NOVA: Mind of a Serial Killer

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Starring: Patrick Stewart
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Larry Klein
Studio: WGBH Boston
Release Date: 2005-03-22
The Boston Strangler. The Son of Sam. Jeffrey Dahmer. Every time a serial killer hits, it touches a deep collective nerve of fear—in part because his grisly acts so defy comprehension.

Or do they? Step behind the scenes at the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, where psychological detectives race against time to penetrate the minds and emotions of the most elusive of murderers. Using state-of-the-art science, elite investigators tease apart crime scene evidence and scrutinize victim profiles to construct an astonishingly accurate personality print of the perpetrator—and a good guess as to how and when he'll make his next move.

This time the scene is Rochester, New York, where multiple slayings of prostitutes have left local authorities baffled. Find out how FBI sleuths figure out what makes this dark mind tick—and how remarkable prediction lets them stop the killer in his tracks before he can strike again. Special DVD features include: a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; and closed captions. On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 Full Screen.

A compelling look into the mind of criminal profiling
This documentary is a compelling look inside the process of catching a serial killer through criminal profiling, it follows an FBI team on the hunt for Arthur Shawcross, the murderer of 11 prostitutes in Upstate New York, as well as touching on some other cases, including the Son of Sam Murders and others. It is interesting to watch how these FBI investigators can pin point an individual so throughly through profiling. The only complaint that I have about this documentary is that it, being made in 1992, is a little outdated, but never the less compelling.

A compact but interesting look into a serial killer's psyche
Since the 1960's, the murder rate in the United States has doubled and an average of 55 people are killed every day. Some of the most difficult homicides to solve are those perpetrated on complete strangers due to a lack of easily identifiable suspects and no evident motives.

Over 1000 cases are examined annually regarding serial offenders and the FBI's Investigative Analysis division is often the group that is tasked with attempting to find these elusive killers. Describing techniques developed in the 1970's, current processes used in crime scene investigation and criminal profiling is looked at here. Some of these methods have proven successful after discovering patterns and behaviors of some killers.

While many cases can be solved using good old fashioned detective work, others are difficult due to the unpredictability of some serial killers and this is what makes them the more disturbing and frightening of all criminals. Interviews with psychiatrists and law enforcement officials offer insights into the abnormal and devious mindset of these offenders.

Although short references are made to several high profile criminal cases and famous serial killers in this program, the latter half of this documentary focuses primarily on Arthur Shawcross and his killing spree of numerous prostitutes in Rochester, New York. This is quite interesting in and of itself because there is a detailed examination of all the work that went into solving this crime.

This feature isn't all encompassing because it's hard to tackle such an intriguing and in-depth topic in only one hour of material. NOVA leans more toward the science of profiling and behavioral studies more than anything else but they do it well in my opinion. I just wish they would produce longer shows as the topics they document are usually very appealing.