From the flawless deductions of Sherlock and Enola Holmes to the extraordinary love story of FBI agent Elizabeth Keen in ‘The Blacklist’, the ideas of criminal profiling and profilers have, for decades, successfully captured public imagination. But far from flights of fancy, helping to bring criminals to justice is often gruesome and challenging, says forensic psychologist and South Africa’s first ever serial killer profiler, Dr Micki Pistorius. Adapted from her memoir of the same name, “Catch Me A Killer”, a true crime series produced by British CMak in association with Germany’s Night Train Media and South Africa’s M-Net, is now streaming on Showmax. Directed by Tracey Larcombe, it stars Game of Thrones actress Charlotte Hope as Dr Pistorius. The series is set in the mid-90s, tracing Dr Pistorius’ quest to track down South Africa’s most feared killers at a time when the country was gripped by an epidemic of rising crime and multiple murders. In this exclusive interview with l’express, Dr Micki Pistorius, who is now based in Mauritius, shares reflections about her remarkable career that spans over 30 years, and current projects.

Looking back, what have been the most prominent highlights of your journey as a serial killer profiler?

For one, the television series is quite a highlight. I had sold the rights (of the book) about five years ago. It’s been a long process and the shooting started in 2022. It is quite overwhelming for me to finally see that part of my life on screen. I had never thought when I did my work that someone would make a TV series about it. After working as a journalist, I went to study psychology and while I was pursuing my studies, the police called my professor, wanting to know if he could recommend somebody as a profiler. I was recommended and appointed, as I was writing my doctorate thesis about serial killers. I flew to Cape Town on the second day, where I worked on the Station Strangler case (…) Another highlight is that while working on this case thirty years ago, I met AJ Oliver, one of the detectives in the investigation. His little boy, who was seven at that time, is named Kurt. I had recommended that AJ Oliver would be the liaison officer when shooting for the series began, but unfortunately, he and his wife passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, his son Kurt Oliver had grown up and become a cop, but he resigned from the Police and he was appointed as the liaison officer for the television production company. About a week before the shooting began, I went to Cape Town and met him. He had become a pastor and set up a welfare organisation for the people of Mitchells Plain, called Sons of Issachar, and on Christmas day, Charlotte Hope and the crew had a get-together and assisted Kurt to make food for the people. Thirty years later now, the Station Strangler - South African suspected serial killer Norman Afzal Simons, who was convicted in 1995 of the rape and murder of 10-yearold Elroy van Rooyen, sentenced to 35 years in prison - has been released. I did that job when I was in my thirties and now at sixty, it’s really looking back at a career of thirty years and seeing how circles are completed.

Your job also led you to work with renowned agent Robert Ressler from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who equally played a significant role in the psychological profiling of violent offenders.

Yes, retired agents Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood, who I met abroad, trained me in Dundee, Scotland. Agent Ressler had been roped in to address the press, with regard to the Atteridgeville murders.

Nevertheless, was it challenging to step in a man’s world as South Africa’s first serial killer profiler, particularly in 1994, when the nation was in the grip of its first democratic election?

It was difficult but to their credit, the moment that the detectives saw that I could be an asset to them, it became a partnership. The detectives were the ones in charge of and who led the investigations. I was a tool to help them perform their job of catching criminals and when they saw that my contribution was valuable, they taught me about investigation for I knew nothing about it. In return, I taught them about profiling, and this is how this whole idea came about to train and teach them. I founded the Investigative Psychology Unit of the South African Police Service and worked actively with the detectives I trained. Eventually, the training extended overseas as well, for example, at the Centre des Sciences Criminelles et Pénales in France. The team spirit, camaraderie and collaboration were there, and the detectives were very protective and eager to learn from me, and I from them. Once we were in it together, we didn’t think about different genders but just that we had to do the job. Good men and good women can stand together to fight injustice.

You have also authored seven books detailing your experiences and perspective, one of which is “Catch Me A Killer”. What was your inspiration behind the title?

It came after the weeks of intense classes that I conducted in order to teach detectives. There was also an advanced course. At the end of it, I told them “Well, what are you waiting for? Go catch me a killer!” This is how it became the title of the book.

What was your first reaction when the idea of making the TV series based on this book was suggested to you?

Its first edition was published in the year 2000, and since then, many people had approached me to do a series on it, but I wasn’t ready. Now it is thirty years later, it is a British production company; I am so impressed with Charlotte Hope’s work for she is phenomenal, and it is a big international effort that gives credit to the South African film industry as well, as the other actors are all South African. It has been nominated for an award at the British Film Designers Guild.

To what extent did you participate in the production and/or post-production processes of the series?

I visited the production team a week before the shooting started and I met a few of the crew members. I was also a consultant to the script writers. Conversely, they have their own creative process that one makes peace with and cannot interfere in. Charlotte (Hope) used to call me some nights, saying “tomorrow I am doing this” and asked for my input, and I would talk to her ahead of her next day’s shoot. Director Tracey Larcombe was fantastic at bringing it all together and I feel that it is a phenomenal series.

You have also launched your own YouTube Channel, “Micki Pistorius Profiler on Record” series on Friday February 9, where you share your own insights and learnings with the public. Tell us more about it.

Since television series or films are often a dramatization of the events that happen in our lives, this has prompted me to launch my own YouTube Channel where I authentically speak about my experiences. For example, if you watch Episode 1 of the TV series, you can then go to Episode 1 of my YouTube Channel, where I tell you how it was in real life by recalling my experiences. While doing so, I also endeavour to educate about different topics such as post-traumatic stress, the definition of a serial killer, the dark triad personality traits, insanity pleas, crime scene staging, collective evidence, my theory on the origin of serial killers based on Freud’s psychosexual developmental phases, supported by case studies and other topics related to crime. One of the drawbacks we face today with the internet is the existence of clickbait or synthetic sensational information. As a professional psychologist, I therefore, through my YouTube Channel, offer authentic knowledge about forensic psychology. I want this platform to be inspirational and educational for everyone, free of cost and accessible.

What are a few myths about serial killers that you would like to debunk?

They are not Artificial Intelligence (AI)–generated monsters or Marvel comic book superheroes as often depicted in fictional series. The majority are not mentally ill. They are human beings, they could be your neighbour. Many people would presume that serial killers would be super intelligent, but they are not. They are normal people with average intelligence; few are intelligent and most are not. The imagination, often, of writers and directors knows no boundaries, blurring the line between reality and fiction. Crime scenes are usually depicted as sophisticated in fictional works. In reality, they are messy, smelly, with decomposing bodies covered by maggots, blood and flies. In the TV series based on my book “Catch me a Killer”, they got this right. In my YouTube series, I also advise people about what to do if one comes across a murder victim: for example, don’t touch anything, don’t smoke, do not cover the victim’s body with anything for it might remove the killer’s fibre traces or hair or DNA. Don’t contaminate the crime scene by disturbing evidence, as a court case is based on evidence (…) I also have cutaway scenes in every episode of the YouTube series while talking about serial killers, where I am somewhere in Mauritius, for example, at the Odysseo oceanarium where one can see the sharks swimming with other fish. Now to us, it’s a dangerous shark but to the other fish, it’s just another fish. It is dangerous, but not a monster, just a fish. This is an analogy of how serial killers are, they move among us; just another person going about their daily lives.

And so how, if at all, can we spot them?

You don’t spot them, that is the whole point. They are normal human beings who can be teachers, they buy groceries, they pray. Profiling them is based upon their modus operandi, victim selection and deciphering their fantasies, which they act out on crime scenes. It is a psychological process to understand them. As a forensic psychologist, it is my job to testify in court on their behaviour to the judge. So I have to understand their behaviour. Having trained the detectives, I told them that if we think of serial killers as enemies, it will be difficult but if we understand them, we will be a step ahead and able to arrest them. But, it isn’t about just arresting them, it is about gathering evidence to get them convicted.

How difficult is it to really maintain objectivity as an expert witness, given that miscarriages of justice have occurred in the past based on flawed testimonies?

Unfortunately, it happens, but the majority of forensic psychologists have professional ethics. It is crucial to be unbiased. One testifies for the judge, regardless if it is the State or the Defence that called upon your expert testimony. You have to be able to substantiate every deduction you make. This is something that stood out in the case of Stewart Wilkens, where I had to testify. The State, which had called me initially, had enough evidence to rest their case. However, the Defence then stepped up that they wanted me to testify. That was a confirmation that my testimony was unbiased as either the State or the Defence could present it.

Debunk a few misconceptions about criminal profilers for us.

There is a perception of glamour about this job but in real life, it is very different. In most fictional works, they also show that the profiler will have nightmares about the serial killer targeting the detective or the profiler. It is pure fiction. In fact, they avoid us because we pursue them. It is not a personal issue for them and they have a very specific type of victim whom they target. I have had terrible nightmares years ago of victims suffering, but never of a serial killer. An additional misconception often endorsed is that criminal profilers arrest the killers. We don’t. I haven’t. I attended crime scenes and post-mortems, for these are the fundamental elements of profiling, I accompanied the detectives on some of the arrests, I was present at a few house searches during investigations and I interrogated countless suspects and killers and secured confessions. But it is the cops who arrest them.

Doesn’t such a career also bring its fair share of trauma? How did it impact you?

Did you know that even earliest cuneiform writings from the Assyrian Dynasty dating back to almost 3500 BC, described post-traumatic stress? It has existed since, and has been an affliction of people throughout the development of mankind. So, for somebody to say it is not real, we are hurting the person and discouraging them from seeking help. I had it, and I sought help as a psychologist. We can overcome it. If we think about people here in Mauritius who were trapped in their cars amid the floods, they also could have post-traumatic stress. It develops when one’s life is in danger or you see someone else’s life in danger. During the shooting of the TV series, I shared my concerns with the producer about, among others, actresses who had to lie on the ground semi-naked, tied up like a dead body, with maggots (…) and he assured me that there was counselling for the crew available as he was concerned about their welfare. I never told my family about the full nature of my work. Years later, my father read my book and he was shocked, saying that this was dangerous. I had to reassure him that it was all in the past, and I was now safe. I resigned from the police with the rank equivalent to senior superintendent in 2000.

What is life like for you now in Mauritius?

I am living from a place of healing. I write, I also have a passion for archaeology and I travel to archaeological sites all over the world. Having moved away from the criminal sphere, I practise general and neuropsychology and I can also consult for the legal profession as a forensic psychologist. For the latter, I would love to talk to them about the dark personality traits: Narcissism, Machiavellian and Psychopathic tendencies. I also present courses to corporate companies on coaching managers and executives. I would like to see forensic psychology become more prominent in Mauritius and hope to invest all my intellectual capital here. I am grateful to Mauritius for I have found my peace here.

Psychologist, author, journalist

After completing her BA degree, Micki Pistorius worked as a journalist in printed and television media for 8 years, when she was elected for the University of Pretoria’s Masters psychology programme. She lectured at the University of Pretoria. She completed her doctorate’s degree in psychology and was immediately appointed in the South African Police Service (SAPS) as the country’s first ever serial killer profiler, making commendable achievements. After resigning from the SAPS, she returned to journalism and worked for a television production company, writing scripts and producing crime documentaries for a few years. Later, she opened her private practice as a psychologist. She continued training profilers and detectives and presenting lectures on international podia. Dr Micki Pistorius has also authored seven books, and her autobiography, “Catch me a Killer” became a best seller. By 2010, her passion for ancient antiquity inspired her to undertake an Honours degree in Biblical Archaeology. Presently based in Mauritius, Dr Micki Pistorius is registered with the Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC) and practises as a private psychologist at the Care medical centre in Labourdonais. She envisages to present corporate and public workshops, based on neuropsychology about emotional intelligence for managers, workplace security and emotional safety at work, motivation for managers and executive burnout as well as profiling white collar crime and Competitive Intelligence. Dr Micki Pistorius has lectured on a part-time basis at the Open University of Mauritius and Middlesex University Mauritius, as well as delivered a presentation on forensic psychology in 2023 at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).