True crime is a popular genre worldwide, especially when it comes to serial killers, their whereabouts, their odd ways of doing things, and their popularity on social media platforms.

Unsolved cases in which serial killers were never caught are often the most intriguing as it leaves a lot of room for speculation, such as Jack the Ripper’s case.

“He [Jack the Ripper] mutilated his victims in an unusual manner. The technique Jack the Ripper used indicated that he had substantial knowledge of human anatomy,” junior Emilia Bazan said. “Overall, there were over 100 suspects as to who Jack the Ripper was, but sadly, he was never found.”

Sympathy is something that people often feel while immersed in true crime, but it’s usually not for the serial killers themselves.

“I do not sympathize with him [Dennis Rader, a.k.a. BTK], I sympathize for his family because he had a daughter. She even wrote a book about growing up with a serial killer for a father and not knowing,” senior Cassidy Boston said. “I think that his family was most affected and if anyone deserves sympathy it would be them.”

Despite killers being a very conversational topic already, teenagers on Tik Tok started a trend about serial killers.

“I don’t really know why people started the trend where they act like they’re going on a date with a serial killer or being a killer’s victim, I thought that was kinda weird,” junior Sophia Tucker said. “It was like they were trying to romanticize people like Ted Bundy.”

Serial killers are often mentally ill and have a lack of emotion that makes them do things very out of the ordinary, and makes people wonder why they didn’t reach out.

“I would ask why he [Ed Gein] didn’t reach out for help,” junior Rya Walker said. “Gein robbed nine graves, and created clothing and other horrendous things out of what he stole. The most disturbing though, was his suit. He used the bodies from the graves he robbed to make a skin suit of his mother and wore it.”

Becoming too immersed in true crime does happen from time to time, and it sometimes affects people’s mental health.

“I’m honestly more interested in cold cases rather than serial killers,” junior Sophia Tucker said. “But I sometimes wish I wasn’t interested in either just because of how dark some of the cases are.”