that psychopaths present to the world. My first high-profile trial, in 1977, involved a well-respected dentist who sedated patients so that he could molest them while they were semi-conscious. “Not possible!” the media and general public responded when he was arrested. Dr. Marvin Teicher was distinguished-looking, married, and had a great reputation as a dental practitioner. When I wrote Killer Charm in 2009, the country was shocked by the murder of a twenty-five-year-old masseuse in a hotel room in Boston—a victim of the mysterious “Craigslist Killer.” As other attacks occurred in the area, people were shocked to find that videotapes revealed a handsome young man who casually walked away from the scenes of the crimes. Philip Markoff, the twenty-three-year-old medical student soon charged with the murder and other attacks, was a poster boy for this kind of unexpected psychopathic killer. The superficial charm exhibited by an astounding number of dangerous psychopaths is one of their best weapons to overcome potential victims.
