Serial Killers vs. Assassins: What’s the Difference?

In one of my recent Facebookposts, people have begun debating whether the Hunter could be considered aserial killer because of how many people he’s killed. That, of course, led to somefun exchanges about the differences between serial killers and assassins—of whichthere are a notable few.

Let’s be clear: assassins and serial killers both murderpeople. Multiple people. In that, they find common ground.

But there are three pretty important distinctions that set the two apart:

Motivation – Serialkillers are usually in one of four categories: visionary (psychotic breaksleading them to believe they have a “divine” or “higher” calling),mission-oriented (justifying their actions as being driven by a purpose ormoral cause), hedonistic (killing for the “thrill” of it, often psychosexualgratification), and power or control (exerting power over their victims,typically because they felt power or control taken away from them, particularlyduring abusive childhoods).

Assassins, hitmen, and contract killers, kill because they’vebeen hired to do so. They often don’t directly know either party (client ortarget) and carry out the kill with methodical detachment. Assassins may have serial killer traits,but aren’t classified as serial killers because there is a monetary incentiveand typically a lack of emotional motivation.

Victimology – Serialkillers choose their own targets, usually for a specific reason (depending onwhich category they fall into). Assassins, however, don’t. They take on thetask of killing their targets due to someoneelse’s desires. For them, there is no personal motive to execute theassassination; they’re simply being paid to do so.

Cooling Off Period – Serialkillers typically experience an emotional “coolingoff period” between kills. During this period, they’ll blend into theirlives once again, acting as if everything is normal. This period may last forhours, days, months, or years. During this time, they’ll feel a growing urge tokill until they finally succumb again.

Assassins, however, have no need for a cooling off period because there is no emotional investment in the kill. They are unemotional and pragmatic, carrying out the kills methodically. They can go from one kill to another without delay because of their detachment from the target.  

There are plenty of arguments to be made about methodology,professionalism, means of choosing targets and setting up the kills, and so on.But at the end of the day, it’s these three differences that are mostnoticeable between serial killers vs. assassins.

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