Steve Giannangelo, special agent supervisor at the state Department of Revenue’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, also is an adjunct professor in the criminal justice department at the University of Illinois Springfield.
He writes “because I really want to,” he says.
And that is one of the premises of Giannangelo’s most recent book about serial murderers — that “sometimes they do things because they want to.”
“Real Life Monsters: A Psychological Examination of the Serial Murderer,” released in July by ABC-CLIO/Praeger Publishing, looks at research on various theories, eight case studies, photos, issues in abnormal psychology and pop culture and includes a chapter dedicated to visits and conversations with a serial killer.
Giannangelo says “Real Life Monsters” is a complete revision of his 1996 textbook, “The Psychopathology of Serial Murder: A Theory of Violence.”
That text describes how a traumatic event may trigger a cyclical pattern of violent behavior in those who are already predisposed to kill.
He said he revised the book “because all the research had changed” and expanded it to get the true-crime reader involved.
“It is still marketed primarily as a textbook, but it has broader appeal,” Giannangelo said.
Theory had merit
Giannangelo grew up in Boston and came to Springfield in 1979 to play hockey for the Springfield Kings. He later obtained a master’s degree in forensic psychology from what was then Sangamon State University (now UIS).
There he met Steven Egger, a nationally known expert on serial murder and the first to write a dissertation about the subject. Egger then taught at SSU and is now at the University of Houston at Clear Lake.
“He became my mentor,” Giannangelo said. “I came across what is basically the nature-nurture model that looked at serial murder from a sociological standpoint. They didn’t look at it in a psychological way. He (Egger) thought my theory had merit.
“I’ve always been interested in abnormal psychology,” he added. “My mom was a true-crime reader, and she was interested in the Boston Strangler.”
The Boston Strangler terrorized Boston in the early 1960s, raping and strangling 14 women with their nylon stockings. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the crimes, although there is some lingering doubt as to whether or not he committed all the murders.
“I always was fascinated with movie monsters,” Giannangelo said. “Later in life, I got interested in the real monsters out there.”
Honest interview
Giannangelo argues that despite all the clinical theories as to why serial killers kill, “sometimes it’s as simple as there are evil people out there,” he said. “They do things because they want to.”
He suggests there should be a clinical classification for his theory.
“It is a very distinct, classifiable clinical condition,” he said.
His first textbook included no interviews, and Giannangelo wanted to include those in the revised version.
“I wanted to interview somebody like Jeffrey Dahmer, but I realized you don’t need a flashy name,” he said. “I needed somebody to be honest with me. I’m more interested in the why than the how.”
He said it was difficult to find a killer who didn’t want money, to self-promote his crimes or want something for his interview.
“I found a man who didn’t want to talk to me at first, and I liked that,” Giannangelo said. “He finally agreed and said he’d be honest if I didn’t use his name, so I didn’t.”
Giannangelo said he heard from the inmate last week.
“He said the chapter I devoted to him was 100 percent honest and respectful,” Giannangelo said.
“I wouldn’t mind doing a complete history of him,” Giannangelo added. “He trusts me, and we have a couple of years into the relationship. But I don’t know if it’ll ever get that far.”
Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510.
“Real Life Monsters: A Psychological Examination of the Serial Murderer”
Author: Stephen J. Giannangelo
Publisher: ABC-CLIO/Praeger Publishing, 193 pages
Cost: $37 through Amazon.com, the ABC-CLIO website or other online outlets