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“Murder is very real. It's not something you see in a movie. You have to do all the practical things ot surviving,” ' Murder is, indeed, very real. Yet to many serial killers, their fantasies of murder are as real as their acts of murder. To them, their existence Is split into two realities: The social reali- ty of the “normal” world where people do not murder, and the psychological vitality of the fantasy that is the impe- tus for the killer to commit his hel- nous crime. It is a split reality because the fantasy life is such a preoccupa- tion. It becomes an additional reality, distinguishable from the “other” reali- ty of the day-to-day social world. Interviews with 36 convicted sexual murderers have provided in- sights into their attitudes, beliefs, and justifications for their crimes. In order to interpret the murderer's sense of are as real as their ac Chapter 2 _to many serial killers, . . - fantasies of murder what is important, this article presents thoughts and beliefs articulated by the murderers themselves. First, we dis- cuss the structure of conscious mo- tives for murder, the killer's long- standing fantasy of violence and murder. Second, we look at what hap- pens when the fantasy of murder is played out through its various phases. By presenting our interpretation of the fantasy’s importance to the serial killer, we hope to suggest perspec- tives for law enforcement on the in- vestigation of sexual homicide. Motive and Fantasy How does the motive for a murder evolve, and what triggers the murderer to act? Many murders puzzle law enforcement because they appear to lack the “usual” motives, such as robbery or revenge. Motives, however, need to be determined, since understanding the motive is criti- ts of murder.” cal to the subsequent apprehension of a suspect. The 36 murderers in our study, replying to this fundamental question of what triggered their first murders, revealed that as a group, they were aware of their longstanding involve- ment and preference for a very active fantasy life and they were devoted to violent sexual fantasies. Most of these fantasies, prior to the first murder, fo- cused on killing, while fantasies that evolved after the first murder often fo- cused on perfecting various phases of the murder. The following illustrates an early fantasy of one of the serial murderers that developed following the move of his bedroom to a win- dowless basement room. This fantasy (Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice) Reprinted from the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 103 August, 1985.