Serial Killers and Mass Murderer, Part 5.

     As promised, we are finally moving on to Mass Murderers.  Many people confuse the terms serial killer and mass murderer.  To put it in the simplest terms, a serial killer kills over a long period of time.  Usually, there is a “cooling off” period in between the murders.  Mass murderers kill several people in one single event.  The common consensus is four or more victims at one time.  Often, it is the “massacre” that gains the media’s attention as opposed to the individual committing the murder.  For example, let’s look at the “Corvina Massacre” and “Luby’s Massacre”. 

     Bruce Jeffery Pardo opened fire killing nine people, on Christmas Eve, while wearing a Santa suit.   Unsuspecting residents of Covina, California, were celebrating at a Christmas Eve party when Pardo knocked on the door.  His former in-laws had approximately twenty-five guests at their home when “Santa” arrived, gifts in hand.  He had gift-wrapped a homemade flamethrower and also carried 9mm handguns.  After the shootings, he set the home on fire. 

     George Pierre Hennard, also called “Jo Jo”, drove his pickup truck through the front window of Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas while shouting, “This is what Bell County did to me”.  One inside the building, he targeted, primarily female patrons and employees, with a Glock 17 pistol and a Ruger P89.  He killed twenty-three and wounded another 20.

     Another interesting fact about the term mass murderer is that it often refers to political  and/or government officials.  Possibly the most prolific mass murderer, ever, was Adolph Hitler. Responsible for the death of millions of people, the painter/poet/vegetarian made it his life’s mission to rid the world of Jews.  His reign of torture and death was so vile and monstrous, I can barely conceive of horrors he ordered in the name of ethnic cleansing.  If you haven’t already seen it, Schindler’s List will give you a taste of the world under Hitler’s regime. 

     So, we’ve talked about serial killers and mass murderers but tomorrow we will delve into an evil unlike anything else.  Many experts believe he was neither serial killer nor mass murderer but a unique class all by himself….Charles Manson.  Until then, sleep well.