interference."

"If the murderer is a devout religious person, or if he was raised to forbid killing, in order to avoid the act of killing conflicting with his beliefs or beliefs, he must objectify the victim, forget that the victim was a fellow human being, and thus complete the crime."

He paused, then continued:

"Strangulation is an extremely intimate method of killing."

“By using this method of killing, the perpetrator can feel the entire process of the victim’s struggle, from intense to cessation.”

"This feeling can give the perpetrator a tremendous sense of power, as if they are in control of life and everything."

"This is very likely the killer's real source of excitement and motive."

“Domination, manipulation, and control have always been the core reasons why serial killers and countless serial violent criminals repeat their crimes.” Billy Hawke thought of Terence Cowan and asked Theodore somewhat uncertainly:
"So he's using murder to compensate for what's missing in his life?"

Theodore looked at Billy Hawke with some surprise and nodded:

"The killer may have encountered some kind of predicament, and his life may be out of control. This feeling of complete loss of control terrified him, and he desperately wanted to do something to regain a sense of control."

"This is also a form of compensation."

"Experience power through killing, and repay the loss of control in life."

"This loss of control does not happen suddenly, but it is often triggered by a certain event, such as a breakup, divorce, or unemployment."

"I call this triggering event a stressor."

"Tense stimulation constitutes an important driving force behind the series of murders."

“The psychological needs of criminals in a case are often closely related to stressful stimuli.”

Billy Hawke finished taking notes and hesitated for a moment:
"Gears and hemp rope."

"The killer chose to use the same hemp rope and gears for all three bodies."

Theodore nodded:

“Many heavy objects, such as stones and iron blocks, can be used as counterweights. Stones are also easier to obtain, but the murderer insisted on choosing gears as counterweights.”

"The murderer could have chosen nylon rope or other stronger ropes, but he insisted on using hemp rope and tied a sailor's knot at the victim's feet, an anchor knot at the gear end, and secured it with a half knot. Finally, he tied the tail end to the main rope with wire. When binding the outside, he also chose to use a grid-like binding method."

"And waterproof tarpaulins."

"When wrapping the body, the murderer chose to wrap it in two layers to ensure that the wrapping would not break accidentally and expose the body."

Bernie thought of the first corpse and asked Theodore, puzzled:
"But the 'cherries' were not wrapped in waterproof tarpaulins."

"The price of waterproof tarpaulin is not expensive. Even if he can't get it from the shipyard, or forgets to get it, he can buy a roll at a shop near the dock."

Why did he change his approach when handling 'cherries'?

Theodore circled the first victim on the whiteboard and looked at Bernie:
"Compared to the first three bodies, the first victim was handled very roughly."

"The murderer simply tied the feet of victim number 1 with a rope, connected the other end to a gear, and then hastily disposed of the body."

"This directly led to the fact that the first victim quickly detached from the counterweight due to the water flow or other unknown reasons, floated to the surface of the water, and was discovered."

"The killer may have been under external pressure."

"He may have encountered unexpected external interference in killing and disposing of the first victim, forcing him to interrupt his usual ritualistic procedures."

"For example, being stopped by patrol officers, having people nearby, being in poor health, or having a sudden illness, etc."

"It could also be because the perpetrator's own psychological state underwent a drastic fluctuation."

“The psychological state of a serial killer is not static. The continuous killing may have aggravated the killer’s mental stress, causing him to become careless, paranoid, or unable to concentrate on performing complex rituals.”

After a pause, Theodore returned to his explanation of the gears, ropes, and tarpaulins:
"The murderer demonstrated his professional skills, gained a sense of identity, and flaunted his expertise by using rope knots and the way he handled them, as well as by packing the body. He derived a sense of superiority and pride from this."

(End of this chapter)