A Killer By Design

Ann Wolbert Burgess, D.N.Sc., APRN, FAAN
Professor of Nursing
Boston College

Dr. Burgess is an internationally recognized pioneer in assessing and treating trauma and abuse victims. In 1978 she received a call from the FBI to use her knowledge of sex crimes, victimology, criminal psychology, and research skills to identify, interview, and track down violent offenders and serial killers. She formed a collaboration with the FBI Academy to study serial offenders, and the links between child abuse, juvenile delinquency, and subsequent perpetration. She and FBI special investigator John E. Douglas helped develop a new type of criminal profiling of notorious serial killers and they went on to write the book, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit (1995), which was the basis for the fictionalized Netflix hit series Mindhunter (with the character of Wendy Carr being a fictionalized version of Dr. Burgess). Her talk today will focus on her experiences as discussed in her latest book, A Killer By Design.