Language, Ideology and Identity in Serial Killer Narratives by Gregoriou Christiana;
Author:Gregoriou, Christiana;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Language & Literature
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2011-01-11T00:00:00+00:00
Naming and Describing the Dead Men Talking and Their Victims
As with all cases analysed so far, the men and women killers Berry-Dee focuses on are, too, full named at first mention, but thereafter mostly first named, or nicknamed even, when little and innocent (âWith a near-death birth, John Jrâs start in life was not without further problemsâ, 2005: 5; âAged about five, Johnny started to have seizuresâ, 2005: 7). The same goes for when the killers themselves are subject to abuse (âHis father was a precise patriarch, whom the impressionable young John secretly looked up to, despite the beatings and abuse meted out to himâ, 2005: 77; âMichael loved his parents despite the physical and psychological abuse they handed out in spadesâ, 2009: 215) or neglect (âKenneth did not enjoy the benefits of having a motherâ, 2005: 84). The first naming persists when the now older killers are engaging in action that is not yet murderous, such as thieving (âMost of what Bill stole he stashedâ, 2005: 166) though, as expected, stylistic variation is also evident in the naming strategies here also (âBut [William] Heirensâs need to steal was too great. His parents still argued incessantly, and William sought peace of mind the only way he knew howâ, 2005: 167; âWith Julie trying to use [Keith] Jesperson to help her out, and with Keith getting all the free sex he would want [ ⦠]â, 2009: 176). The killers are instead mostly only surnamed when they are implied to be doing something sinister (âIt seemed that young lads were always in Gacyâs presenceâ, 2005: 19; âBianchi did more than touch her breastâ, 2005: 90), if not clearly criminalising (âThis incident was certainly the crucial turning point which led the perverted Buono to become a serial killerâ, 2005: 101; âJablonski [ ⦠] attempted to rape herâ, 2009: 124). In fact, the more deviant and criminalising these killersâ behaviour becomes, the more likely they are to be surnamed to reflect this. Interestingly though, when imprisoned, many of them go back to being first-named again (âIn a controlled environment, John [Gacy] was as good as goldâ, 2005: 26; âthe time approached for John [Cannan]âs release from prisonâ, 2005: 227), almost wiping the slate clean for them in the process, somewhat giving them a chance at redemption. Killers are also sometimes first-named when their case is subject to examination by various specialists, such as psychologists and lawyers (â[the prosecutor] William Kunkle offered this insight into the case: âBasically, the defence claimed that John was a deeply sick individual [ ⦠]â â, 2005: 68), suggesting a real willingness to engage with them as individuals and not mere generic criminals. Despite opting for this particular naming choice in places himself, Berry-Dee also finds himself consciously objecting to it:
The Ross investigation is obviously one of the high points of [Detective] Mike Malchikâs career, and this becomes all too apparent when one visits his spacious, up-scale home, set in lush, green grounds. Photos of him, with
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