America's Book of Secrets (2012)

Episode Overview

Title: Serial Killers Plot: Lurking in the shadows of America’s streets and highways, a chilling breed of individuals is driven by a singular, dark obsession: the exhilaration of taking lives. Since the 1970s, the U.S. has seen around 1,400 serial killers—far surpassing the total in the rest of the globe. What transforms an ordinary person into a ruthless murderer? This episode delves into the psychological, biological, and societal factors that define these lethal individuals. Experts including former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt, criminal psychologists Eric Hickey and Helen Morrison, along with journalists and law enforcement, investigate the hidden motives of notorious killers like Dennis Rader, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Donald Harvey, and Lonnie Franklin Jr., shedding light on their evasion of capture while claiming numerous victims.