What drives someone to kill?

By Oreva Godwin

This article contains themes of homicide, childhood trauma and mental illness. It may trigger feelings of nostalgia, especially for readers who have lost loved ones to violence or survived an attempted murder. Please read with care. My thoughts and prayers are with anyone who has experienced such pain. May you continue to heal.

Why do people kill?

They say curiosity kills the cat. But we’re not cats. We’re humans, but we have curious minds. Curiosity explains our fascination with true crime stories. We’re drawn to question ourselves. What drives someone to kill especially repeatedly?

Do killers ever regret their actions? Can they feel guilty? Are they born that way, or shaped by circumstances?

For decades, psychologists and criminal profilers have tried to unravel the minds of serial killers. Their findings have not only helped in prevention efforts but have also shaped society’s understanding of criminal psychology. While research is ongoing and human behavior is complex, certain patterns do emerge.

Are Killers Born or Made? One of the most debated questions in criminal psychology is whether killers are born, or made? The truth may lie somewhere in between. Here are some of the most common contributing factors:

Childhood trauma

A major red flag in the background of many serial killers is child abuse. In one U.S. study of 50 convicted serial killers, 36% had suffered physical abuse, while 26% had experienced sexual abuse.

Take Jeffrey Dahmer as an example. Between 1978 and 1991, he murdered 17 boys and men, committing horrific acts like rape, necrophilia, and cannibalism.

According to his father, Jeffrey was molested by a neighbor at age 8. His early life was volatile, with frequent fights between his parents and police visits. He was from a toxic home.

Childhood abuse doesn’t automatically turn someone into a killer, but it often plants seeds of trauma, rage, and detachment that can escalate in the wrong environment.

Psychopathy

Psychopathy is one of the most common traits found among serial killers. It’s a personality disorder characterized by, lack of empathy, shallow emotions, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, deceitfulness, antisocial behavior and absence of remorse.

Studies show 87% of serial killers display traits associated with psychopathy.

The “Warrior Gene” (MAOA)

Biology can also play a role. Some individuals have a variant of the MAOA gene, nicknamed “The Warrior Gene”, which affects the breakdown of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline. These chemicals influence mood, impulse control, and aggression.

People with low-activity MAOA may be more reactive to negative emotions and prone to aggressive outbursts.

However, genes are not destiny. Many people carry this gene but never commit violent crimes. It’s usually a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers that increase the risk.

This is not just a western problem. Serial killers aren’t exclusive to America or Europe. For a long time, many African societies only recognized ritualistic killings and cult war. But now, we’re seeing murders committed out of jealousy, obsession, or for thrill.

More people are “getting sick upstairs,” as we say but the signs were often always there. Unfortunately, many parents ignore them.

Tunde suffered from bipolar disorder. He knew there was something off about him, but unfortunately, he was born in a society where mental health awareness is very low and people see going for mental therapy as a sign of treatment for madness and no one wants that stigma.

Tunde felt he could fight his demons on his own. Over time he suffered from insomnia which got his mental health worse. His moodswings and traits of violence were so bad that it gradually affected his relationships. But love kept his girlfriend from walking out. In the quest to find happiness and sleep well, he was introduced by his friend into the world of hard drugs. Gradually, he felt like it was helping him sleep well and silence the voices in his head. Then it happened.

One day after taking drugs, it triggered his disorder. He got into the house and saw his girlfriend on a call laughing. This triggered the disorder. He held her and accused her of cheating on him. As she was trying to explain, he slapped her and pushed her to the wall. Before she knew what was happening, he sent blows to her face, and she fell and hit her head on the edge of the wooden bedframe and she gave up the ghost.

Unknown to Tunde, his disorder had become severe. He had become delusional. He had experienced strange hallucinations.

It turned out that Tunde’s girlfriend was actually on a call with her best friend telling her that it’s been long and that they needed to see, but in his head, she was on call with another man, planning to go see him. The hallucinations triggered an emotion; a sense of abandonment that got him violent.

After Tunde’s girlfriend had died, he went to bed and slept off. He woke up, feeling that he had a horrible dream and pondered on the nature of it. He woke up to see the body of his girlfriend stone cold on the floor. His scream attracted neighbours, and he was arrested.

When Oluchi was 10, the family secret came out. Her father found out he wasn’t her biological father. The supposed father beat Oluchi’s mother in front of her. He later walked out and filed for divorce. The abandonment crushed Oluchi and worsened her behavior.

Oluchi was always a strange child, antisocial, withdrawn, and attached to imaginary friends. Her parents would often hear her playing and talking to someone who wasn’t there. They noticed, but brushed it off, hoping she’d grow out of it.

One day, her mother walked into her room and was horrified. The heads of her dolls had been removed. Holes were punctured in their chests. She found Oluchi in the bathroom, holding a doll underwater in the tub smiling. Though terrified, her mother kept the incident to herself.

Her mother took Oluchi to the church the next day for counseling and was scheduled for prayers and deliverance. But nothing worked.

She grew into a young woman lost in darkness. Oluchi had her own monsters, like a lot of us do, but hers was more than the monster we know. She found comfort in homicide documentaries. Her diaries were filled with dark, disturbing thoughts.

Oluchi had imaginary friends and found it hard to make real friends. She fantasized about killing when angry with someone. She was never evaluated. She was never helped.

At age 26, Oluchi met Daniel, her first love. He saw the weirdness in her and accepted and even loved her. Oluchi loved Daniel, but soon the love turned into obsession. For Oluchi, it wasn’t just a relationship it was validation, salvation, and escape.

Oluchi noticed that Daniel’s neighbor was also getting too close to Daniel and started suspecting him. Oluchi warned him: “If you cheat on me, I’ll kill you.”
He laughed it off. But she wasn’t joking. She hacked his phone and was reading all his Whatsapp conversations.

One day, she showed up unannounced and caught him in bed with another woman. In her words: “I saw darkness. I blanked out the moment I caught them in the act.”

Oluchi grabbed a knife. Daniel tried to restrain her, but she stabbed him in the chest. Then she chased after the other woman into the living room, slashing her across the body. The woman tried to flee but collapsed.

It was a hideous scene. When the rage passed, Oluchi realized what she had done. She was arrested. The trial is still ongoing.

Who’s to Blame?
Oluchi? Her mother?
Her absentee father?
Or a system that failed to recognize mental illness before it turned deadly?

This is a wake up call for parents and partners. As a parent, there are signs you should never ignore.
Don’t assume your child will “grow out of it.” If your child has persistent behavioral issues, strange fixations, or deep emotional wounds, seek help both spiritual and psychological.

Observe them. Talk to them. Read their diaries.
Break some boundaries if it means saving their life or someone else’s.

Ask them about their imaginary friends. Do those friends tell them to do good or bad things? It may sound odd, but it could be the key to understanding your child’s mind.

Remember, the monsters we fear were once innocent children like yours. In cultivating relationships don’t ignore red flags. Not every partner is mentally stable. Not every love is safe. If your partner constantly threatens violence. If they carry weapons “just in case”. If they stalk or monitor your movements in an obsessive way. If they have anger issues and high trust issues. That’s not love. That’s a danger sign. Get out before it’s too late.

Killing doesn’t come from nowhere. It grows silently, over time, fed by trauma, neglect, obsession, and untreated mental illness.

Your mental health is important. Seek help. You can’t fight your demons on your own. Let’s embrace mental fitness. Seeking mental help doesn’t mean you’re mad. Treating the spiritual aspect of your life and ignoring the physical amounts to living in self denial. Not every problem is spiritual. Let’s stop the system from failing us. Together, we can do it.

Prevention starts with awareness. Listen. Watch. Ask questions.
Love is not enough. External intervention saves lives.

Drives