America's Serial Killers: Portraits in Evil - Season 1

Though his rein of terror took place in London, the coverage of Jack the Ripper's victims set the tone for the media's fascination with serial killers.

A notorious hotel owner and a vengeful nurse are profiled in this episode.

A molester, murderer, and cannibal - Albert Fish was truly a real life monster.

As the film industry begins to make more movies about serial killers, men like the Boston Strangler, Ed Gein, and the Lipstick Killer start to spill blood on the streets, and over the pages of the newspapers.

The 1960s and 70s represented the dawn of a new era in serial killing, with Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer representing the increase in serial murder in the United States.

Some serial killers kill out of desire. But it's thought that some kill out of a rejection of their own desire - which is explored through a look at John Wayne Gacy and the Highway Killers.

The sensationalist nature of the Hillside Strangers and Beltway Snipers cases helps to further solidify the serial killer's unofficial home in popular culture and on the nightly news.

One of the defining traits of serial killers - sociopathic behavior. This episode looks at the Gainesville Ripper, the Unibomber, and other serial killers operating in the 1980s.

The only sure way to bring about the end of a serial killing spree is to identify and capture a serial killer.

The biggest mystery of all in respect to the serial killer is "why?"