Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Serial murder is when someone kills multiple people over a period of time, often following a pattern. It is a very serious crime called murder, which means intentionally killing another person. There are different types of murder, such as first-degree murder, which is planned and deliberate, and second-degree murder, which is not planned but still intentional. Serial murder is different from mass murder, which is when someone kills many people at once.
Definition: Serial murder is a type of murder where a criminal kills multiple victims over a period of time, often following a pattern or targeting victims with similar characteristics.
Examples of serial murder include infamous cases such as Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Zodiac Killer. These criminals killed multiple victims over a period of time, often following a specific pattern or targeting victims with similar characteristics. For example, Ted Bundy targeted young, attractive women who had long brown hair parted in the middle.
Serial murder is different from mass murder, which involves killing multiple victims at the same time or in a short period of time, often in a single location. An example of mass murder is the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, where the perpetrator killed 58 people and injured hundreds more in a single incident.
Serial murder is a particularly heinous crime that can be difficult to solve because the perpetrator often takes steps to avoid detection and may not have an obvious motive for their actions.