Need a nickname for a serial killer

[Southern_girl29]

One of my beta readers said that the serial killer needed a nickname. He rightfully pointed out that when a serial killer is on the loose, the media usually gives him a nickname. I've been racking my brain to come up with something, but everything I've managed to come up with sounds really cheesy.

About three-fourths of the way through the book, the MC has a psychic visions and finds out his real name. But, I still think a nickname is needed. He slashes the throats of his victims, leaves them naked and poses them in various positions.

Also, the serial killer's real name is Marcus Allen. I'm not a football fan, and I didn't know Marcus Allen was a famous football player. He said I should either change it or have one of the characters make a comment like, "Marcus Allen? You mean like the famous football player?" or something like that. Do you think it needs to be changed completely or will a comment from one of the characters work? Thanks so much.

[ccarver30]

The Slicing Slasher!!!
Hmm, as soon as I read Marcus Allen, I thought of the football guy (I am a fan)... if it were me, I would change it.

[TwentyFour]

I'd change the names too!

Why not allow him to be like Ted Bundy and give out his real first or middle name?

It's odd knowing this serial killer was giving out his real name and no one knew it was the truth!

[ClaudiaGray]

Actually, in recent years, the media has moved away from the nicknames because profilers, etc., said that this kind of mythologizing tended to egg the killers on. A good friend of mine is a reporter in the DC area, and while those snipers were on the loose, law enforcement was explicitly discouraged from coming up with any names for him. So I don't think you need that.

I am not a huge football fan at all, but I did recognize the name Marcus Allen. Maybe a change is in order.

[MidnightMuse]

My sister dated a man named Ted Bundy - poor guy. Unfortunate that we live where we do, too. Last I heard, he was still single !

I'd suggest you change the name, if that one is so easily recognized.

[scarletpeaches]

Jack the Ripper, the Yorkshire Ripper, all the good 'uns have got nicknames.

Usually it's connected to what he does to the victims, although recently in Ipswich the guy who was killing prostitutes was called the Ipswich Ripper even though he strangled them. Personally I prefer the Suffolk 'Ater. :D

[RLSMiller]

One of my beta readers said that the serial killer needed a nickname. He rightfully pointed out that when a serial killer is on the loose, the media usually gives him a nickname. I've been racking my brain to come up with something, but everything I've managed to come up with sounds really cheesy.

About three-fourths of the way through the book, the MC has a psychic visions and finds out his real name. But, I still think a nickname is needed. He slashes the throats of his victims, leaves them naked and poses them in various positions.

Also, the serial killer's real name is Marcus Allen. I'm not a football fan, and I didn't know Marcus Allen was a famous football player. He said I should either change it or have one of the characters make a comment like, "Marcus Allen? You mean like the famous football player?" or something like that. Do you think it needs to be changed completely or will a comment from one of the characters work? Thanks so much.

Sir Slash-a-lot.
or...
Statued Slasher
or...
The Bared Butcher


But seriously, I know some of the time serial killers are referred to by the area of their first/most famous killing. like the Maryland Mobster or something. Or the way they kill, like one on Nip/Tuck is called the Carver (and he like, cuts people from cheek to cheek).

[Southern_girl29]

Actually, in recent years, the media has moved away from the nicknames because profilers, etc., said that this kind of mythologizing tended to egg the killers on. A good friend of mine is a reporter in the DC area, and while those snipers were on the loose, law enforcement was explicitly discouraged from coming up with any names for him. So I don't think you need that.

I am not a huge football fan at all, but I did recognize the name Marcus Allen. Maybe a change is in order.

So, what about if the people who are working on the case (the MC, who is a teenager, two other teens, and the MC's father) give him a nickname? Or do you think no nickname is needed at all?

[PeeDee]

If he were a cannibal, you could call him him "Mr. Butterfingers"

:D

[scarletpeaches]

Of course they'd give him a nickname. Black humour in these situations always arises.

For instance in the Yorkshire Ripper incident room, they phoned up the local radio station and requested the song, "If I Had A Hammer..."

[Gillhoughly]

http://www.threerivertechreview.com/lileksevisceration_files/image002.jpg
Name and occupation in one, "The Shropshire Slasher."

[onetiredmama]

Does he leave his victims in a specific area (the woods, train tracks etc?) Does he only attack women in apartments, or women of a certain age? You could incorporate a detail like that. Would police withhold from the press the fact that he poses the women? Maybe that aspect wouldn't be part of a nickname. If you do have police releasing that detail, perhaps you could call him the Mannequinn Killer since he poses them?

Or how about "The (some location) slasher." Sometimes a newspaper might pick up on something a witness or police officer said in an interview, that becomes a headline, and the headline spawns the nickname.

Here's a link I found of serial killer nicknames. Good luck! Lisa

http://www.crimezzz.net/serial_killer_statistics/nicknames_name.htm

[Soccer Mom]

Gillhoughly's post almost always need a beverage alert!


Pick a detail and create a name around it. The names aren't always imaginative, but law enforcement almost always had one. It's just easier to say "The bathtub killer" rather than "that guy who was going around strangling women in their bathtubs last year".

[Will Lavender]

Definitely have to change that name. Marcus Allen was a very good friend of OJ Simpson's.

Every time I hear Allen's name I immediately connect him with Simpson; I'd assume some of your readers will, too. And in the context of your book, that connection ain't a good thing.

[Tornadoboy]

You could also have the kiler himself come up with his own nickname or perhaps suggest one to the police/media by a particular calling card he likes to leave at scenes, and it could also have something to do with why he likes to kill and how he justifies it to himself.

For example perhaps his father used to take sadistic pleasure in slaughtering animals on his farm in the same manner and once forced your killer to kill a beloved pet in the same way as punishment, so when he becomes a murderer he names himself something ironic to those circumstances.

[Jack Nog]

In the case of the Name change...just reverse it..

Allen Marcus.

Nickname: Gah! Always tough...
McSlicey? I really can't be serious.
Naked Slasher? I dunno, I think I need more info.

[C.bronco]

I'd change the MC's name slightly. Marco Allen, Marcus Arvin etc.
How about the bologna killer? The Mail Man?

I liked McSlicey, that was a good one.

[Tornadoboy]

In the case of the Name change...just reverse it..

Allen Marcus.

Why not just name him OJ Simpson? That would carry a certain credibility!

Although he might take a STAB at suing you.

[Will Lavender]

Actually, in recent years, the media has moved away from the nicknames because profilers, etc., said that this kind of mythologizing tended to egg the killers on. A good friend of mine is a reporter in the DC area, and while those snipers were on the loose, law enforcement was explicitly discouraged from coming up with any names for him. So I don't think you need that.

I am not a huge football fan at all, but I did recognize the name Marcus Allen. Maybe a change is in order.

Interesting advice.

McSlicey is pretty brilliant, though. :D

[Jack Nog]

I liked McSlicey, that was a good one.
McSlicey is pretty brilliant, though.
LOL Thanks! I live to give!

[Southern_girl29]

I think McSlicey would probably be something the kids would come up with. If I let the media not name him and then let the kids come up with something, it would be perfect. I'm going to have to think it over, but thanks, because it's really good.

[Sassee]

The <city name> Slasher is a pretty good one. Familiar for the reader because of past killers with similar names, it's easy to remember, and it's very catchy.

It would be fun to come up with a name based on what he does to his victims (poses them after slashing their throats), but I can't come up with anything witty at the moment. Sorry :(

Simple fix to the real name - take Jack Nog's suggestion. Reverse the first and last names.

[newmod]

What about something like the Slash, Strip and Set Killer? Or SSS? Set because he sets victims into poses. I was thinking particularly of the BTK killer as an example of this type of naming.

Okay, it ain´t gonna win no awards, but might give a bit of inspiration.

[C.bronco]

Vlad the Impaler

[NeuroFizz]

If his name remains Marcus Allen, call him the Silver and Black Slasher, or the Raider. The story doesn't take place in Oakland, does it?

[Southern_girl29]

If his name remains Marcus Allen, call him the Silver and Black Slasher, or the Raider. The story doesn't take place in Oakland, does it?

Nope, Tennessee. I think I am going to change it, though. I don't know of the risks of being sued if it's ever published, but I don't think I want to take that chance.

[ClaudiaGray]

I think having the kids come up with their own nickname would work, if it helps with your story. "McSlicey" made me laugh and sounds like something younger "detectives" might invent. :D And I think their impulse to come up with a name would be only natural; for that matter, the cops would probably come up with one too. They'd just be less likely to publicize that nickname than in the past.

[BarbJ]

The Modeler. The Model Maker. Poster Boy. Camera Man. (I think if he poses his victims, people will suspect he's taking pictures.) Just plain The Slasher if he's killing in more than one city, or, as someone suggested, The ____ Slasher for one city. Any similarities in victims? The Bedroom Slasher, The Alley Creeper, The Blonde Killer, etc. Any "calling card" left aside from the victim? If so, play off of that, and have fun. That's all I have from the top of my head.

[BardSkye]

Love "McSlicey." Maybe the youngsters can come up with it then the cops adopt it. Cops have to have gallows humour to survive, don't they?

[Andre_Laurent]

Have him leave the Tarot death card...call him Dealer. :D

[Melanie Lane]

Vlad the Impaler

lol. I like that one ;)

I like McSlicey...but it reminds me too much of McDonalds...

How about the (City Name) Slash Artist? It sounds like he slashes throats and puts them into posses, like a photographer would. Sorta.

[Tornadoboy]

McSlicey? That brings to mind funny images of Ronald McDonald running around with a machete and a hockey mask! :D

"You deserve a decapitation today, at McDonalds!"

[Southern_girl29]

Ok, how about this? He's been killing women in Alabama, Florida and the last victim is in Tennessee. How about if the police, not the media, is calling him the Southern Slasher? When the teens hear about it, they talk about how cheesy it is and decide to call him McSlicey.

[scarletpeaches]

Mr Stabby (http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/Mr+Stabby/)?

[Tracy]

Jrecently in Ipswich the guy who was killing prostitutes was called the Ipswich Ripper even though he strangled them. Personally I prefer the Suffolk 'Ater. :D

Scarlet Peaches, that is DREADFUL! In a hilarious took-me-a-minute-but-then-I-laughed-aloud kinda way. You should be both very ashamed of yourself and very proud of yourself, at the same time! Rep point coming your way.

(For everybody else - Ipswich is in Suffolk in England, hence the connection. And just say the nickname out loud)

[shakeysix]

how about THE POSER ?--s6

[doh]

Slashing flasher? because he poses the bodies as if he would flash a picture of them.

I kind of dig the "tarot card" idea too.

[Jack Nog]

*smacks forehead*

DOH! McSlicey is a registered trademark of JackNog INC. with all rights and privileges and money going to ME!

I'd like my check now please! :)

[Southern_girl29]

*smacks forehead*

DOH! McSlicey is a registered trademark of JackNog INC. with all rights and privileges and money going to ME!

I'd like my check now please! :)

Oh no, now I'm going to have to come up with something else. ;) Or could I steal it, pretty please?

[Jack Nog]

;) Done Deal

[Lindo]

I would change his name. Marcus Allen sounds like an attempt to cash in on OJ or something.

I'd suggest you cheat, like Thomas Harris did. He obviously started with Cannibal, then named the guy Hannibal to make the cute rhyme.

So you could take the guy's most mediagenic endearment and rhyme something to it. Hammerquist the Misogynist?

Also from Harris' book of tricks, remember Buffalo Bill and the way he was named (because he skinned his humps). That one has a ring of true cop humor about it. I would give this some deep thought because it could spin off some major plot kinks and embellishments for you if you do it right.

[Stew21]

posing the deadbodies naked - made me think of a mannequin closet full of posed naked bodies and body parts. Gross I know.

Maybe instead of the killer having the nickname the open case could have the nickname?

Mannequin Murders


(though I can't seem to shake the McSlicey thing now since you've said it so many times. Your teens could definitely provide the nickname they use between themselves.)

[scarletpeaches]

There was already a Jack the Stripper in London in the 60s.

[Southern_girl29]

posing the deadbodies naked - made me think of a mannequin closet full of posed naked bodies and body parts. Gross I know.

Maybe instead of the killer having the nickname the open case could have the nickname?

Mannequin Murders


(though I can't seem to shake the McSlicey thing now since you've said it so many times. Your teens could definitely provide the nickname they use between themselves.)


Ooh, I like the Mannequin Murders. That does sound like something the police would come up with.

[Danger Jane]

The Zodiac killer?

[Williebee]

Marcus Allen -- The "Slayer to be named later." (sorry :) )
Ginzu --But wait, there's more! Nah, they'd probably sue you.
Could give him a symbol. Your info says it's YA, maybe something techno or "online". Like: /r (slasher)
He's leaving them posed? In a stylized way or religious or what?
"The Artist"
If he makes sure they are found after rigor has set in and they are cold and stiff, he's a "Sculptor".

[justpat]

I was also thinking the poser. It even has a double meaning. Do kids still call other kids posers when they are pretending to be someone they're not?

[SouthernFriedJulie]

How about The Poser?

It has a double edge to it. Along with degrading the killer as the law enforcement does now[poser=poseur-sp?] It also conveys what he does. Though the Triple S suggestion was cool!


**dang it, i hate writing while someone else is**

[Williebee]

If you want something from young slang how about "Whack", is what he does and it means nuts.

As in, "Don't be hanging out on the street all hours of the night, Whack's waiting out there."

Would look good as the top line in a newspaper headline.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

If you want something from young slang how about "Whack", is what he does and it means nuts.

As in, "Don't be hanging out on the street all hours of the night, Whack's waiting out there."

Would look good as the top line in a newspaper headline.


I loved this, darn near made me have a pepsi through the nose moment when I thought 'The Whacker is gonna get you"

[scarletpeaches]

If I thought Wack was gonna get me, I'd be hanging round on street corners all right.

[Lindo]

Ooh, I like the Mannequin Murders. That does sound like something the police would come up with.

Actually it's not. It's what crime writers or possibly journalists come up with. (Though they almost always coin a direct reference to the criminal, not the crime--Zodiac Killer, not Zodiac Murders.)

One thing I'd suggest would be to go to a cop or crime writer (depending on who names this guy Buffalo Bill was a cop sobriquet, Hannibal the Cannibal was reporters as I recall) and run it by them. You might get something cool. The way cops and reporters talk among themselves is a culture of its own...and the more you see of it, the better you will be able to write crime fiction.
If you're lucky enough to know a serial killer, you might want to ask.... well, maybe not.

[Lindo]

BTW It's good you're changing the name. THe danger is not a lawsuit. (It would be hard to come up with name SOMEBODY else doesn't have) It is appearing ridiculous. Would you name your killer Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

[justpat]

BTW It's good you're changing the name. THe danger is not a lawsuit. (It would be hard to come up with name SOMEBODY else doesn't have) It is appearing ridiculous. Would you name your killer Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

Hmm? Donald Trump goes on a killing spree... Gotta go. Just got an idea for a story. Watch out Rosie.

[Southern_girl29]

Actually it's not. It's what crime writers or possibly journalists come up with. (Though they almost always coin a direct reference to the criminal, not the crime--Zodiac Killer, not Zodiac Murders.)

One thing I'd suggest would be to go to a cop or crime writer (depending on who names this guy Buffalo Bill was a cop sobriquet, Hannibal the Cannibal was reporters as I recall) and run it by them. You might get something cool. The way cops and reporters talk among themselves is a culture of its own...and the more you see of it, the better you will be able to write crime fiction.
If you're lucky enough to know a serial killer, you might want to ask.... well, maybe not.

I work at a newspaper, as a Lifestyles editor, not a crime reporter, but the crime reporter is one of my best friends. I ran Mannequin Murders by her, and she said she thought it was probably a name the police would come up with. I'll ask her tomorrow to run it by some of the cops and see what they say.

[ErylRavenwell]

Actually, in recent years, the media has moved away from the nicknames because profilers, etc., said that this kind of mythologizing tended to egg the killers on. A good friend of mine is a reporter in the DC area, and while those snipers were on the loose, law enforcement was explicitly discouraged from coming up with any names for him. So I don't think you need that.

I am not a huge football fan at all, but I did recognize the name Marcus Allen. Maybe a change is in order.

In the Western world, the police has little control over the media.

The snipers were nonetheless called the D.C Snipers. Pretty much inevitable.

Anyway, in mine, one is publicly known as The Butcher of LA, also known in the close police circle as The Beast. Another is The Hyena (after the much maligned predator).

[Inkdaub]

Vlad the Impaler

Brad the Impaler

[Joe270]

A note here after three pages of posting: many serial killers or mass murderers are known by three names.

eg: John Wayne Gacy, Kenneth Allen McDuff, David Allen Berkowitz, etc.

Get a middle name for your killer. Provides some nice foreshadowing, too.

[J. Weiland]

Couldn't they just call him 'the evil bastard'?

[scarletpeaches]

A note here after three pages of posting: many serial killers or mass murderers are known by three names.

eg: John Wayne Gacy, Kenneth Allen McDuff, David Allen Berkowitz, etc.

Get a middle name for your killer. Provides some nice foreshadowing, too.

Theodore Robert Bundy, Jack the Ripper...

[dub]

Hang around some street people, the nick names are fantastic. Media nicknames are created for hype inorder to attract readers, hence advertisers. The media might call him - the High Society Slasher; while on the street he is simply known as Mad Mike.

Get rid of Marcus Allen. Voice of experience, I used a name I thought was safe - end up it was the name of a famous baseballplayer who killed somebody and went to jail several years ago...I didn't know, but my editor did. Had to change the name throughout.

[TwentyFour]

You could also have the kiler himself come up with his own nickname or perhaps suggest one to the police/media by a particular calling card he likes to leave at scenes, and it could also have something to do with why he likes to kill and how he justifies it to himself.


Ah! Like the zodiac!


As for the three name thing...Hannibal Lecter had only two names didn't he?

[Feathers]

Okay, shoot me, but this just popped into my head:

The Mannequin Killer

because he props them into positions...*shrugs*

[newmod]

The Dummy.

Sequel could be Return of the Dummy.

[newmod]

The Poser.

Or Poser Pete/Pat/Paul etc

[Dancre]

One of my beta readers said that the serial killer needed a nickname. He rightfully pointed out that when a serial killer is on the loose, the media usually gives him a nickname. I've been racking my brain to come up with something, but everything I've managed to come up with sounds really cheesy.

About three-fourths of the way through the book, the MC has a psychic visions and finds out his real name. But, I still think a nickname is needed. He slashes the throats of his victims, leaves them naked and poses them in various positions.

Also, the serial killer's real name is Marcus Allen. I'm not a football fan, and I didn't know Marcus Allen was a famous football player. He said I should either change it or have one of the characters make a comment like, "Marcus Allen? You mean like the famous football player?" or something like that. Do you think it needs to be changed completely or will a comment from one of the characters work? Thanks so much.

For a nickname, the first thing that went through my mind was the Porno Killer, b/c the victims are naked and posed. AS for a name, you might want to try something that makes him seem, well, normal. Most killers are really nice people and that's what makes them so creepy.

kim