The quintessential expression, Part II

The previous post described how serial killers, even when first taken into custody, or on trial for multiple murders, don't feel the slightest guilt or shame. They've just been exposed as the bogeyman, and….they're not embarrassed in the least. Most people, in those circumstances, would be distraught, beside themselves with mortification. But some serial killers actually bask in the limelight, conceit oozing from their every pore.

Here are a few more examples of that.

Aileen Wuornos is one of the rare female serial killers. Here she is at her trial:

She looks as if she's flirting with someone in the audience.

Juan Corona killed 25 migrant farm workers and drifters in California:

He looks like one of those goofballs you see on TV at a ball game -- "Hi Mom! I'm a celebrity now!"

Russian Andrei Chikatilo killed 56 women and children in Rostov between 1978 and 1990:

He looks quite pleased with himself in a queer sort of way.

Randy Steven Kraft was the "Freeway Killer" who was convicted of killing 16 young men between 1972 and 1983; he is thought to be responsible for the deaths of as many as 67:

Kraft obviously feels no guilt, or even embarrassment about all the young men he killed. Here's a mugshot taken of him in 2007:

Have you ever seen a more benign smile? Kraft looks like a CEO who just delivered a particularly good quarterly report, and who's just spotted his favorite investor in the audience.

Edmund Kemper, who raped and strangled seven girls in Santa Cruz, then killed his mother and her friend, decapitated his mother, and had sex with her disembodied head:

(Most guys would feel a little embarrassed after being discovered doing that.)

Kenneth Bianchi, one of the two Hillside Strangers:

Bianchi looks as if he's trying to put on a modest expression for the courtroom, but not quite succeeding.

Carroll Cole, on trial for killing 16 people from 1948 to 1980:

Carroll looks as if he is enjoying some private joke.

Tamara Samsonova, the Russian serial killer and cannibal:

She's actually blowing kisses to reporters at her trial as if she's a movie star graciously acknowledging her fans. How glamorous!

There aren't that many photos of serial killers in the courtroom, as photographers are often not allowed there. But the few that exist can be quite telling.

If you ever doubt how utterly without remorse or guilt or shame sociopaths are, remember these photographs.

It's striking how many serial killers there are who haven't become household names. Here's a list, in order of number of victims, on Wikipedia. (Warning: it's easy to waste a couple of hours just following the various links and reading about their crimes.)