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se·ri·al kill·er
noun
a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern.
"police have arrested a suspect they believe is a notorious serial killer who terrorized Wichita in the 1970s"
But that isn't true. In fact, every "serial killer" has had a motive.
Some have had less distinct patterns than others.
Another definition
A serial killer is conventionally defined as a person who murders three or more people in a period of over a month, with a “cooling down” time between murders. For a serial killer, the murders must be separate events, which are most often driven by a psychological thrill or pleasure.
But that's not true either.
This is where lines get blurred.
On another note, I'm reminded of the time chatgpt reprimanded me for asking it to write a story about CIA agents recruiting serial killers.
But technically, it's true.
A lot of intelligence agencies recruit military personnel, and as luck would have it, they had killed multiple people.
Sure it's a touchy subject.... but I guess it is what it is.