Dr. Eric Hickey

Eric W. Hickey, Ph.D., is recognized for his expertise in serial murder and forensic psychology. Hickey has served as Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University and as Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fresno. His academic work includes teaching courses on the psychology of crime, serial and mass murder, criminal paraphilia, sexual predators, crime scene investigations, psychopathy, criminal personalities, arson and fire-setting, threat assessment, risk management, school and workplace violence prevention, and victimology.

Hickey is the author of "Serial Murderers and Their Victims," a widely used text in criminal justice and forensic psychology education. The book examines the lives of more than 400 serial murderers and analyzes cultural, historical, and religious influences on perceptions of serial crime. Hickey also developed the Trauma-Control model to explain serial murder behavior. His other works include "The Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime," which explores the phenomenon of murder and violence from multiple expert perspectives.

Hickey has contributed to law enforcement efforts as a consultant to the FBI's UNABOM Task Force, assisting in the apprehension of Ted Kaczynski. In the Jeffrey Dahmer case, Hickey is noted for interviewing both Dahmer's brother and mother. He provides expert witness testimony in criminal and civil cases involving sex crimes, criminal paraphilia, stalking, homicide, domestic violence, and serial crimes. Hickey also assists law enforcement agencies at local, state, and federal levels with training, investigations, and cold case reviews.

Hickey has conducted seminars internationally and has trained VIP protection specialists in Israel on profiling stalkers and conducting threat assessments. He has contributed to California's Peace Officer Service Training in developing materials for investigators. Hickey serves as a senior core faculty member in Walden University's Forensic Psychology doctoral program. His work has been featured in numerous television documentaries and media outlets, including History, NPR, 20/20, A&E Bio, Oxygen, Reelz, GMA, CBC, TruTV, Discovery, TLC, CNN, Hulu, YouTube, BuzzFeed, and NewsNation. Hickey's career encompasses scholarship, field experience, and high-profile casework in the study of violent crime, criminal profiling, and forensic psychology.