Shipman is the British physician who was recently found guilty of murdering 15 of his female patients, all middle aged or elderly, by injecting them with deadly doses of morphine. The speculation is that he may have killed 150 women, maybe more, and there are reports that he might have started targeting his patients 25 years ago.

How would I profile Shipman?

This guy is a serial killer, no doubt about that. He's probably not insane; in fact, he sounds like an anti-social personality -- a sociopath -- someone who knows right from wrong but doesn't care and who has no regard for authority, laws or ethical codes. This fits Shipman because he not only breached moral and written laws, he violated his professional code as a physician.

As I've mentioned before, there are usually traumatic experiences, like abuse, neglect or abandonment, in a serial killer's background. Shipman's mother died of lung cancer when he was a teenager. My guess is that this loss translated into a sense of abandonment and lack of control, which he may have fantasized about reversing.

Exacting revenge

It may be that every time he drugged a patient, he was symbolically taking control of his mother's death and, perhaps, exacting revenge against her for leaving him. It's as if he was so angered by her death and his inability to prevent it that he wanted to kill her himself.

Even though all this speculation is based on decades of experience and research, it's still just speculation. The only way I could truly get into Shipman's mind would be to interview him myself.

What would I ask him?

I would obviously ask about his mother's death and his feelings toward women. I would probe what was going on in his mind before he killed his first victim. I've previously written that there's usually a precipitating stressor -- an argument with a spouse or lover, loss of a job -- that leads to the first murder, something that triggered the killer's internalized anger.

I'd want to know when he first began thinking about killing his patients. It might turn out that he'd started fantasizing about it before he even finished medical school. Serial killers are intelligent and patient. Finding out that Shipman had a long-term plan wouldn't be much of a surprise.

A deadly grudge

I'd also question him about his feelings toward the medical profession. It may be that he harbored a bitter grudge against doctors over his mother's death and acted out his resentment by joining their ranks and then breaking their most sacred rule.

Beyond that, I'd go where Shipman took me. His speech patterns would give me insight into his mental processes, and the directions in which he wanted to take the conversation would tell me a lot about what he did, or did not, want to discuss.

We might find out why he killed, though not necessarily why he chose those women.

Serial killers aren't motivated by the simple urges that drive other crimes. The forces that compel them to kill and kill again are much more complex and have to do with the need to control, dominate and manipulate others. They don't feel guilty. They don't understand compassion.

Lessons from a killer?

You probably remember reading about Ed Kemper, who killed young female hitchhikers in and around Santa Cruz, Calif., then stuffed them in his trunk, took them home, sexually assaulted their corpses and dismembered them. Before he embarked on his career as the "Coed Killer," Kemper shot and repeatedly stabbed his grandmother simply because he wanted to know what it would feel like to kill her.

I had to sit down with Kemper in order to figure out what had motivated him to kill his other victims. When I interviewed him in prison, it became clear that his killings were acts by which he symbolically rid himself of his mother. The two had a horrendous relationship, and she became his next-to-last victim. Knowing his motivation helped us understand the mind of the serial killer and comprehend the pattern in Kemper's killings.

But seeing this pattern and being aware of at least part of what drove Kemper didn't provide any real answers for those close to his victims. None of them will ever be able to say they understand why Kemper killed their daughter, sister, friend or girlfriend. He didn't know any of the young women. Each was simply a pretty stranger who needed a ride down the road.

Sadly, those who were close to Shipman's victims will also never have the answers they need. It's impossible; those answers don't exist. Like most serial killers, Shipman's executions had everything to do with him and his need to fulfill a fantasy, and nothing at all to do with his victims as individuals.