Hello and welcome.
Let's learn about serials, shall we?
And I’m sure you noticed the spelling on that word. We’re not talking Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies. We’re talking the men (and sometimes women) who have shaped the true crime landscape over the past several decades.
Let’s learn about them together, shall we?
I’d like to call my series “In Search of Serials,” so since I’m new to Substack I will have to find out if I can do that! I’m a fan of the 1970s TV show “In Search of …” featuring Leonard Nimoy, so it’s kinda about that, too. But truly, I love to dive into the psychology of serial killers and perhaps get closer to answering the million-dollar question of why they kill — why they cross that line when the rest of us don’t (at least I’m assuming you don’t!). I like to compare different killers, see what they have in common as far as background, like their childhood / upbringing, motives, M.O., current lifestyle like a job, spouse, children, and whatever other details about them I can dig up. I find these studies fascinating, so one subseries I plan here is something I call “Killer Comparisons,” where I contrast one of the two convicted serial killers I’ve deeply researched, John Eric Armstrong (the first guy below, if you’re not familiar) and Benjamin "(“Tony”) Atkins (the second guy below), with another known serial. Hopefully, in all of this we can gain a better understanding of the criminal mind.
I’ve got all kinds of case files I can share from my research, as well. Stuff you cannot find anywhere else. You can learn more about my book projects at BRBates.com.
So join me in this journey! I plan to post weekly, and I would love to hear your thoughts on these serials, as well.
BRB