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Graphologists have found common features in the handwriting of world's most notorious serial killers. Photo
There are many ways to identify a killer: DNA analysis, psychological profile, and crime scene examination., but now experts have added handwriting to the list. Graphologists have been carefully studying the handwriting of well-known serial killers to identify personality traits.
During the analysis, scientists found common features in all criminals. This data can help law enforcement agencies when dealing with suspects, writes DailyMail.
Although graphology is a controversial field, some experts believe that if a person's handwriting has certain unique features, it is a clear sign that the person has a serial killer's mentality.
According to graphologist Anna Koren, these features include unusual word spacing, broken and fake letters, unusual punctuation, printed letters, and inconsistent letter size.
Many of the handwriting samples of the world's most notorious serial killers, such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer, share some of these stylistic traits.
Graphology offers a way to look into the mind of a killer and help experts understand their sinister psychology, scientists say.
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy is known to have brutally assaulted and murdered 20 confirmed women (confessing to a total of 30 murders) between 1974 and 1978.
Biographer Ann Rule described Bundy as a "sadistic sociopath who took pleasure from another human's pain and the control he had over his victims, to the point of death and even after."
Ann said that evidence of Bundy's sadistic sociopathy can be found in his handwriting. In her analysis, she pointed to the underlined lowercase area - or the area in front of the baseline into which the tails of lowercase letters extend. Bundy's writing also included large, dramatic loops in the lower case.
While an emphasis on the upper area is more common in serial killer handwriting, exaggerated features like these loops can also be a sign of what Koren called a "schizoid" personality, which 80 percent of the killers she has analyzed possess.
John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy, also known as the "The Killer Clown," tortured, assaulted, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. Twenty-six of his victims' bodies were found in the basement of his home near Chicago, three were buried on his property, and four were found in the Des Plaines River.
According to an analysis by The Handwriting Analysts Group, this killer's handwriting showed heavy pastocity - or a large amount of extra ink flowing onto the page. According to the experts, this could indicate a strong need to satisfy desires or a penchant for "wanton sexuality and cruel violence."
The letterforms of the lower zone - especially the loops that extend to the left, combined with high pastorality - are indicative of an "explosive temper with perverse sadistic tendencies," the analysis says.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the preservation of body parts.
According to Anna Koren, his handwriting contained "most schizoid characteristics". Some of the most notable features are the right-hand slant, wide spaces between words and letters, broken letters, and the use of printed letters.
Son of Sam
David Berkowitz, known as "Son of Sam," terrorized New York City from 1976 to 1977. During this time, he shot 17 people with a .44-caliber revolver, killing six and wounding 11.
Anna Koren pointed out to "an abundant amount of strange letters and covering strokes." The fact that letters begin and end in unusual ways may indicate a schizoid personality.
According to a graphologist, this killer's handwriting was "slow and tense," which is also a sign of a schizoid personality.
The Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer was never caught. Therefore, his real name remains unknown. This maniac killed five and injured two of his victims. Although Zodiac himself claimed to have taken the lives of 37 people, this has not been confirmed, experts say.
Zodiac committed his crimes from 1968 to 1969, but he continued to send letters to the police until 1974. These letters became important evidence in the case, as the criminal's handwriting was carefully analyzed.
According to graphologist Anna Koren, the handwriting of this mysterious killer had most of the features characteristic of a schizoid personality. Zodiac used a printed font, wrote with a slight slant and left large spaces between words. He also created a unique code to leave cryptic messages in his letters.
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