WARREN, Ohio – Scott Bonn has spent his career exploring the twisted minds of some of the worst people ever born.

The criminologist, author and TV crime show analyst will share what he’s learned studying serial killers when he comes to Packard Music Hall on Feb. 8. He spices up his presentation, “Why We Love Serial Killers,” with video and other media.

Bonn has interacted with some of the world’s most notorious killers and will offer chilling insights into their psychopathic and narcissistic minds.

He’ll focus most intensely on four of the most notorious killers: Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz, Dennis Rader (BTK) and Rex Heuerman (The Long Island Killer).

In a phone interview, Bonn talked about what sets these monsters apart and what they have in common.

“Serial killers are not one size fits all,” Bonn said. “They’re not all driven by sex. The only common denominator is that killing complete strangers serves a deep, penetrating psychological hunger that is [initially] played out through fantasy.”

The urge to kill, he said, emerges during puberty. They will play out their violent dreams in their fantasies typically until they’re in their mid-20s, when they are compelled to kill. Murder becomes like an addiction to them, with no means of abating it.

“Dennis Rader, who called himself BTK for bind, torture, kill, called [the overwhelming urge to kill] ‘Factor X.’ He couldn’t understand it, but he knew when it was happening,” Bonn said. “It was an itch that must be scratched. He could not control it.”

The craving to kill often escalates, with the time between murders shortening.

A few serial killers enjoy taunting the police.

“Some demand attention, but not all,” Bonn said. “Those that do become the most well known, like David Berkowitz [aka, Son of Sam], whom I interviewed a lot in jail. He demanded headlines.”

Others are happy to fly below the radar.

“Joel Rifkin of New York City killed 17 people but was not interested in headlines,” Bonn said. “He was just as vile, but he did not require attention.”

Female Serial Killers

While most murderers are men, when it comes to serial killers, the percentage drops.

About 90% of murderers are men, but the percentage drops to 85% for serial killers.

“So not many women kill, but when they do, they’re really good at it,” Bonn said. “They have a higher body count.”

The most infamous female serial killer is Aileen Wuornos, whose story was told in the hit 2003 movie “Monster,” starring Charlize Theron.

“She killed like a man, with a gun,” Bonn said. “Most female serial killers are more passive. They are poisoners or smotherers. They’re less gory and use less masculine methods.” 

Some serial killers lead lives that are normal to the casual observer. They have the ability to compartmentalize their emotions, or detach themselves.

“Dennis Rader separated himself from BTK,” Bonn said. “He was a father and a churchgoer. But when he became BTK, nothing else mattered.”

One of the most gruesome killers was Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed 17 young men in his Milwaukee apartment and then butchered and ate them.

“Dahmer was extremely rare,” Bonn said. “His compulsions were absolutely driven by sex and even love in his mind. Very rarely is lust the primary motive for serial killers – that’s a myth that I debunk in my show. But he was one of them. He wanted to keep [his victims] forever. He tried to create a living sex zombie. He drilled holes in their heads and poured detergent in. He ate them because he thought they’d become part of his being and live with him forever.”

While Dahmer, who grew up in the Akron area, did not understand his compulsion, after his arrest he seemed to go through a period of trying to figure it out.

“He tried to be introspective in his interviews,” Bonn said. “He wanted to understand himself.”

Bonn, of Las Vegas, is a Cleveland native who attended Kent State University. He said he is happy to return to the area.

He expects the audience at his Warren show to be more female than male.

“My audience is consistently 75% women,” he said. “I think the reason has to do with their empathy. With the victims in so many of the stories on the true crime shows on TV, like “Dateline” and “20/20,” being women, they identify with the victim. And they also are concerned for their own security.”

Bonn said the women in his audiences want to understand the mind of the serial killer to avoid becoming a victim.

“One woman said to me, ‘I don’t want to become a victim of the next Ted Bundy, so I don’t want to date him,’” he said. “They’re looking for red flags.”

Tickets for Bonn’s show range from $55 to $39.50 (plus applicable fees) and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Packard box office. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Pictured at top: Scott Bonn will shine a light on some of the world’s most notorious serial killers when he comes to Packard Music Hall.