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methodical, well-planned, and organized way in which he committed his crimes.

If he had been in the midst of a true, psychotic frenzy, or been "insane" at the time of his crimes, he wouldn't have been aware, much less concerned, of getting caught. and would have made no attempts to "cover his tracks". He would have been in an "altered sense of reality" where no "right or wrong" would have existed, nor any thought of punishment. All he would have been concerned with would have been carrying out the specific task at hand. But this was not the case with him, nor is it with most criminals.

When it's proven that these killers stalked their prey during the hours they were least likely to be seen, and they carried in their cars, tools and weapons, such as tape and ropes, and created phoney alibis, hid decaying bodies in their homes, etc., the "insanity plea" gets thrown out the window because it's made clear they knew exactly what they were doing.

The next logical question is, "Then why would they do such crazy, sick things?" Some say it's because they're evil. Others will say they were abused as children. And still others will insist they are indeed insane. There may be a little truth in all of these opinions, but the one that is confirmed time after time with these criminals, is that they did it for the sheer enjoyment of it. They had a perversion (usually a sexual one) that needed fulfilling. They wanted something, and they took it. Disgustingly simple, but true. And while it may be hard, if not impossible, to accept this truth, it is, nevertheless, the truth, admitted by serial killers themselves.

Interestingly enough, truly insane people actually commit crimes far less grotesque, such as mass killings, where a guy walks into a restaurant in the middle of the day, without a mask, and begins shooting the patrons at random. He has no thoughts of right or wrong, or consequences and is most likely in the midst of a complete psychotic breakdown. Usually, these individuals will later say they were operating under the direction of someone or something that never existed, or makes no sense, such as when the Son of Sam said he killed people because the neighbor's dog "told him to".

And of course we will always have people trying to "act" like they were insane at the time of their crimes to exempt themselves from being punished. But again, all we need do is go back to the evidence, and/or history of these individuals to sift out the truth.

So while we have made impressive strides in the study of mental illness versus insanity, it's still quite clear that we have a ways to go at discovering and defining the varying states that exist in the ever-changing kaleidoscope known as the human mind!

Learn more about this author, Marea E. Johnson.
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