Experts in the field of serial killers have long sought to answer the question of whether such individuals are driven to violence by their life events, or if they are born with a predisposition to murder. Is it a matter of nurture or nature?
Although the classic serial killer falls into the category of an aging Caucasian male, there are certainly others who stray from the expected. Among these, the most disturbing are those who start their murderous acts while they are still in their teens. It is easy to condemn an adult for such conduct, but how do you feel about a kid engaging in such heinous activities? It is this question that gives rise to a wide range of emotions.
Five adolescents attempted to evade justice for their serial killing; however, in the end, all were apprehended. It is important to note that the accounts of their cases may elicit an emotional response from certain readers.
1. James Fairweather – 15 years old
James Fairweather was given a 27 year prison sentence in 2016 for the cruel slaying of two strangers.He declared that his fixation on serial killers, particularly his idol Ted Bundy, had caused him to perform these atrocious acts. His primary victim was brutally stabbed 102 times while unconscious in a park, while his second was killed with a bayonet.
After the trial, Fairweather's mother declared, “James Fairweather is a reprehensible figure in our eyes – and we are unable to grant absolution."
2. Charles Starkweather
Have you ever watched the movie “Natural Born Killers?” Taking its cue from the factual account of Charles Starkweather and his young companion, Caril Ann Fugate, who was 14, it was inspired.After killing Fugate's mother, step-father, and toddler sibling, the duo launched a two-month long rampage of horror. In total, 11 lives were taken when they were apprehended. Starkweather was ordered to the electric chair as punishment, whereas Fugate was detained for 17 years before gaining her freedom.
3. Mary Bell – 11 years old
Mary Bell, who was not yet a teenager, was joined by her thirteen-year-old best friend Norma Bell (no relation) in her criminal activity. The two of them killed two small boys, aged three and four. Upon investigation of Mary's past, police discovered her prostitute mother had been cruel to her and even attempted to take her life on multiple occasions, as well as forcing her to be sexually intimate with men.
Norma was cleared of her crimes by reason of her feeble mindedness, whereas Mary served 12 years in a juvenile detention center. Nowadays, she is a grandmother and leads a life anonymously with a new name.
4. William Heirens – 18 years old
William Heirens wrote this note above a victim he shot and stabbed in the neck. #serial killers pic.twitter.com/zHEXvVwvkD
— Serial Killers (@serial__killers) May 26, 2016
At the age of thirteen, William Heirens began committing small-scale offenses; however, five years later, murder became his focus. After brutally stabbing his second female victim, Heirens left a message scrawled on a wall with lipstick: "For heaven's sake, catch me before I kill another. I cannot stop myself." Despite this plea, it would be the slaying of a six-year-old girl that finally led to his arrest.
Heirens spent over six decades behind bars in a Chicago penitentiary before passing away due to natural causes.
5. Jesse Pomeroy – 14 years old
Jesse Pomeroy's tale is infamous, achieving notoriety as one of the United States' initial juvenile serial murderers. At the age of 12, he started taking the lives of young boys in Massachusetts, and when his family moved to South Boston, his murderous activities persisted.Police took him into their custody, and he was only sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention center.
At 14, Pomeroy was released from jail to reside with his mother. Shortly after, he was convicted of murdering two more kids, and was given a life sentence before being moved to the Bridgewater Hospital for the Criminally Insane.