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Brothers or cousins; America's first known serial killers Harris, DeWayne Lee: 1997–1998 3 3+ Sentenced to 94 years in prison Known as "The Seattle Jungle Killer"; strangled prostitutes in Seattle, dumping their bodies in an area known as 'The Jungle' Harris, Michael Darnell: 1981–1982 4 10 Sentenced to life imprisonment
- Dennis Rader, Aka The BTK Killer
- Ted Bundy
- John Wayne Gacy
- Sam Little
- Jeffrey Dahmer
- David Berkowitz
- Richard Cottingham
- Belle Gunness
- Dean Corll
- Gary Ridgway
Dennis Rader was a serial killer in Kansas who murdered 10 people over the span of three decades, dubbing himself BTK because he bound, tortured, and killed his victims. He committed his first murders in January of 1974 when he strangled four family members, including two children. He is known for hiding in plain sight, having been the president of...
Having been the subject of several films and documentaries,Ted Bundy is well known for his crimes. Having been described as intelligent and charming, Bundy used his good looks to lure his victims in, sexually assaulting and killing at least 36 women across Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Florida between 1974 and 1978. Some have estimated he...
John Wayne Gacy was responsible for the deaths of at least 33 boys and young men in Chicago in the 1970s, but he has also been used as a figure in the media due to his performance as a party clown at children's parties and social events. Gacy was arrested several times for sexual assault in the 60s, the first being a teenage boy. After being releas...
Serial killer Samuel Little was known as one of the most prolific killers in American history. Having gone undetected for decades, Little confessed to killing 93 victims in 19 states between 1970 and 2005. According to the FBIin 2019, law enforcement had been able to verify 50 of the confessions; most of his victims were marginalized, young Black w...
Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, was a notorious killer and sex offender who killed and dismembered 17 boys and young men between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was arrested in 1991 after a man named Tracy Edwardswas found by police running down the street in handcuffs, having narrowly escaped Dahmer's clutches. Policelater went to Dahm...
David Berkowitz, AKA Son of Sam, brought fear and terror to New York City in 1976 and 1977 and was the cause of one of the largest manhunts in NYC history. Berkowitz wrote in his diary that he set around 1,500 fires in New York City in the mid-1970s and claimed to be driven by demons. He killed a total of six victims and injured more, often targeti...
In the late 1970s and early 80s, Richard Cottingham, otherwise known as the Torso Killer, left a trail of brutal murders in his wake in New York City. For several months, women, mostly sex workers, were found in hotel rooms, their bodies horrifically mutilated. He was given the name Torso Killer because he often cut off his victims' heads and hands...
Belle Gunness, who was known as "Hell's Belle," is unlike the other killers on this list. One of the most notorious women in the U.S., Gunness is said to have killed at least 14 people, but some believe she may have had up to 40 victims. In the late 1800s, Gunness moved from Chicago to a pig farm in Indiana. She reportedly murdered her two husbands...
Dean "Candy Man" Corll made a name for himself as the culprit behind the Houston Mass Murders. Between 1970 and 1973, Corll killed at least 28 young boys. Corll was an electrician and former candy store owner who used two teenage accomplices, David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley, to lure young boys to his apartment, where they were shackled, se...
Gary Ridgway became known as the Green River Killer and later was known as the deadliest convicted serial killer. He claims to have killed over 80 women in Washington in the 1980s and 90s, but he pled guilty in 2003 to killing 48. In 1980, Ridgway was arrested for choking a prostitute, though no charges were ever filed. He was arrested again for so...
- 2 min
- Emma Mayer
Sep 30, 2021 · The Vampire of Sacramento - Richard Trenton Chase. 6. Age: Dec. at 30 (1950-1980) Birthplace: California. Filed under: USA. People. People. Some of the worst serial killers in history are accounted for here on the list of America's most famous serial killers.
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- Harold Shipman, aka 'Dr. Death,' killed 218 patients. Dr. Harold Shipman, nicknamed “Dr. Death” after his horrific killing spree came to light, was sentenced to life in prison after killing over 200 patients.
- Belle Gunness married to kill. Murderer Belle Gunness who killed up to 15 men for their insurance. The woman who became known as the “Lady Bluebeard” immigrated to America from Norway in 1881, settling in Chicago where she married a fellow Norwegian immigrant.
- Ed Gein: The inspiration behind 'Psycho' Serial Killer Ed Gein sitting in back of police car after being arrested. He supposedly murdered 11 people, eviscerating them and hiding body parts in his house.
- John Wayne Gacy performed as a clown at children's parties. John Wayne Gacy was charged with committing 33 murders. Gacy was later executed by lethal injection.
- Dennis Rader. In January 2022, a new documentary explored the origins, motives and eventual capture of Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK Killer," who terrorized Witchita, Kansas, starting in the mid-1970s.
- Joseph DeAngelo Jr. Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer, is believed to be the East Area Rapist, also dubbed the "Golden State Killer," who engaged in at least three crime sprees from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s.
- Robert Lee Yates. Robert Lee Yates pleaded guilty to murdering 13 women in Spokane, Washington, killing them and dumping their bodies in rural areas. He was later convicted of two additional murders.
- Chester Turner. Chester Turner was convicted of killing 14 people in Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of his victims were raped and strangled. Prosecutors called Turner "one of the most prolific serial killers in the city's history."
Serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Jack the Ripper are among the most frightening criminals in history.
Contrary to popular belief, serial killers span all racial groups. There are white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian serial killers. The racial diversification of serial killers generally ...
