The Harpe Brothers, the Bender Family, Belle Gunness, Jolly Jane. That’s just to name a few of the known serial killers in America 18-19th centuries. To think how they got away with it for so long is questionable. Sometimes the evidence was there, other times they were just too good at what they did. Constructing an accurate psychological profile of a serial killer is a relatively recent development for forensic investigation. Its purpose is to assess the personality traits of the killer in order to establish why he is killing and perhaps, therefore, identify, locate and capture him before he strikes again. This system was not only unavailable in the 19th century, it was not even considered. When profiling was attempted at this time, it was based on cultural biases, conjecture, desperation, and fear-and the results were wholly inconclusive and incorrect. It may take a lifetime to uncover and understand why someone commits a series of heinous murders even when the evidence is alarmingly obvious. That lifetime of history’s most infamous serial killer is finally revealed.