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Florida Atlantic University Undergraduate Law Journal

College

College of Arts and Letters

Keywords

Terminology, Court proceedings, Legal outcomes, Sentencing, Serial killers, Sentencing severity, Language in trials, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Robert Ressler, FBI profiling, “Serial killer” term, John Wayne Gacy, Paul John Knowles, Victim counts, Court records, Legal definitions, Trial transcripts, Culpability, Punishment, Linguistic analysis, Discrepancies in sentencing, High-profile criminal cases, Mixed-methods approach, Consistent language standards

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The terminology used during court proceedings plays a pivotal role in shaping the legal outcomes and sentencing for serial killers. This study examines how specific language, mainly terms such as "serial killer," impacts sentencing severity. By analyzing cases involving serial killers and the terminology used, there is a proven correlation between terminology and sentencing. For example, Ted Bundy (30 confirmed murders) and Jeffrey Dahmer (17 confirmed murders) were both investigated by Robert Ressler—who pioneered FBI profiling and coined the term "serial killer." The term was extensively used within their trials, impacting their sentencing. This can be compared to John Wayne Gacy (33 confirmed murders and Paul John Knowles (18 confirmed murders); both were not investigated by Ressler and were tried without the use of the term “serial killer” in 1980 and 2003 respectively. The analysis extends to other linguistic elements within court records to uncover discrepancies in legal repercussions among serial killers with similar victim counts. This mixed-methods approach utilizes court records, legal definitions, and trial transcripts to determine how language influences perceptions of culpability and punishment. The findings show that terminology significantly affects sentencing outcomes, highlighting the need for consistent language standards in legal proceedings involving high-profile criminal cases.

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