Ellie Ramsby
PSY 310
October 10, 2021
Final Project Milestone Two: Serial Murderer
Frank Timmons, who was convicted for murdering at least eight women, was described as a lighi
skinned black man. He would typically use disguises to lure in his victims. His parents divorced
at a young age. His mother became an inactive parent before her passing which led to a very
toxic household. Frank's father was described as a verbally abusive alcoholic. Frank did not have
any stable authority figures and was primarily cared for by his older sister. She was said to be
described as following in the father's footsteps towards alcoholism. She was also verbally and
sexually abusive towards Frank and the other siblings. In school, Frank was an excellent athlete
and played football. However, he was known for being exceptionally rough with opposing teams.
He did not graduate high school due to lack of credits. His siblings said this was because he had
to work to provide for the family.
Aside from being a serial murderer, Frank committed many other crimes as well. He was charged
for trespassing, driving under the influence, rape, abduction, and sexual assault. When he was a
senior in high school, Frank was arrested for raping a young woman. The first crime he was
arrested for abducting, raping, and bludgeoning a woman. He was sentenced to 15 years for
abduction, 21 for robbery, but only served 13 years before he was granted parole for good
behavior. Following his release, he molested two teenagers behind a church. He also committed
more robberies, sexual assaults and eight more murders.
After reviewing his past behaviors, Timmons is demonstrating psychopathy. Psychopaths are
known as "social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life.
Completely lacking in conscience and empathy, they selfishly take what they want and do as they
please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret'
(Bartol, 2017). Biological factors could be responsible for this behavior since this type of
behavior usually comes from family/genetics. Frank's father and older sister both became
abusive alcoholics. Since both family members have violent tendencies, it is possible that
Frank's violent behavior came from his father. Genetics are not the only cause for crime, but they
are a significant contributing factor.
As previously mentioned, Frank grew up in a toxic environment. In addition to his abusive
household, he also grew up in poverty. Poverty is a risk for criminal behavior. Frank was not able
to graduate high school because he had to work full time, so his family had a source of income.
So, he often missed school or couldn't complete assignments. This type of responsibility and
stress for a high school student most likely led to a lot of anger which he then projected onto
others.
Based on his crimes, Timmons tended to choose women as his victims. The mostly likely
stemmed from the poor relationship and had with his mother and the abuse he endured at the