Assassin

An assassin is someone who kills, or at least attempts to kill a person prominently known to the public. Their reasons for doing so vary, though the most popular motive would be political reasons.

Types of Assassins

 * Type 1 assassins are defined as being motivated by high-profile reasons, like politics or religion. John Wilkes Booth was motivated to assassinate Abraham Lincoln as means of upturning restored order to the U.S. after the fall of the Confederacy.
 * Type 2 assassins are defined as being egocentric and motivated to commit their crimes in order to gain recognition. Charles Guiteau was egocentric and motivated to assassinate James A. Garfield after his requests to become a U.S. ambassador were turned down.
 * Type 3 assassins are defined as being psychopaths and sociopaths whose methods were disorganized. Charles Manson was a sociopath who ordered the members of his Manson Family to kill everyone in 10050 Cielo Drive, including actress Sharon Tate.
 * Type 4 assassins are defined as being delusional. Mark David Chapman was stated to be delusional at the time of his murder of John Lennon.

On Criminal Minds

 * Maggie Lowe ("Somebody's Watching") - Began executing everyone connected to Maggie Lowe, whom she had a delusional obsession for. Because of her delusional state, she is classified as a Type 4 assassin by the BAU.

Real World

 * John Wilkes Booth - (Type 1) Assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
 * John Hinckley, Jr. - (Type 4) Attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan.
 * Charles Manson - (Type 3) Actress Sharon Tate was one of his victims by proxy.
 * Mark David Chapman - (Type 4) Assassinated John Lennon.
 * Charles Guiteau - (Type 2) Assassinated James A. Garfield.
 * Mehmet Ali Ağca - (Type 1) Attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II.