Heydrich Was a Mission-Oriented Serial Killer

Serial mass murderer, to be more precise… but still a serial killer.

From their motives for carrying out their crimes, there are four main types (archetypes even) of serial killers: Visionary, Mission-oriented, Hedonistic and Power/Control. Reinhard Heydrich (obviously) fit into the second category.

A mission-orientated serial killer is someone who kills in order to “rid” society of a specific group of people (in extreme cases – to save society or even the whole mankind of an existential threat from the group in question). Prostitutes (often); homeless (sometimes); homosexuals (ditto); petty criminals (happens)… and yes, a certain race or ethnic group (Blacks, Asians – or Jews).

These serial killers believe that they are doing society a huge favor. It is their Mission to kill these people. As a result, they won’t stop until they have been killed or caught by law enforcement… or are incapacitated in some way.

Reinhard Heydrich fit this definition to a “T” because he sincerely, passionately, deeply (and incorrectly) believed that to save Germany, Europe and the whole human civilization from genuine Hell on Earth, the SS absolutely had to kill all Jews – men, women, children and elderly. Via serial mass murder.

Mission-oriented serial killers are not psychotic (neither was Heydrich). Unlike the Visionary killer, for example, the Mission-orientated killer is not out of touch with reality. Neither are they demonically possessed – they exhibit no signs of the latter.

He (they are almost always male) does not suffer from hallucinations or delusions. God or some other entity is not commanding him to commit these murders. His decision to kill was a decision that he made all by himself (as did Heydrich).

Usually, this type of serial killer tends to be organized (ditto). They plan their crimes and can live a perfectly normal life (that’s exactly what Heydrich did). They tend to kill their victims quickly (ditto) -and often in a “humane” way.

For example, they might use a gun because it is quick and efficient. There will be no attempts to “prolong” the kill or get further enjoyment out of it. As a result, the crime scene will contain no signs of sadism or torture. That’s precisely what modus operandi of Holocaust perpetrators was – all the time.

Mission-orientated serial killers can be meticulous and obsessive (Heydrich very much so). Feelings of revenge and hatred are often a driving factor behind their crimes (for him, it obviously was) … hence, Heydrich, indeed, was a textbook mission-oriented serial killer (serial mass murderer).