Why Do People Kill?

Why do people kill?

 It is a topic that fascinates so many of us. It is also the question I get asked the most.

 During my time as a Scotland Yard investigator, I was part of investigations into over 100 killings of virtually every type imaginable. In every case, we looked for motive. To answer the question, why did that murder happen?

 What I saw and what I learnt, was in fact, as many reasons as there seemed to be, there are actually only three. That’s right, just three reasons people kill.

 Now, you may be thinking to yourself, that’s a load of rubbish, I can think of loads. Robbery, jealousy, revenge, anger, sexual gratification, gang rivalry, contracts to kill, terrorism, control, power, humiliation, respect. I could go on, but no matter how many I came up with, they would all go back to one of three reasons.

 Actually, there are four, but the fourth is a bit different as I will explain later. In reality it’s three. Three categories of motive that murder will fall under. And here they are.

 The first is the push of emotion.

 The definition being – where a person kills as the result of triggered emotion

 So, when we talk about murders that stem from feelings of anger, revenge and jealousy. They are all the result of something happening that triggers emotion. Some of these emotions can be intense, so much so that they cause a person to choose to harm someone. They may not necessarily mean to kill, but they certainly at the very least mean to cause really serious harm. Either way, that person dies, and they have committed murder. An action they have been pushed to by emotion.

 The next category of motive is the pull of emotion.

 The definition for this is – where a person kills in the pursuit of experiencing emotion

 These are the murders where a person wants to experience a feeling, but to get that feeling, they have to hurt someone. What sorts of feelings am I talking about? Well, power, control, sexual gratification, even enjoyment or just the thrill of taking a person’s life. Examples would be a husband who wants to feel control over his wife, using violence to do so or a violent rapist looking to satisfy their sexual needs. Actions they have committed due to the pull of emotion.

 So, that brings us on to the third category of motive which is gain.

 The definition for this is – where a person kills for a beneficial gain to them or others

 In other words, I want something, and am prepared to hurt you to get it. The obvious example being robbery. Using violence to take something from someone, be that cash, drugs, or anything else. It could also include a hitman, receiving payment in return for killing. But gain goes beyond a physical possession. A person could kill in order to gain respect, not just for them, but for their gang. Talking of gangs, some have initiations where a prospective member is expected to kill. When they do so, they aren’t killing out of emotion. They want something, in this to case to be part of a gang, and they are prepared to hurt someone in order achieve that. Terrorism could also come into this. If they kill to further their cause, that is the gain they are looking for and are willing to kill to achieve.

 So, they are my three categories for the motives for murder. Any murder, the reason they occurred, will fall into one of these. Apart from one exception, as I mentioned earlier. A fourth category if you like, although not really. Those are killings that stem from mental illness. When someone is seriously mentally ill, they may kill for reasons that go beyond understanding. If a person hears voices telling them to hurt someone, you can’t really class that as a motive.

 So, there we have it. The three reasons people kill. But, you may be asking yourself, can it be that simple? Can there only be three reasons people kill?

 Because of the emotions they feel? The emotions they want to feel? And because of the benefit they desire?

 Surely there has to be more to it than that?

 Well, let’s look at it from another angle. If we look at murder as an action rather than a crime. Murder is a physical act, that results in a person’s death. If we take away the legal and moral ramifications of that act, it boils down to an action a person takes.

 Now, what if we replace that act with a different one. One that isn’t illegal and one that many of us do on a regular basis. As an example, let’s choose exercise. People going to the gym, out for a run, Pilates, yoga, or any other form of physical exercise. What is it that makes a person choose to partake in that activity? What is it that motivates them?

 There can be numerous reasons, so let’s look at some:

 ·      I feel lethargic. I don’t like the way my body looks. I feel stressed. I feel unattractive. I’m inspired by watching the Olympics. All feelings that make a person want to exercise, or in other words the push of emotion. Then we have things like.

·      After a run I feel revitalised. I love the feeling once I’ve beaten my PB. I get a rush of endorphins. I feel more confident. I feel less stressed. Things we want to feel by carrying out exercise –Or the pull of emotion. Other reasons could be.

·      I want to lose weight. I want to be healthier. I want to live longer. I want that beach body. It will help me sleep better. Benefits we seek from carrying out exercise – Or gain.

No matter the reason we come up with, the person exercising has been motivated to do so by what they feel, what they want to feel or the benefit they desire.

 The same will be true for any action we choose to carry out.

 You see, I believe that we over complicate the question of why people kill. At the end of day, killing a person is an act. A terrible act with terrible consequences. But an act all the same. And as human beings, we are motivated to act by those three reasons.

 What we are feeling, what we want to feel and the benefit we desire. Push of emotion, pull of emotion, gain.

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