A recent question on Yahoo! Answers made me look into the horoscopes of three famous serial killers to identify the causes of their perversions and see if any of these causes were held in common between the three. This is the beginning of a “scientific” approach to investigating this, but a truly thorough investigation (currently beyond what time and money allows me to do) would require examining many more criminal horoscopes.
Of course, all my interpretations follow lahiri sidereal calculations and Vedic interpretation principles.
Charles Manson
November 12, 1934 at 16:40 in Cincinnati, OH
- Aries rises
- Moon in Capricorn
These two facts make Mars (owner of Aries) and Saturn (owner of Capricorn) important in the chart. This gives the chart a slight push towards being a harsh personality.
- Rahu exactly conjunct the Moon
This means that the man’s mind is wild, primal, and destructive.
- Venus entirely combust by a debilitated sun and under a full aspect from extremely strong Saturn (Saturn at 170% normal strength in this chart)
This perverts and destroys the man’s awareness of being good to others and living harmoniously and peacefully
- Four planets in the 7th house
- Three planets in the 10th
- All planets in angles or trines (making him powerful and famous)
- Navamsha: Moon, Mercury and Venus all powerfully aspected by Mars
David Berkowitz – “Son of Sam”
June 1, 1953 at 16:52 in Brooklyn, NY
- Rahu almost exactly conjunct the Moon
This is a glaring similarity to Charles Manson. In fact, the Moon of Berkowitz and Mansion is exactly conjunct Rahu in exactly the same part of the zodiac: 10-11º Capricorn!
- Libra Rises
This is similar to Manson’s Aries rising, here is why: When Aries rises (as for Manson) the lord of the 1st house (self) is also the lord of the 8th house (death). And when Libra rises (as for Berkowitz), the same thing is true: the lord of the 1st is also the lord of the 8th. Of course not every Aries or Libra rising is a serial killer, thank God, or else 1/6 of the population would be going on killing sprees! But this configuration has a weakness that can be exploited by other, more specific, more powerful negative conditions in the individual horoscope, the likes of which I am in the process of outlining.
- Four planets in the 8th house (death)
- Sun combusting Jupiter in the 8th house (morality losing power thereby)
- Mars exactly conjoined Mercury in the 8th house (violent expression)
- Mutual exchange between the 7th and 8th houses.
This mutual exchange links death (8th house) to how the man relates with other people (7th house). Considering the number of planets in this house (8), and the sensitivity of the rising sign to this house, this house exchange is very pertinent.
Also the prominence of the 8th house (the unseen and paranormal) in Berkowitz’s chart but not others, reflects the fact that he alone says he was guided by demons, devils, and other paranormal forces.
- Venus, lord of the 1st house (self) under very strong aspect from a powerful (150%) Saturn in the 12th house.
Thus both Manson and Berkowitz have their Venus strongly aspected by a powerful Saturn.
There is something particularly special about David Berkowitz which sets him apart from the others under discussion here – Manson and Bundy. In all three of these charts I find the most salient factor being the extreme proximity of their Moon to the Lunar Nodes and malefic planets. David Berkowitz, however, is the only one of the three who does not have a malefic planet joining his Moon / Lunar Node conjunction. In fact, on the contrary, David Berkowitz has a full (100% exact) aspect of Jupiter upon his Moon / Node conjunction!
This is why Berkowitz is the only one to have truly repented for his crimes! In fact, David came under the sway of “demonic control” and committed murders (or at least was instrumental to murders) in 1976-1977. This was his Rahu/Saturn chronological cycle (calculated with the correct 359 day nakshatra year). After several years in jail, in 1987 Berkowitz read the Bible’s psalm 34:6 and thereafter had a complete turnaround in his character. Note that the bible and religion is part and parcel of Jupiter, note that the Summer of 1987 is when Berkowitz’s Jupiter era began, and note the role Jupiter plays in Berkowitz’s chart as the mitigating factor on his killer-signature Rahu/Moon conjunction!!!
Since that time, Berkowitz has reformed, involves himself in prison ministry and counseling of particularly troubled inmates, and has repeated refused to appear for parole because, “In all honesty, I believe that I deserve to be in prison for the rest of my life. I have, with God’s help, long ago come to terms with my situation and I have accepted my punishment.”
Ted Bundy
November 24, 1946 at 22:35 at 44º n 29′ x 73º w 12′
All of this man’s chart is clumped around Ketu. Five planets, with Ketu in the middle of all of them, occupy his 4th house, while another two are at the very end of the 3rd house. The only planet outside of this clump is Saturn. This makes Saturn the only planet capable of aspecting / influencing every other planet in the horoscope. Only Saturn gives any aspects here. And only Saturn and Rahu receive the aspects of all other planets.
In all three charts we find Saturn and Rahu to be very prominent.
In Bundy’s case…
- Rahu is in the 10th house (as it was with Manson).
- Saturn, with 159% normal strength, is the most powerful planet in the chart (as it was with both Manson and Berkowitz).
- A malefic planet is within 1 or 2 degrees of a node (as it was with Manson), in this case Mars is within 1.5º of Ketu.
- The Moon is closely conjoined a node, in the same lunar mansion (as it was with both Manson and Berkowitz).
- Mars in the navamsha’s 10th house (as it was with Berkowitz, and in Mansons case Mars owns the 10th and aspects it). In Bundy’s case this navamsha 10th house mars is exalted.
- Saturn in the 12th house (as was the case with Berkowitz)
Conclusions
I wish to avoid making the impression that any firm scientific conclusion could be drawn by examination of only three horoscopes, however there are a few things just shouting to be mentioned:
- Serial killers seem to have the lunar nodes (Rahu and Ketu) extremely prominent in their horoscope
- These nodes interact very strongly with the Moons (minds) of a serial killer
- Saturn is the strongest planet in the horoscope (by shadbala calculations) and strongly influences other planets.
- Each chart had a stellium of 4 or more planets in a single sign.
– Vic DiCara
Vic DiCara's Astrology 