People are often interested in things that, when you actually think about it, are sort of odd subjects to be fascinated in.

For example, many people are interested in serial killers. How they think, the things they do, how they got away with it. When you think about it a little too much, one might worry that everybody is just learning how to sufficiently commit murder.

But let’s not think of it that way, let’s pretend it’s just one of those odd things that people are intrigued by.

Motives for serial killers vary far and wide, this article will cover a few of the world’s most famous cases and their reasons for doing their crimes, along with how they were caught.

Ted Bundy, born on November 24, 1946, and his death sentence was carried out on January 24, 1988. Bundy is a notorious killer, not only for what he did to his victims, but also the story of how he got away with it for so long.

His personality led many people to believe that he was incapable of killing so many women, simply because he was likeable. Ted’s charming and calm demeanor is seen to be a large reason why he wasn’t treated like the murderer he was.

For instance, he escaped from police custody, not once, but twice. The first time, he was allowed to roam in a courthouse library by himself and this is where he would jump out of a window and escape. This likely wouldn’t have been allowed if he were someone who “acted” more like a criminal.

When he was initially arrested, it was only due to an officer spotting him breaking a driving violation. When they looked in his car they found handcuffs that were similar to those found on one of his victims that actually escaped, and she was able to identify him in a lineup.

A clear motive for Bundy’s kills was never established. He argued that he had an addiction that pressed him to do these deeds, but psychologists have different ideas that may link back to his childhood. Some say it has to do with his mother, others say he was a lonely child and being an outcast brought him to kill later on in life.

Bundy maintained to preach his innocence until the mere days before his death sentence. It was only then that he admitted to around 30 murders, even though some experts believe he may have killed closer to 100.

Jeffrey Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960. He had a rather normal life, but his parents noticed he began to change at a very young age. He grew withdrawn and wasn’t able to communicate well with other people. This is seen as a reason for why he committed the heinous crimes that he did.

He also had a huge drinking problem, so much so that he doesn’t remember killing one of his victims because of the amount of alcohol he consumed.

He was arrested at one point after he began killing, for sexual assault charges with an underaged boy. He plead guilty and said he saw the error of his ways. After his lawyers also made the claim that he needed help, he was sentenced to one year in jail.

Another close call for Dahmer was when one of his victims escaped and was incoherently running around town. Jeffrey told the officers that the boy was his 19 year old lover when, in fact, the boy was only 14. The police believed Dahmer and left the boy with him, who was killed soon after they left.

He was finally caught after an escaped victim, Tracy Edwards, was found wandering the streets, claiming a man had drugged and restrained him. When police checked his apartment, they found photographs of his crimes, among other disturbing things.

He was sentenced to sixteen consecutive terms for the murder of seventeen males, which he was not able to carry out because a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, killed him before time could.

Nannie Doss, born on November 4, 1905, was a serial killer who is believed to have murdered around eleven people, most of them being her own relatives.

Her motivation stems back to an early age, like most serial killers. She suffered a head injury at seven years old, which some believe could contribute to her murderous tendencies. Also, throughout her life she dealt with physical abuse and an escape for her was the dream of an ideal life with an ideal husband.

She admitted to killing four of her five husbands – Harrelson, Arlie Lanning, Richard Morton, and Samuel Doss – using poison as her weapon of choice. One wrong move could get anyone close to her killed.

She is suspected of killing her newborn granddaughter, her two-year-old grandson, her mother, and her sister, but she never admitted to it.

She was only arrested after the death of her fifth husband, when an autopsy was performed and an abundant amount of poison was found in his body.

Overall, there really is no moral to the story here. If you do take anything away from this then I hope it is to be careful around suspicious people, but even more than that, I hope I don’t see you on Dateline.