Serial murder: Could it be written in the stars in your horrorscope?
Research looking into the likelihood people could become notorious killers based on their zodiac sign ignores one simple fact – those crimes were not predicted by the stars and the only thing linking them is their wickedness
IS MURDER really written in the stars?
If you read your daily horoscope, you’re probably hoping for guidance on your relationship (or lack thereof), career or that elusive lottery win but I bet nobody looks at their star sign and thinks “I’m a potential serial killer”.
Fans of astrology believe the stars can predict wealth and fortune but research has also suggested your zodiac sign could be an indication of something far more sinister.
Using the birth data of 120 of the world’s most notorious serial killers, UpCounsel.com commissioned research to determine if there could be a correlation between star signs and a murderous disposition.
So which signs puts the horror into horoscope and who is the most murderous according to star gazers?
I’m looking at you Sagittarius. Apparently from the 120 chosen killers, 11 centaurs are the most dangerous.
French serial killer Yvann Keller, nicknamed the Pillow Killer (he smothered his victims in their sleep), is a Sagi with an estimated 150 victims.
Keller operated between 1989 and 2006 in France, Switzerland and Germany.
It’s said that some of the characteristics of this fire sign are tactlessness, unreliability and coldness, so it’s not surprising to note Ted Bundy, Denis Nilsen and Richard Cottingham (The Torso Killer) were also born under this sign.
In joint second are Pisces and Capricorn, each with 10 serial killers to their name.
John Wayne Gacy and Richard Ramirez are both Pisces and Dorothea Puente, one of the only female serial killers on the list, is a Capricorn.
Aquarius and Libra are billed as the most dangerous according to astrologers, who say they’re the signs most likely to murder higher numbers of people.
It’s often said you can tell a lot about a person by knowing their birth sign and astrologers would have us believe that everything there is to know about us is in the stars.
I have one friend who will only date men if their star sign is compatible with hers and another who consults charts before deciding on her lottery numbers. I guess if we were all alike, the world would be a very boring place heh?
But pre-determining the “worst of society? Can the stars really predict psychopathy before birth?
I decided to have a little look at the most notorious Scottish serial killers and their star signs to see what it told me.
Peter Tobin is a Virgo (No2 on the most dangerous), World’s End killer Angus Sinclair is a Gemini, which is the third most dangerous star sign, Peter Manuel is a Pisces (5th), Robert Black is a Taurus (7th) and Ian Brady (9th) is Capricorn.
Surprise, surprise, not one of them share the same star sign and while it’s said each sign has different personality traits, we can all agree these killers all have one very distinct common characteristic – wickedness.
All of these men committed heinous, despicable crimes and left a trail of devastation in their wake. None of their crimes were predicted by the stars. Astrology isn’t any more scientific than murder is.
I don’t think being a Virgo makes you a vicious predator, or being born under Capricorn means you will grow up to be a blood-thirsty psychotic killer.
We often want to look for explanations behind abhorrent human behaviour to try to comfort ourselves with the fact that there must be a reason why we have the ability to inflict such horrors upon our fellow beings – but looking to Pluto for answers? Even a stopped clock is occasionally right.