The Psychology of Copycat Killers

Time and again, eighteen-year-old George Knights, who was recently convicted of the brutal stabbing murder of a thirty-eight-year-old father-of-five during a cocaine deal, has repeatedly been called a “Breaking Bad copycat killer” in the media. It’s true that he appears to be a fan of the television show; he apparently did get the idea to dissolve the body of his murder victim in sulphuric acid (which he did) from an episode. He also used “Walter White,” the name of the show’s main character, as a “memorable word” on his computer and reportedly manufactured his own methamphetamines.

However, if he was ever following a television script for his murders, he certainly veered off. The night before the murder, he allegedly told a friend he wanted to rob and hurt someone by injecting them with insulin, not a plan that ever showed up on Breaking Bad. He also had made serious plans to kidnap a female celebrity but — fortunately — was arrested before he could put plans into action. Clearly, George Knights is more than a Walter White wannabe.

And what about Carlos Hillan? Is he a copycat criminal? The headline of an article in the Phoenix New Times on Thursday, November 14, 2013 read. “Mesa Man Planned “Copycat” Killing Like the Triple Murder in Phoenix, Cops. Say.” The article goes on to say, “In the Phoenix case on Tuesday, police say 53-year-old Michael Sanders killed his estranged wife…