Biggest serial Killer in history

Bothwell · Post by **Bothwell** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 9:24 am

Today the enquiry into the crimes of Dr Harold Shipman produced it's results. He certainly killed 250 whilst a GP, maybe 20 more, he killed 15-20 when he was a hospital doctor and maybe 137 more at the hospital.

Dr Shipman killed himself in prison.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 9:30 am

i am going to go to BBC and read up on this guy.i remember him being a mousy little character. i think the reason he is not as well known as our more colorful serial killers is that his murders were less "personal". poison doesn't seem to capture the imagination like the ripper does. despite the sheer numbers.

Bothwell · Post by **Bothwell** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:03 am

In fact all "Surviving" patients of Dr Shipmans asy he was the best doctor they had.

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:01 pm

Bothwell wrote: In fact all "Surviving" patients of Dr Shipmans asy he was the best doctor they had.
Probably just relief that they'd survived the madmans morphine!

persephone · Post by **persephone** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:13 pm

I wouldn't say they were less personal LC, I don't know what GP's are like in America, but here they are called family GP's for a reason. A lot of his elderly patients/victims would've been seeing him for years and everyone would've trusted him... He was their doctor after all.

I remember my doctor, who I had been with for all but 5 years of my life ran off with a married female patient, I was 19 then it was horrific... Family doctors don't do that, you trust them with everythhing.

Just think what it must be like to find out your doctor is a killer, I guess his victims never knew.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:18 pm

hi Letha...i was referring to the method of death...a "personal" murder is up close, violent, involves a knife or other weapon, it is a term of art in homicide. the poisoner is impersonal, may not even be around when the victim dies.

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:26 pm

lady cop wrote: hi Letha...i was referring to the method of death...a "personal" murder is up close, violent, involves a knife or other weapon, it is a term of art in homicide. the poisoner is impersonal, may not even be around when the victim dies.
From all accounts LC Dr death did wait around till the bitter end, he was a locum at my surgery for a while during his reign and it makes me shudder to think of my parents being treated by him.

persephone · Post by **persephone** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:47 pm

But when you think doctor and morphine injection, for me anyway, that is quite personal, I know where you are coming from with the violence and knives, but still.

To go and hold someones hand whilst either injecting or changing doses on (why can I not think of the machine, we were only talking about these the other day) the syringe driver (I realise that isn't the corrct name, same job though), talking to them and looking them straight in the eye while they are doing it. That's kind of personal.

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:53 pm

What years did this take place and where? didn't this doctor donate the dead bodies for research or something? i am not sure, does anyone know? if it is the person i think, it was in the southern states, Georgia?

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:56 pm

let me clarify a bit more...of course ALL murder is "personal". in the world of HOMICIDE the method of murder speaks to us...if it is up close, violent it is probably a crime of passion, which can be a stranger or not. impersonal murder which is not motivated by passion may be a bullet during a robbery or even poison which does not leave outward signs of fury and the need for destruction that a "personal" murder does. jack the ripper was a very up close and personal murderer, so was ted bundy, method strangulation. anyway the victims are just as dead...but these distinctions do matter in an investigation.

persephone · Post by **persephone** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:04 pm

lady cop wrote: let me clarify a bit more...of course ALL murder is "personal". in the world of HOMICIDE the method of murder speaks to us...if it is up close, violent it is probably a crime of passion, which can be a stranger or not. impersonal murder which is not motivated by passion may be a bullet during a robbery or even poison which does not leave outward signs of fury and the need for destruction that a "personal" murder does. jack the ripper was a very up close and personal murderer, so was ted bundy, method strangulation. anyway the victims are just as dead...but these distinctions do matter in an investigation.
Oh that's true and I'm really not meaning to disbute that, just that in a non-police definition, it is personal.

I might also be seeing it from the medical side, knowing how you talk to patients and how eye contact, body language etc. is so vital to gain their trust. It just goes against the grain to be doing all that and have thoughts flying around your head, "you'll be dead very soon".

If I say I just wrote that and have sat with a dying patient thinking those very things, would anyone worry, or do you understand what I mean?

persephone · Post by **persephone** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:06 pm

Paula, Doctor Shipman was a British GP, and it happened over may years, last year he killed himself whilst in prison.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:08 pm

Letha, i can't help it, i think like a cop!

...and i do know what you mean, i started out as a nurse. and even more recently i sat 12 hours with a man that was about to be executed....i sure was thinking "dead man walking".