INTRODUCTION
When a person hears the word serial killer, they only think about a person who is a monster and has killed more than 3 people over a decade or a month. But they don’t think about what the real definition of a serial killer is, so the real definition of serial killer is “Previous definitions of serial murder specified a certain number of murders, varying from two to ten victims,” according to FBI.gov. A serial murder was distinguished from other types of murder (such as single, double, or triple murder) by this quantitative requirement. A time interval between the killings was also necessary for the majority of the definitions. “Serial murderers are those who, either alone or with an accomplice, kill at least three people over a period of time, with ‘cooling-off’ periods between the murders, indicating premeditation of each killing,” is the definition of a serial killer.1 Considering the perspective of human rights an individual who is accused of gruesome crime are also entitled for a certain fundamental protection which includes the right to a fair trial and humane treatment under the law. The criminal justice ensure that serial killer are also protected because they all are equal in the eyes of law. By studying the factors of serial killers, it will be easier for researchers and legal professionals to understand the criminal intent and behavior of serial killers. It will also help them develop the best strategies for crime prevention and assist in delivering justice.
THE FASCINATION OF SOCIETY WITH SERIAL KILLERS
Serial killers perform horrible atrocities that can shame society, yet they frequently excite fascination as well as revulsion and fear. The public is interested in learning more about them and looking into the motivations behind their acts, which have harmed the victims and their families. For individuals and society as a whole, this is the only explanation. The public’s infatuation with serial killers is demonstrated by the abundance of books, TV shows, podcasts, and movies about them. Serial killers are an excellent source of material for the popular genre “crime happened in real life.” This may also lead to attraction and curiosity about serial killers. A fascination with serial killers satisfies this psychological need since our brains are hardwired to remain alert for disaster. When experienced in a secure setting, the rush of excitement that real crime frequently offers can be enjoyable. Because serial killers sometimes appear “normal” until they are apprehended, people may be encouraged to study the “signs” to avoid discovery. Too much media attention can sometimes overshadow what has happened to the victim kind of mental suffering the victim and their families have gone through. When we hear these references that are conveyed to us in songs and on screen, we become absorbed in the tales of the serial killers and the high-stakes terror that sets them apart.2 Well, many experts have identified this obsession as hybristophillia, which is an arousal towards a person who has committed something outrageous or forbidden, and is most commonly associated with females who write letters to men in prison.
HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO SERIAL KILLERS
The human rights perspective of serial killers is the study of how the legal system, the society and the government react to these types of criminals and yet maintain the principles of human rights. This topic leads to a very significant question in Criminology and Human Rights Law: How can society be able to both guarantee justice to the victims as well as safeguard the rights of even the most heinous of the offenders? Serial killers do not appear to be deserving of rights at first sight since their crimes are too gruesome and cruel. The contemporary systems of law, however, are founded on the fact that the rights of humanity are universal and are applicable to everyone, irrespective of what one does. International organizations like the United Nations and documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights highly endorse this concept.
A. Right to life and the death penalty
The Human Rights Act’s Article 2 safeguards your right to life. This means that nobody can even attempt to kill you, including the government. It also implies that in case your life is under threat the government ought to take action to safeguard you by passing laws that safeguard you and in some instances, by intervening to save you. Your right to life should also be considered when the officials in the government make decisions that may jeopardize you or even cut short your life. An investigation may be ordered in case a member of your family dies under state-related circumstances.
B. Right to Fair Trial
A fair trial is recognized under Article 10. However, it is only possible for a fair trial to be conducted when the proceedings take place in an open court, where there is a neutral and independent judge presiding over the hearing. A fair trial right is entrenched within the rights set out under Articles 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the UDHR, and it is among the civil and political rights. Besides, everyone is assumed to be innocent until it is proved otherwise under Article 11. Social and political activities can only be undertaken through civil and political rights. This set of rights also ensures that individuals cannot be subjected to arbitrary oppression, discrimination, and government intervention. A suspect involved in a criminal process enjoys his/her rights as stated under Article 10.
C. Protection from Torture and Inhumane Treatment
Article 5 Torture and cruel, inhuman, or humiliating treatment or punishment is forbidden. The main argument presented in this article is that torture is prohibited. The use of severe physical or psychological suffering by the government or on its behalf to coerce a confession or create fear is known as torture. This term is used by the United Nations Convention against torture. This paper is composed in such a manner that the prohibition cannot be broken–even in case of an emergency. It is highly prohibited. Torture is also prohibited in article 7 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). There is a certain addition to the ICCPR: no one shall, without his free consent, be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation.3
D. Rights of Victim
Since the founding of the UN human rights system, international human rights agreements have recognized that human rights victims have a right to remedy and reparation. The focus has over time shifted to the rights of victims and the duty of states to victims, although the earlier human rights conceptions were based on the need to penalize perpetrators. Everyone is entitled to “effective remedy by the competent national tribunals” for actions that breach fundamental rights, according to Article 8 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) obliges states to ensure that any person, whose rights have been violated, has an effective remedy, irrespective of whether the violation occurred as a result of people who were in their official capacity. States should also ensure that any person who seeks such a remedy can have his.
CASE STUDIES
A. Ted Bundy (The Campus Killer)
The only few villains that have attracted the attention of the people are Ted Bundy, one of the most prolific and mysterious serial killers in America. Beginning in 1974–and perhaps earlier–Bundy executed dozens of brutal, inhuman murders throughout the United States. But he was able to escape suspicion even from experienced homicide investigators with his pleasant manner, law-school attitude, and handsome, well-dressed appearance. The two jail escapes that Bundy managed to succeed in won him some publicity, but after assaults in a college town in Florida where two women were killed and three others severely beaten, his fate was sealed, and he was captured.4 The life of Bundy in his early years was not easy; he had a strained relationship with his stepfather and was often bullied because of his timidity. However, he could afford a fabulous college life later due to his intellect and social skills, and he developed a number of apparently normal, affectionate relationships with women. He showed himself as a normal human being and completed his college with flying colors and has a sharp mind none will believe or suspect him as a serial killer. His killing showed psychological motives like power, control and sexual gratification.
B. ED Gien (Butcher of Plain field)
Ed Gein, also referred to as the Butcher of Plainfield, was an American criminal whose life and activities greatly contributed to the psychology of crimes and popular culture. Born in 1906, he had a troubled childhood because of his abusive father and extremely religious mother who instilled in him a strong aversion towards sex. Gein was deteriorated mentally after the death of his mother and other relatives in 1945 and he engaged in several heinous crimes. He was discovered to have dug up bodies from nearby cemeteries and used their remains to make a variety of grotesque objects, such as clothing and furniture made of human skin. He is suspected of murdering at least two women.In 1957, Gein was arrested when the police discovered the body of Bernice Worden and some of the preserved body parts of some women on his farm. He was eventually found guilty of murder but exonerated due to insanity after being initially ruled incapable to stand trial.
C. Raman Raghav (Jack the Ripper)
Raman Raghav or Sindhi Talwai, Anna, Thambi, and Veluswami were serial killers in the middle of the 1960s. Raman Raghav, a homeless man, murdered approximately 19 people in 1965 and 1966, of whom nine were killed. The police arrested him, but had to set him free due to the lack of evidence. Before this, Raghav had a criminal background of robbery, for which he had served five years in jail. In August 1968, there was another spate of murders on the outskirts of Mumbai, where slum inhabitants were beaten while they slept. He was apprehended in September 1968 after the police began a manhunt for him this time. When he got arrested he confessed to multiple killings and murders but the exact no. of victim is uncertain. The state of mind of Raman and the fact that he had developed paranoid schizophrenia and could not differentiate between right and wrong, along with the character and consequences of his actions. In actuality, he wasn’t doing these crimes. actions with a criminal intention, yet he actually had to obtain medical care regarding his disease and find a method to drop his view of the world.5
CONCLUSION
The analysis of serial murders is one of the most difficult and disturbing fields in the sphere of Criminology and Psychology. The human rights perspective is a large portion of this project, and it poses ethical and legal issues of importance. Although serial killers are guilty of heinous crimes, they still have the right to basic rights like the right to life, fair trial, protection against torture and humane treatment This is in line with the ideology that human rights are universal and they should be honored irrespective of the type of crime. Simultaneously, the rights of victims, as well as their families, should also be safeguarded, and justice, dignity and support given. One of the greatest dilemmas in criminal justice is balancing the rights of the victims and offenders. Justice should be administered in a fair system without undermining the human dignity. This is necessary to uphold the rule of law and to avoid abuse of power. Although punishing the offenders and protecting the society is vital, so is the respect of human rights and ethics. This makes justice effective and at the same time humane.
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Footnotes
1. Negrete-Leon, J. Chapter 1: What is a serial killer?, Uncovering Serial Killers. Available at: https://csi.pressbooks.pub/uncserkill/chapter/chapter-1-what-is-a-serial-killer/ (Accessed: 02 May 2026).
2. Jumphost (2023) Piecing the puzzle together: Society’s fascination with serial killers, The Queen’s Journal. Available at: https://www.queensjournal.ca/piecing-the-puzzle-together-societys-fascination-with-serial-killers/ (Accessed: 02 May 2026).
3. Article 5 – Prohibition of Torture (2025) Utrecht University. Available at: https://www.uu.nl/en/education/universal-declaration-of-human-rights-75-years/udhr-in-words-and-images/udhr-articles-1-30/article-5-prohibition-of-torture (Accessed: 02 May 2026).
4. Lallanilla, M. (2026) Case file: Ted Bundy: A&E, AETV. Available at: https://www.aetv.com/articles/ted-bundy (Accessed: 02 May 2026).
5. Parshvi Chopra SERIAL KILLINGS: A STUDY OF RAMAN RAGHAV CASE. Available at: https://jlrjs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/73.-Parshvi-Chopra.pdf (Accessed: 02 May 2026).