What Drives 'Thrill' Killings?

March 18, 2004 -- In "thrill" slayings, killers are not so much driven by the thrill of victory over their victims, but rather the agony of their past defeats.

Gary Hirte, 18, did not look like a potential thrill killer. An Eagle Scout and honors student and member of the track, wrestling and football teams at Weyauwega-Fremont High School near Oshkosh, Wis., he seemed to have a promising future ahead of him. But today he sits in Winnebego County jail, charged with first-degree intentional homicide.

Hirte is accused of the death of Glenn Kopitske, a substitute teacher who was found dead in his home last August, shot once in the head and stabbed twice. His slaying went unsolved until a girl Hirte had dated contacted police and told them he had confessed to the killing. Police say they found Kopitske's keys in Hirte's bedroom and DNA analysis identified the victim's blood on a knife sheath recovered from the room.

According to a criminal complaint, Hirte had told several friends that he had killed Kopitske to see if he could get away with it — but no one took him seriously.

Now Weyauwega residents are wondering why someone with such promise could throw it all away — apparently, law enforcement officials say, for kicks.

Experts say thrill killers are motivated by need to feel empowered, but they are not always loners or obviously disenfranchised members of a community. Even someone who appears to be successful can feel so powerless that they feel compelled to lash out and make a statement through murder.

"A person can appear outwardly successful to others, but for some reason, he may feel like a failure," said Jack Levin, director of the Brudnick Center on Conflict and Violence at Northeastern University. "Maybe they feel like they've fallen short of their goal. They don't feel like they're in control, and they erupt in way that is some kind of sadistic thrill.

"The frightening thing is that [some of them] never talk about it. They never let you know it's coming."