Henry Lee Lucas: The Analysis Of A Serial Killer Essay Sample

Essay Sample

Henry Lee Lucas was a serial killer whose life was characterized by a lack of emotional stability and healthy social connections. His criminal activity lasted from the late 1950s to the 1980s, which led to the loss of many innocent victims. Nonetheless, Lucas’ childhood and teenage years made it difficult for him to find adequate role models and gain positive reinforcement from the adults in his life. Due to abuse as a child, Lucas developed impaired and cruel perceptions of other people whom he killed for sexual pleasure; it is unclear whether his deviant behavior was caused by his traumas, but he was considered legally sane during the time of the trials.

Henry Lee Lucas’ life was highly problematic and unstable, eventually leading to life imprisonment and a long history of complex investigations. Born in 1936 in the low-income family of Nellie Viola Lucas and Anderson Lucas, the boy experienced a difficult childhood filled with abuse (Lewis, 2009). Lucas’s mother was verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive and forced her family to watch her have sex with other men. After his father died, Lucas escaped from home. Although it remains unclear whether he committed the majority of murders to which he later confessed, it is generally agreed that he killed Laura Everlean Burnsley after an unsuccessful attempt to coerce her into sex (Gorney, 1984). Later, he killed his mother after a supposedly physical attack from her, for which he was arrested and released ten years after that. During his life, Lucas had a romantic relationship with another serial killer, Ottis Toole. Together, they killed many victims. When Lucas was finally arrested, he easily confessed to many murders, which became disproved later. He died in 2001 from heart failure.

Unlike most serial killers, Lucas did not have a particular preferred choice of victims, though he primarily focused on those belonging to vulnerable groups. Lucas started by killing and sexually assaulting animals, and he later admitted to repeating such actions as an adult as well. During his life, he was interested in having sex as his primary motivator. Choosing young or senior victims, Lucas had a chance to overpower them. His lack of attention to the method of murder demonstrates a lack of premeditation and a disorganized personality. Later, when Lucas was questioned about his views of victims, he admitted having little remorse during his murders; however, he noted that he understood their pain during the interviews (Cuba & Norris, 2013). At least some of his crimes were likely influenced by his relationship with Toole. Together, they allegedly admitted to eating victims and necrophilia.

Lucas’ family life, especially his traumatic experience with his mother, combined with social rejection, was the primary cause of his psychological distortions. Lucas’ mother was physically and emotionally abusive, which made it impossible for her children to develop healthily. Because her husband was a double amputee and developed alcoholism as a result of her abuse, Lucas and his other siblings could not have any protection. Nellie made her son wear girl’s clothes, and teachers only complained about it and never inquired about his well-being, even when she beat him so severely that he lost his eye. Such a disturbing childhood illustrates that, potentially, Lucas would not have become a serial killer without such extreme triggers. In the interview, he admitted that his mother’s physical abuse probably damaged his brain (Cuba & Norris, 2013). Sexual abuse Lucas experienced also probably influenced him: because his mother used it as a form of psychological manipulation, Lucas later looked for helpless and weak victims. His inability to develop healthy relationships stemmed from the systematic trauma he suffered from.

Although Lucas was diagnosed with multiple disorders, he probably had a psychopathic personality and had issues with connecting emotionally with others. During his arrest and interviews with him, Lucas was often diagnosed as schizophrenic, suffering from delusions (Gorney, 1984). Notwithstanding, he was found legally sane in all of his trials. Due to the time of his arrest, many behaviors could not be explained due to a lack of psychological science. The interviews and his own memories show poor recollection of certain events with extremely strong preservation of all details in the other episodes. Lucas did not completely believe that he truly killed his victims, and he felt that it was easier for him to continue his actions if he believed that they did not suffer. Such a poor sense of personal responsibility and empathy display psychological challenges that could have biological or psychological causes.

Concluding, Henry Lee Lucas was a serial killer whose life could have turned differently, but his family and society failed him as a child. Although everyone should recognize one’s accountability for the harm they inflict on others, Lucas’s behavior makes it questionable whether he thoroughly understood his deeds. Unfortunately, the interviews with this individual were not recently analyzed, which could significantly help prevent the emergence of similar cases in disruptive family environments.

References

Cuba, N., & Norris, J. (2013, November 17). The Two Faces of Henry Lee Lucas. D Magazine. https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1985/october/the-two-faces-of-henry-lee-lucas/

Gorney, C. (1984, October 11). Anatomy of a killer. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/10/11/anatomy-of-a-killer/0f8e6d66-2905-4235-a771-9a80f71a6643/

Lewis, B. R. (2009). Mapping the trail of a serial killer: How the world’s most infamous murderers were tracked down. Lyons.