wanna be a journalist?

I finished high school absolutely certain that I was going to be an engineer.so were my parents.I’s one of the toppers in secondary exam and everybody in my family took it for granted as there was a common notion that a good student must pursue career as a doctor or an engineer. Two years later, I took admission in the scottish church college as a physics(h) student.soon I gotta know it aint my job.It was then I met a journalist in a leading english news daily & I realized it was just my cup of tea. 
In my high school days,I used to be the student editor of a bimonthly school portal and I had to write the student editor’s note.It was hugely popular among the pupil & the endeavor was appreciated by the journalist fraternity who reviewed it on regular basis. I began writing for TOI.a number of stories were published and some in the front page.There was no second thought.In my wildest dream,I never aspired to be a journalist.
I began my journalism degree when there was hardly an institution in kolkata to offer journalism as the main course.students had to take admissions in colleges in other states.
I graduated from my journalism degree in December with job offers from three major national print, broadcast and online media outlets. Journalism grads with any job offers at all are pretty rare, and I know people who are bright, talented and have better GPAs than me who remain unemployed.
In a way I guess I’m lucky, but I have learned some lessons on my way to employability. Here are my tips for students who’d like to land a job as a journalist at the end of their degree.
Look for stories before you look for jobs.
Journalism is about telling stories, so get into the habit of looking for them everywhere you go.
Talk to people, keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook, look at local bulletin boards… soon you’ll start seeing them everywhere. Start consuming media voraciously – online news, local tabloids, national broadsheets, talk radio and TV bulletins. You’ll learn what separates great stories from average ones, and the best ways of telling them.
Work out where your interests and passions lie. You can pick up the skills from there.
No matter what industry you’re in, it’s very hard to do the ladder-climbing slog if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing. I’ve always been passionate about rural areas and the possibilities of online journalism, and that’s mostly where I’ve concentrated my efforts. I started my degree with an interest in online news and a strong aversion to seeing my own face on camera. This is still generally where my interests lie, but I’m glad I tried other things.
My first stint of unpaid work experience was with the times of india news desk. My degree was very news focused, so the opportunity to learn how to put together radio packages and programs was invaluable, and in the process I found something I really enjoyed doing. Now I work as a cross-media reporter, which allows me to make audio and video packages without having to do pieces-to-camera. Win all around.
Take advantage of your student status and get as much practical experience in as many different fields as you can.

For the first half of my degree, I did unpaid work experience while funding my existence with a combination of Youth Allowance and hospitality work. It is almost impossible to get paid work without having some unpaid work under your belt. Working for free sucks, so the sooner you can get that out of the way, the better.
I did unpaid stints at rural newspapers, community and  radio stations and a music PR firm. I was pleasant, worked harder than I needed to and asked questions about the stories, the work, the career paths of certain staff members and did anything I could to help the staff… including getting coffee and doing mail runs.
By second year I was able to leave my  job, because I’d got my name out there as someone whose work was worthy of payment. With my study allowance covering rent, bills and enough food to keep me alive, I wrote articles for street press and magazines, copy for advertising agencies and press releases and media kits for bands and artists. I also picked up a couple of temporary jobs with the statesman, which helped to tide me through leaner periods. Freelancing is hard, but it made me appreciate the value of my work and the importance of creating good relationships with the people you work with.
It’s worth mentioning that the degree I did has a strong practical focus and runs excellent in-house TV and Radio praxis for their students.
Be open to working in rural and regional areas.
All the people from my degree who are landing jobs are landing them in regional areas.
If you come from a rural or regional area, you’ve got a head start on the city kids. Regional bureaux are almost always understaffed, and they’re much more likely to give the work experience kid a go, if they’ve got a particularly bright and energetic one.
There are plenty of stories outside the metropolitan areas, and often country people are more helpful and willing to speak to you than city-dwellers. You’ll have fun and learn a lot, and starting off in the regions doesn’t mean you have to stay there.  Most of the people in top-notch journo jobs started in non-metro areas.

*Don’t worry too much about your grades.*
Unlike degrees like law or medicine, your future job prospects aren’t directly tied with your degrees. I spent time I could’ve spent on turning in perfect assignments doing work experience and the like.
Keep plugging away until you get what you want.
It’s a hard slog to get them, but there are definitely jobs in journalism out there for people who are smart, passionate and hungry for them. Don’t wait until third year – start getting your chops up now.
 

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Angel of Mercy (serial killer)

An angel of mercy or angel of death is a rare type of serial killer who is usually but not always female and employed as a caretaker.[1][2][3] The angel of mercy is often in a position of power and decides the victim would be better off if they no longer suffered. This person then uses their knowledge to manufacture the death of the victim. As time goes on, this behavior escalates to encapsulate the healthy and the easily treated.[1][2][3]

One theory to explain this particular type of serial killer is the Neutralization theory. Developed by sociologists Gresham Sykes and David Matza, it explains that criminals understand right from wrong. In order to neutralize their actions, criminals will develop new perceptions to mitigate the circumstances of their crimes.[4] In this case, the killer might claim that he or she was helping the victim by easing their pain.

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Harold Shipman

Harold Frederick “Fred” Shipman[1] (14 January 1946 – 13 January 2004) was a convicted English serial killer. A doctor by profession, he is among the most prolific serial killers in recorded history with 218 murders being positively ascribed to him, although the actual number is likely much higher.

On 31 January 2000, a jury found Shipman guilty of 15 murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and the judge recommended that he never be released. The whole life tariff was confirmed by the Home Secretary a little over two years later.

After his trial, the Shipman Inquiry, chaired by Dame Janet Smith, investigated all deaths certified by Shipman. About 80% of his victims were women. His youngest victim was Peter Lewis, a 41-year-old man.[2] Much of Britain’s legal structure concerning health care and medicine was reviewed and modified as a direct and indirect result of Shipman’s crimes, especially after the findings of the Shipman Inquiry, which began on 1 September 2000 and lasted almost two years. Shipman is the only British doctor found guilty of murdering his patients.[3]

Shipman died on 13 January 2004, after hanging himself in in his cell at Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire.

Early life and careerShipman was born in Nottingham England, the second of four children of Vera and Harold Shipman, a lorry driver.[4][5] His working class parents were devout Methodists.[4][5] Shipman was particularly close to his mother, who died during his teenage years.[5][6] Her death came in a manner similar to what would later become Shipman’s own modus operandi: she had contracted cancer, and in the later stages of the disease had morphine administered at home by a doctor. Shipman witnessed his mother’s pain subside in light of her terminal condition, up until her death on 21 June 1963.[7]

Shipman received a scholarship to medical school, and graduated from Leeds School of Medicine in 1970.[8] He started work at Pontefract General Infirmary in Pontefract, West Riding of Yorkshire, and in 1974, took his first position as a general practitioner (GP) at the Abraham Ormerod Medical Centre in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. In 1975 he was caught forging prescriptions of pethidine for his own use. He was fined £600, and briefly attended a drug rehabilitation clinic in York. After a brief period as medical officer for Hatfield College, Durham, and temporary work for the National Coal Board, he became a GP at the Donneybrook Medical Centre in Hyde, Cheshire, in 1977.[8][9]

Shipman continued working as a GP in Hyde throughout the 1980s and founded his own surgery on Market Street in 1993, becoming a respected member of the community. In 1983, he was interviewed on the Granada television documentary World in Action on how the mentally ill should be treated in the community.[10]

[edit] DetectionIn March 1998, Dr. Linda Reynolds of the Brooke Surgery in Hyde—prompted by Deborah Massey from Frank Massey and Son’s funeral parlour—expressed concerns to John Pollard, the coroner for the South Manchester District, about the high death rate among Shipman’s patients. In particular, she was concerned about the large number of cremation forms for elderly women that he had needed countersigned. She suspected Shipman was, either through negligence or intent, killing his patients.

The matter was brought to the attention of the police, who were unable to find sufficient evidence to bring charges; The Shipman Inquiry later blamed the police for assigning inexperienced officers to the case. Between 17 April 1998, when the police abandoned the investigation, and Shipman’s eventual arrest, he killed three more people.[11][12] His last victim was Kathleen Grundy, a former ceremonial Mayor of Hyde, who was found dead at her home on 24 June 1998. Shipman was the last person to see her alive, and later signed her death certificate, recording “old age” as cause of death.

Grundy’s daughter, lawyer Angela Woodruff, became concerned when solicitor Brian Burgess informed her that a will had been made, apparently by her mother (although there were doubts about its authenticity). The will excluded her and her children, but left £386,000 to Shipman. Burgess told Woodruff to report it, and went to the police, who began an investigation. Grundy’s body was exhumed, and when examined found to contain traces of diamorphine (heroin), often used for pain control in terminal cancer patients. Shipman was arrested on 7 September 1998, and was found to own a typewriter of the type used to make the forged will.[13]

The police then investigated other deaths Shipman had certified, and created a list of 15 specimen cases to investigate. They discovered a pattern of his administering lethal overdoses of diamorphine, signing patients’ death certificates, and then forging medical records indicating they had been in poor health.[14]

Prescription For Murder, a book by journalist Brian Masters, reports two theories on why Shipman forged the will. One is that he wanted to be caught because his life was out of control; the other reason, that he planned to retire at fifty-five and leave the country.

[edit] Trial and imprisonmentShipman’s trial, presided over by Mr Justice Forbes, began on 5 October 1999. Shipman was charged with the murders of Marie West, Irene Turner, Lizzie Adams, Jean Lilley, Ivy Lomas, Muriel Grimshaw, Marie Quinn, Kathleen Wagstaff, Bianka Pomfret, Norah Nuttall, Pamela Hillier, Maureen Ward, Winifred Mellor, Joan Melia and Kathleen Grundy, all of whom had died between 1995 and 1998.

On 31 January 2000, after six days of deliberation, the jury found Shipman guilty of killing 15 patients by lethal injections of diamorphine, and forging the will of Kathleen Grundy. The trial judge sentenced him to 15 consecutive life sentences and recommended that he never be released. Shipman also received four years for forging the will. Two years later, Home Secretary David Blunkett confirmed the judge’s recommendation that Shipman never be released, just months before British government ministers lost their power to set minimum terms for prisoners.

On 11 February 2000, ten days after his conviction, the General Medical Council formally struck Shipman off its register.[15][16]

Shipman consistently denied his guilt, disputing the scientific evidence against him. He never made any statements about his actions. His defence tried, but failed, to have the count of murder of Mrs Grundy, where a clear motive was alleged, tried separately from the others, where no obvious motive was apparent. His wife Primrose apparently was in denial about his crimes as well.[17]

Although many other cases could have been brought to court, the authorities concluded it would be hard to have a fair trial, in view of the enormous publicity surrounding the original trial. Also, given the sentences from the first trial, a further trial was unnecessary. The Shipman Inquiry concluded Shipman was probably responsible for about 250 deaths.[18] The Shipman Inquiry also suggested that he liked to use drugs recreationally.[19]

Despite the prosecutions of Dr John Bodkin Adams in 1957, Dr Leonard Arthur in 1981, and Dr Thomas Lodwig in 1990 (amongst others),[20] Shipman is the only doctor in British legal history to be found guilty of killing patients.[21] According to historian Pamela Cullen, Adams had also been a serial killer—potentially killing up to 165 of his patients between 1946 and 1956—and it is estimated he may have killed over 450, but as he “was found not guilty, there was no impetus to examine the flaws in the system until the Shipman case. Had these issues been addressed earlier, it might have been more difficult for Shipman to commit his crimes.”[22] H. G. Kinnell, writing in the British Medical Journal, also speculates that Adams “possibly provided the role model for Shipman”.[23]

[edit] DeathHarold Shipman committed suicide by hanging in his cell at Wakefield Prison at 06:20 on 13 January 2004, on the eve of his 58th birthday, and was pronounced dead at 08:10. A Prison Service statement indicated that Shipman had hanged himself from the window bars of his cell using bed sheets.[24] Some British tabloids expressed joy at his suicide and encouraged other serial killers to follow his example; The Sun ran a celebratory front page headline, “Ship Ship hooray!”[25]

Some of the victims’ families said they felt cheated,[26] as his suicide meant they would never have the satisfaction of Shipman’s confession, and answers as to why he committed his crimes. The Home Secretary David Blunkett noted that celebration was tempting, saying: “You wake up and you receive a call telling you Shipman has topped himself and you think, is it too early to open a bottle? And then you discover that everybody’s very upset that he’s done it.”[27]

Despite The Sun’s celebration of Shipman’s suicide, his death divided national newspapers, with the Daily Mirror branding him a “cold coward” and condemning the Prison Service for allowing his suicide to happen.The Independent, on the other hand, called for the inquiry into Shipman’s suicide to look more widely at the state of Britain’s prisons as well as the welfare of inmates.[28]In The Guardian, however, an article by Sir David Ramsbotham (former Chief Inspector of Prisons) suggested that whole life sentences should be replaced by indefinite sentences as these would at least give prisoners the hope of eventual release and reduce the risk of their committing suicide as well as making their management easier for prison officials.[29]

Shipman’s motive for suicide was never established, although he had reportedly told his probation officer that he was considering suicide so that his widow could receive a National Health Service (NHS) pension and lump sum, even though he had been stripped of his own pension.[30] His wife received a full NHS pension, which she would not have been entitled to if he had died after the age of 60.[31] FBI profiler John Douglas asserted that serial killers are usually obsessed with manipulation and control, and killing themselves in police custody, or committing “suicide by cop”, can be a final act of control.[32] Shipman had been emotional and close to tears when his refusal to take part in courses which would have encouraged him to confess his guilt led to privileges including the opportunity to telephone his wife being removed.[33] Privileges had been returned the week before the suicide.[34] Also Primrose who had consistently believed that he was innocent might have begun to suspect Harold Shipman’s guilt.

According to Tony Fleming, Shipman’s ex-cellmate, Primrose recently wrote her husband a letter, exhorting him to “tell me everything, no matter what”.[35]
Shortly after Shipman’s death, Sir David Ramsbotham wrote an article in The Guardian newspaper, urging that whole life sentencing be replaced by indefinite sentencing. He said indefinite sentences would be better than whole life sentences because, while a prisoner might still never be released, they would always have the hope that they might.[36] A high proportion of prisoners with whole life tariffs or very long sentences want to die, see, for example, Ian Huntley or Ian Brady.

[edit] AftermathIn January 2001, Chris Gregg, a senior West Yorkshire detective was selected to lead an investigation into 22 of the West Yorkshire deaths.[37] Following this, a report into Shipman’s activities submitted in July 2002 concluded that he had killed at least 215 of his patients between 1975 and 1998, during which time he practiced in Todmorden, West Yorkshire (1974–1975) and Hyde, Greater Manchester (1977–1998). Dame Janet Smith, the judge who submitted the report, admitted that many more suspicious deaths could not be definitively ascribed to him. Most of his victims were elderly women in good health.

In her sixth and final report, issued on 24 January 2005, Smith reported that she believed that Shipman had killed three patients, and she had serious suspicions about four further deaths, including that of a four-year-old girl, during the early stage of his medical career at Pontefract General Hospital, West Riding, Yorkshire. Smith concluded the probable number of Shipman’s victims between 1971 and 1998 was 250. In total, 459 people died while under his care, but it is uncertain how many of those were Shipman’s victims, as he was often the only doctor to certify a death.[38]

The Shipman Inquiry also recommended changes to the structure of the General Medical Council.[39]

The General Medical Council charged six doctors who signed cremation forms for Shipman’s victims with misconduct, claiming they should have noticed the pattern between Shipman’s home visits and his patients’ deaths. All these doctors were found not guilty. Shipman’s widow, Primrose Shipman, was called to give evidence about two of the deaths during the inquiry. She maintained her husband’s innocence both before and after the prosecution.

In October 2005, a similar hearing was held against two doctors who worked at Tameside General Hospital in 1994, who failed to detect that Shipman deliberately administered a “grossly excessive” dose of morphine.[40][41]

A 2005 inquiry into Shipman’s suicide found that it “could not have been predicted or prevented,” but that procedures should nonetheless be re-examined.[31]

In 2005, it came to light that Shipman might have stolen jewellery from his victims. Over £10,000 worth of jewellery had been found in his garage in 1998, and in March 2005, with Primrose Shipman pressing for it to be returned to her, police wrote to the families of Shipman’s victims asking them to identify the jewellery.[42][43]

Unidentified items were handed to the Assets Recovery Agency in May.[44] In August the investigation ended: 66 pieces were returned to Primrose Shipman and 33 pieces, which she confirmed were not hers, were auctioned. The proceeds of the auction went to Tameside Victim Support.[45][46] The only piece actually returned to a murdered patient’s family was a platinum-diamond ring, for which the family were able to provide a photograph as proof of ownership.

A memorial garden to Shipman’s victims, called the Garden of Tranquillity, opened in Hyde Park (Hyde) on 30 July 2005.[47]

Harold and Fred (They Make Ladies Dead) was a 2001 strip cartoon in Viz, also featuring serial killer Fred West. Extracts from the strip were subsequently merchandised as a coffee mug.

Shipman, a television dramatisation of the case, was made in 2002 and starred James Bolam in the title role.[48] The case was also referenced in an episode of the 2003 television series Diagnosis: Unknown called “Deadly Medicine” (Season 2, Episode 17, 2003).[49] Shipman’s activities also inspired D.A.W., an episode of the American TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In it, the police investigate a physician who they discover has killed 200 of his patients.[50]

Both The Fall and Jonathan King have released songs about Shipman. The Fall’s song is, “What About Us?”, from the 2005 album Fall Heads Roll.

King’s song became controversial when, six months after its release, it was reported to be in Shipman’s defence, urging listeners not to “fall for a media demon”.[51]

In November 2010 professional footballer Phil Jagielka appeared on BBC 1 Sport Advice to discuss the dangers of drug abuse in sports, Jagielka opened up about the death of his grandfather in 1999 for which Shipman may have been responsible.

Jagielka stated: My late grandfather (Tomas Jagielka) suffered from Scoliosis (Curvature of the Spine), his spine curved to the left and he had a back brace and surgery to straighten the spine. He was recovering at home from the surgery and my mother asked if I would go round and open the door for the doctor. I went round and the doctor (Harold Shipman) was standing on the doorstep, I opened the door and we went up to my grandfathers room where Dr Shipman put his hand on my right shoulder and said “I think I’ll stay here a while in case he wakes up so he doesn’t scare people,’. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but I do now.”. “About 5 minutes later he called me back into the room where he said very basically “Your grandfather has died I’m afraid”, I panicked and grabbed the phone too call mum but Shipman snatched the phone out of my hand and said something along the lines of “No need to do that, I’ll call her”. I said you don’t know the number, he replied “Write it down for me then and I will call when I get back to the practice”.

As of early 2009, families of the victims of Shipman are still seeking compensation for the loss of their loved ones.[52]

In September 2009, it was announced that letters written by Shipman during his prison sentence were to be sold at auction.[53] Following complaints from victims’ relatives and the media, the letters were removed from sale.

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

serial killers by the number of victims

They say-nothing new happens under the sun.Indeed true it is.Mexico is always infamous for drug peddlers. So is Afghanistan for sheltering notorious terrorists. If a local newspaper in London or Delhi reports – A serial killer is at large and the way he kills his victims is gruesome, ripping off skin, gouging out eyes, shoving metal rots down the female genitals, Do not be amazed. Back in the eighties, jack the ripper literally robbed off sleep of the detective department for years.
Here I am gonna write on the most infamous Serial killers (by number of victims) worldwide.

Definition
Our very own WIKI defines serial killer as —“A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, in three or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons. There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few hours to many years. This list shows serial killers by number of victims. In many cases, the exact number of victims assigned to a serial killer is not known, and even if that person is convicted of a few, there can be the possibility that he/she killed many more”
As you can well guess, there can never be any fixed definition of a serial killer. If a maniac goes on a killing spree and stabs some 10 people to death spanning a day, wont he be called a serial killer? Yes, he will.
Methods taken by these hardened criminals would flow chill down your spine. Some preferred asphyxiation as the safest killing method , other believed pumping a few bullets is the best way. the gory ones includes chopping off different body parts,.

The third column in the table states the number of victims definitely assigned to that particular serial killer, and thus the table is in order of that figure. The fourth column states the number of possible victims the killer could have murdered. Some of these crimes are unsolved, but were included because they are the work of a serial killer, despite nobody being caught.

Name Country Proven victims* Possible victims Miscellaneous information
Harold Shipman United Kingdom 218 250+[95] A doctor who targeted his patients, the majority of whom were elderly women. Killed his patients with lethal injections of diamorphine.
Luis Garavito Colombia 138 300 Targeted young boys. Arrested in 1999.
Thug Behram India 125 931 Born 1765, died 1840. Leader of the Thuggee cult.
Pedro Alonso López Colombia 110 350 Targeted young girls. Arrested in 1980. Though he may be the most prolific serial murderer of modern times, he was released after it was declared he had been rehabilitated. Current whereabouts unknown.
Erzsébet Báthory Hungary 80[6] 650 Born 1560, died 1614. Accused of murdering 600 or so people; however, no public trial was held. Was imprisoned in a room of her own castle until her death.
Gilles de Rais Brittany 80 600 Breton nobleman fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War. His confession was gained under torture and threat of torture, as was customary.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho Brazil 71 100+ Convicted and sentenced to 128 years, but the maximum one can serve in Brazil is 30 years. He has claimed to have killed over 100 victims, 40 of them inmates.
Yang Xinhai China 67 67 Would enter victims’ homes at night and kill everyone with axes, meat cleavers, hammers, and shovels.
Andrei Chikatilo USSR/Russia 53 56 Convicted of the murder of 53 women and children between 1978 and 1990. Three people were previously convicted and executed for his crimes.
Anatoly Onoprienko USSR/Ukraine 52 52+ Convicted of the murders of 9 people in 1989 and 43 people in 1995–1996. Traveled through Europe illegally from 1990 to 1995; whether he killed during this time is unknown.
Bruno Lüdke Germany 51 51 Mentally disabled, Lüdke was arrested after being discovered with a corpse. Nazi police declared him insane and imprisoned him in a psychiatric hospital, where he was experimented on before being executed in 1944. The case remains controversial, as the only evidence tying him to the crimes was a confession that may have been physically coerced.
Alexander Pichushkin Russia 49 61+ Convicted of murdering 49 victims and suspected of killing 61. Claimed to have murdered 63 people out of his goal of 64 to fill a chessboard. Stated goal of becoming Russia’s most prolific serial killer.
Gary Leon Ridgway United States 48 90 Truck painter who confessed to killing 71 women and dumping their bodies along the Green River near Seattle, Washington. The man with the most murder convictions in U.S. history, he pleaded guilty to 48 and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for each.
Ahmad Suradji Indonesia 42 42 Convicted of killing 42 women and girls in a series of ritual slayings he believed would give him magical powers. Executed by firing squad on 11 July 2008.
Gerald Stano United States 41 41 Confessed to killing 41 women in mostly Florida and New Jersey areas. Some controversy surrounds the case as he is believed by some to have been a serial confessor.
Belle Gunness United States 40? 60? Active 1900 to 1908.
Moses Sithole South Africa 38 38 Preyed on unemployed women, posing as a businessman and luring his victims with the prospects of a job, before leading them to an isolated place, where he raped, tortured, and murdered them. Sentenced to 2410 years imprisonment with a nonparole period of 930 years. Known as South Africa’s Ted Bundy.
Donald Harvey United States 36 87 Self-professed Angel of Death. Worked as an orderly in Cincinnati-area hospitals and preyed on his patients. Claims to have killed 87 patients starting at age 18. Active 1970–1987. Serving 28 life sentences in Ohio.
Serhiy Tkach USSR/Ukraine 36 100 Former police investigator claims to have killed 100.
Ted Bundy United States 35 100+ Claimed that he may have killed more than 100.
John Wayne Gacy United States 33 33 The “Killer Clown” who kept bodies of young men and boys buried under his Chicago home.
Jane Toppan United States 31 31 Cambridge lust murderer who poisoned 31 victims between 1895 and 1901.
Dean Corll United States 27 30 The “Candyman” raped, tortured, and murdered adolescent boys and young men in the 1970s, crimes that came to be known as the “Houston Mass Murders.” Had his victims delivered to him by paid accomplices David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley. After shooting and killing Corll in self-defense, Henley himself brought the murders to police attention.
Cedric Maake South Africa 27 27 Known as the “Wemmer Pan Killer”.
Dr. Marcel Petiot France 26 63 Active 1926 and from 1942 to 1944. Executed in 1946.
Juan Corona United States 25 ? Corona was convicted of murdering ranch laborers and burying them in orchards. He was sentenced to 25 terms of life imprisonment.
Fritz Haarmann Germany 24 27 Also known as the Butcher of Hanover and the Vampire of Hanover is believed to have been responsible for the murder of 27 boys and young men. He was convicted, found guilty of 24 murders and executed.
Béla Kiss Hungary 24 ? Convicted after the bodies of 24 women were found in his home. Escaped from prison in 1916. Fate unknown
Matti Haapoja Finland 22 25 His last victim was the prison warden where he was serving his life sentence. Hanged himself in his cell in Kakola prison, Turku.
Igor Suprunyuck and Viktor Sayenko Ukraine 21 31 Two 19-year-olds in Ukraine randomly slaughtered 21 people in the course of a single month in 2007. Both are serving life sentences.
Vampire of Silesia Poland 21 ? Killed 21 women in 1964–1970 in Poland’s region of Upper Silesia. Zdzisław Marchwicki (executed in 1977) was most likely the man responsible for the killings; however, his guilt remains in dispute.
Earle Nelson United States 20 20+ Necrophiliac who targeted landladies throughout the West Coast during 1926.
Mary Ann Cotton United Kingdom 20 20 Killed up to 20 of her husbands and offspring in County Durham in the 19th century.
Surender Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher India 19 30+ Between 2005 and 2006, businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic servant, Surender Koli, kidnapped, raped, murdered, and dismembered 19 people (mostly children). Convicted.
Charles Cullen United States 18 40 Nurse in New Jersey and Pennsylvania who murdered 40 patients between 1988 and 2003.
Paul John Knowles United States 18 35 Killed 18 people in various states in 1974. Claimed 35 murders. Known as the “Casanova Killer”.
Huang Yong China 17 25 Lured and murdered 17 teenage boys, although he is suspected of 25 murders between September 2001 and 2003.
Jeffrey Dahmer United States 17 17 Dahmer ate some of his victims and kept their body parts in his freezer. Was sentenced to life imprisonment. Murdered in prison in 1994.
Donato Bilancia Italy 17 17 Burglar who murdered 17 people between 1997 and 1998. Known as the “Prostitutes Killer” and the “Liguria Monster”.
Vladimir Kondratenko Ukraine 16 20+ Kondratenko and his friend Vladislav Volkovich, dubbed the Nighttime Killers, shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned 35– to 40-year-old male victims.
Randy Steven Kraft United States 16 65–100 Convicted on 16 counts of murder but left a cryptic list of 65 murders. May have had an accomplice.
Mahanand Naik India 16 ? Sources said that most of his victims were aged between 19 and 30. Strangled them through their dupattas. It also revealed that it was the lure of gold that led Naik to commit brutal killings.
Mohammed Bijeh Iran 16 16 Raped and killed at least 16 boys and teenagers. Nicknamed the “Tehran Desert Vampire.” Was convicted and executed after being lashed in front of a crowd in 2005.
Sipho Thwala South Africa 16 16 Nicknamed the Phoenix Strangler after the area in which he committed his crimes.
Elias Xitavhudzi South Africa 16 ? Nicknamed Panga man for his use of a machete (locally known as a “panga”).
Jimmy Maketta South Africa 16 16 Pleaded guilty and convicted of 16 murders and 19 rapes committed over a nine-month period in 2005.
John Allen Muhammad United States 16 16 Carried out the Beltway sniper attacks together with Lee Boyd Malvo.
Lee Boyd Malvo United States 16 16 Carried out the Beltway sniper attacks together with John Allen Muhammad.
Robert Lee Yates United States 16 16 Killed prostitutes in the “Skid Row” area of E. Sprague Avenue in Spokane, Washington.
Waltraud Wagner Austria 15 49-200 Nurse who killed elderly at Lainz General Hospital in Vienna in 1983. Together with her accomplices, she confessed to 49 murders but may have been responsible for up to 200. One of the “Lainz Angels of Death”.
Robert Hansen United States 15 21 Prostitutes he kidnapped were released into the Alaskan wilderness for him to hunt down like animals. Based on discovered remains, police suspect him of six murders in addition to the 15 for which he was convicted.
Angel Maturino Resendiz United States 15 18 Known as the “Railroad Killer” because his killings were committed near the railroad tracks he used to traverse the country. He was charged with and/or confessed to 15 murders occurring from 1986 to 1999 in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Georgia, and Kentucky. He was also suspected in a 1997 California murder case and claimed two additional killings he refused to elaborate on.[96]
Dennis Nilsen United Kingdom 15 15[97][98] Picked up young men in London between 1978 and 1982 and dismembered them, keeping various body parts around his home.
Coral Eugene Watts United States 14 80–100 Was granted immunity for a dozen murders as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors in 1982 and was given 60 years in prison. In 2007 he was found guilty of the murders of Helen Dutcher (which brought a life sentence) and later that year was found guilty of the murder of Gloria Steele. Died of prostate cancer on September 21, 2007.
Arthur Shawcross United States 14 14 After being arrested for the rape and murder of two children, he was able to plead down to a sentence for manslaughter. After 14½ years of incarceration, he began targeting prostitutes. Strangled and battered his victims. Known as the “Genesee River Killer,” “Genesee River Strangler,” “Rochester Strangler,” and “Monster of the Rivers.”
Richard Ramirez United States 13[75] 20+ Killed 13 people between June 28, 1984, and August 24, 1985, in Los Angeles. Known as the “Night Stalker.”
Peter Sutcliffe United Kingdom 13 17 Killed 13 women between October 30, 1975, and November 17, 1980, mainly in Yorkshire. Was known as the “Yorkshire Ripper.”
Cleveland Torso Murderer United States 13 40+ Unidentified serial killer, also known as The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, who targeted drifters and derelicts, of whom only two were identified, between 1934 and 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kaspars Petrovs Latvia 13 38+ Confessed to strangling 38 elderly residents of Riga, Latvia, in 2003. Convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the robbery and murder of 13.
Herbert Mullin United States 13 13 Despite detailed confessions, prosecutors decided not to try him for the first three crimes, instead focusing on crimes that conflicted with his insanity plea.
David Parker Ray United States 12 60 Torture-murderer possibly aided by numerous accomplices, including his girlfriend. Targeted victims in the Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, area. Known as the “Toybox Killer” for the mobile home he used as a house to rape, torture, and kill women.
Dr. Maxim Petrov Russia 12 19 Doctor who killed his patients in St. Petersburg. Suspected of 19 murders.
William Suff United States 12 12-22 County store clerk who raped, stabbed, strangled, and sometimes mutilated 12 or more prostitutes in Riverside County. Known as the “Riverside Prostitute Killer” and the “Lake Elsinore Killer”.
Maury Travis United States 12 17 Killed prostitutes in the St. Louis area from 2000 to 2002. Caught when he mailed an Expedia.com map showing where to find a body to a St. Louis newspaper. Committed suicide in prison.
Kenneth Bianchi United States 12 15 Convicted of strangling twelve females between ages 12 and 28 and suspected in another three cases. One of the “Hillside Stranglers”.
Fred West and Rosemary West United Kingdom 12 12+ Mainly targeted young females but were also found guilty of the murder of their own daughter. Also found guilty of raping another daughter. Buried the victims around their house and local area. Shortly before he committed suicide on New Year’s Day, 1995, Fred West said there were more victims.[99]
Benjamin Atkins United States 11 11 Raped and strangled his victims before abandoning their bodies in vacant buildings.
Bloody Benders United States 11 Unknown Active 1872 and 1873. Fate unknown.
John Justin Bunting Australia 11 11 Ringleader in the Snowtown murders; sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Nannie Doss United States 11 11 Responsible for 11 deaths between 1927 and 1954. Known as the “Giggling Nanny”, the “Giggling Granny,” and the “Jolly Black Widow.”
Leonard Lake and Charles Ng United States 11 25 Abducted women, used them as sex slaves, and then murdered them, together with any men, women, and children who got in their way. Lake committed suicide upon arrest, but Ng was later convicted of killing 11 people. Between 1982 and 1985, Lake and Ng were believed to have abducted and killed as many as 25 victims, as evidenced by human remains found on Lake’s California ranch.
Henry Lee Lucas United States 11 600 Convicted of 11 murders.[100] Detectives from 40 states came to visit Lucas, and an estimated 3,000 homicides were discussed in what is considered to be one of the greatest mockeries of the U.S. legal system when police officers cleared their books of unsolved murders.[23] The true number of murders committed by Lucas is unknown, but it is likely Lucas was not nearly as prolific a serial killer as he initially claimed to be, as most of his murder confessions were thoroughly discredited, and he himself claimed only one murder—that of his mother.
Clifford Olson Canada 11 11 Considered a dangerous offender, meaning that Olsen may never be released from prison. Has had three parole applications rejected.
Anthony Sowell United States 11 Unknown see Wikipedia article
Jack Unterweger Austria/United States 10 15 Served 14 years in Austrian prison because of a murder in 1974; killed at least 9 prostitutes after his release. Was a small media star in Austrian media in the early 1990s and was arrested in the United States, where he may have killed another 3 prostitutes, on behalf of Austrian police. Hanged himself in 1994 after being sentenced to life in prison.
David Randitsheni South Africa 10 ? Kidnapped 19 people, raped 17, and murdered 10 from 2004 to 2008. Sentenced to 16 consecutive life sentences plus 220 years in prison; hanged himself three weeks after conviction.
Edmund Kemper United States 10 10 A victim of Herbert Mullin was attributed to him originally.
Dennis Rader United States 10 10 Known as the BTK Killer. Murdered at least ten people in Sedgwick County (in and around Wichita), Kansas, between 1974 and 1991.
Robert Joe Wagner Australia 10 10 Secondary ringleader in the Snowtown murders and best friend of John Justin Bunting; sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Henry Louis Wallace United States 10 10 Confessed to 10 murders in Charlotte, North Carolina, between 1990 and 1994.
Angelo Buono United States 10 10 Convicted of strangling ten females. One of the “Hillside Stranglers.”
Charlene Gallego United States 10 10 Killed ten victims in Sacramento, California, between 1978 and 1980 together with her husband, Gerald Gallego.
Gerald Gallego United States 10 10 Killed ten victims in Sacramento, California, between 1978 and 1980 together with his wife, Charlene Gallego.
Donald Henry Gaskins
(a.k.a. “Pee Wee” Gaskins) United States 9 181 Known as “The Meanest Man in America,” he was convicted of nine murders in South Carolina taking place between 1969 and 1975. He was suspected in over 80 murders of mainly young boys and girls. He admitted to 181 killings in his final memoirs.
Herman Mudgett (a.k.a. H.H. Holmes) United States 9 27–350+[101] Active 1888–1894. Targeted mostly younger women during the Chicago World’s Fair in the 1890s and killed them by enticing them to his custom-built “murder castle,” which was tailor-made to kill large numbers of people using a wide variety of premeditated methods. To keep this secret, he fired all his builders and hired new ones before any one set of builders could ever finish one part of the “house.” He sometimes murdered his victims on a day-to-day basis but usually slept with the victim first and devised a method in the morning. Actual body count is unknown, but it is possible that there could have been more than 230 victims, as the majority of the victims were completely dissolved into acid housed in a gigantic pit built into his basement.
Patrick Lynch Australia 9 10 Irish convict transported to Australia who killed nine people in the town of Berrima over a three-day period in February 1841 but denied involvement in a tenth murder in 1835 when he was a bushranger. Dubbed “The Berrima Axe Murderer”; hanged on April 22, 1842. [102]
Peter Kürten Germany 9 9 Charged with nine murders and seven attempted murders. Dubbed “The Vampire of Düsseldorf” by the contemporary media. Executed by guillotine in 1931 (age 48).
Ondrej Rigo Slovakia 9 9 Slovak serial killer and necrophile, who committed his murders during the early 1990s in Slovakia, Germany and Netherlands. He was arrested in 1992 and received a life sentence in 1994. He remains the murderer with the biggest number of victims in the modern history of Slovakia.
Dagmar Overbye Denmark 9 15 She murdered between 9 and 25 children – of which one was her own – during a seven-year period from 1913 to 1920. On March 3, 1921, she was sentenced to death in one of the most talked about trials in Danish history, that changed legislation on childcare. The sentence was later commuted to life in prison. Overbye was working as a professional child caretaker, caring for babies born outside of marriage, murdering her own charges. She strangled them, drowned them or burned them to death in her masonry heater. The corpses were either cremated, buried or hidden in the loft.
Thomas Quick Sweden 8 30 Raped and murdered up to 30 men. Several scholars, however, have questioned if he killed anyone. As of 2008 he has withdrawn the confessions and intends to appeal.
Joseph Paul Franklin United States 8 20 Confessed to 20 murders and several attempted murders. Still awaiting trial for most of these crimes.
Peter Manuel Scotland 8 18 A USA-born Scottish burglar and serial killer who is known to have killed eight people across Lanarkshire between 1956 and 1958 but was believed to have killed up to eighteen. Manuel was the third-last prisoner to be hung in Scotland.
Christopher Wilder United States 8 13+ Killed eight women during a spree in April 1984 before accidentally killing himself; suspected in the disappearance and murder of more than 5 more.
Kendall Francois United States 8 9 From 1996 to 1998, he admitted to killing eight prostitutes in Poughkeepsie, New York, but denies involvement with the disappearance of a ninth prostitute.
Eric Edgar Cooke Australia 8 8 Nicknamed “The Night Caller”, he terrorized the city of Perth from 1959 to 1963 by assaulting 22 people at random with various means, killing eight of them. Hanged on October 26, 1964.
Michael Bruce Ross United States 8 8 Ross confessed to all of the murders, and was convicted of four of them. He was executed by the state of Connecticut on May 13, 2005 by lethal injection, making it the first execution in Connecticut and the whole of New England since 1960.
Alexander Pearce Australia 8 8 Irish convict transported to Australia who killed and cannibalized his fellow escapees in two separate escapes in four months in 1822. Hanged on July 9, 1824.
Jean-Baptiste Troppmann France 8 8 Born October 5, 1849 in Brunstatt (Haut-Rhin), he murdered 8 members of the unrelated Kinck family over a period of several months in 1869. His execution on January 19, 1870, in Paris, became the subject of an essay by Ivan Turgenev.
Ivan Milat Australia 7 23–37 Convicted of the Backpacker murders; sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences plus 18 years without the possibility of parole. May have had accomplices.
Derrick Todd Lee United States 7 10 Known as the “Baton Rouge or South Louisiana Serial Killer” convicted of three murders, sentenced to death by lethal injection. Believed to have murdered several other women in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Doug Clark United States 7 8+ Boiler operator who killed prostitutes in Los Angeles during 1980. One of the “Sunset Strip Killers”.
Christopher Worrell Australia 7 7 Died in car accident before capture.
Orville Lynn Majors United States 6 130 LPN in Vermillion County Ind., Preyed on elderly patients—thought to have killed many of them with injections of potassium chloride. Serving 360 years in Indiana.
Albert Fish United States 6 100(?) Pedophile and cannibal. Connected to three murders; claimed to be responsible for many others. Electrocuted on Jan. 16, 1936.
Tommy Lynn Sells United States 6 70? A drifter active 1980–1999 throughout the U.S. who specialized in killing children and multiple victims after breaking into their homes. Caught when a 10-year-old girl survived his attack and provided a description of him. On death row in Texas.
Robert Pickton Canada 6 20–49(?) Found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder. Accused of murdering 20 other women, most of them prostitutes and drug dealers.
John Wayne Glover Australia 6 13 British ex-pat living in Australia. Known by the media as “The Granny Killer” as he targeted elderly women.
Aileen Wuornos United States 6 8+ Killed strangers, all men, along Florida highways over 13 months in 1989 and 1990 while working as a prostitute.
Mary Cowan United States 6 6+ Cowan killed 3 daughters and first husband, then killed a second husband, and a stepson by a third husband before she was stopped.
Jack the Stripper United Kingdom 6 8 Murdered at least six prostitutes in London between 1964 and 1965, and may have been responsible for the deaths of two others before that. Remains unidentified.
Gert van Rooyen and Joey Haarhof South Africa 6 8 Their victims were never found; the pair shot dead a police officer and then committed suicide when faced with arrest after the escape of their last kidnap victim.
James Miller Australia 6 7 Sentenced to six consecutive terms of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years. Died of cancer in 2008.
Richard Chase United States 6 6 The “Vampire of Sacramento”, he was convicted of six murders. In addition to killing his victims, he often raped the women’s bodies and drank their blood, or took their organs home and ate them.
David Berkowitz United States 6 6 The “Son of Sam”, he would shoot couples in their cars, killing six and wounding seven.
Aleksandr Rubel Estonia 6 6 He was intoxicated with gasoline vapours during all his murders. Sentenced as a minor to the maximum punishment allowed by law — eight years of imprisonment — he was released on 8 June 2006.
Allen Thompson Australia 6 6 Convicted of the murders of a family of four in Richardson in March 1984, and of two of the family’s aunts who had died in a car accident in Canberra in December 1981; sentenced to six consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
András Pándy Belgium 6 6 Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002.
Billy Cook United States 6 6 Executed December 12, 1952.
Richard Cottingham United States 5 85-100 Killer operating in New York between 1977 and 1980. Convicted of five murders but selfmade claims of victim count as up to a hundred. Known as the “Torso Killer”.
Irene Leidolf Austria 5 49-200 Nurse who killed elderly at Lainz General Hospital in Vienna in 1983. Together with her accomplices she confessed to 49 murders but may have been responsible to up to 200. One of the “Lainz Angels of Death”.
Amy Archer-Gilligan United States 5 48? Active 1910 to 1917; died in mental hospital in 1962.
Zodiac Killer United States 5 37 Targeted young couples. Was never apprehended.
Joe Ball United States 5 5-20 Bootlegger who is said to have been responsible for up to 20 deaths in South Texas between 1936 and 1938. Known as the “Alligator Man”, the “Butcher of Elmendorf” and the “Bluebeard of South Texas”.
John Floyd Thomas United States 5 17–25 Murderer and serial killer suspect.
Jack The Ripper United Kingdom 5 4–16 Nobody was ever caught for the murders, and the identity of the killer has never been discovered. Preyed on prostitutes in Whitechapel, London, in 1888. Arguably the most infamous serial killer in history.
Steve Wright United Kingdom 5 5–22 Referred to as “Suffolk murders”, “Ipswich murders”, “Ipswich Ripper”, “Suffolk Ripper”, “Suffolk Strangler”, “East Anglia Ripper”, “Red Light Ripper” and “the Suffolkator”. Murdered five prostitutes, all of whom worked in Ipswich in 2006. There are possible links to previous Suffolk prostitute killings.
Kristen Gilbert United States 5 70? Targeted patients. Sentenced to life without parole.
Carl Panzram United States 5 22 From 1920 to 1928, he claimed in a posthumous autobiography to have committed over 22 killings. Hanged on September 5, 1930.
Carl Williams Australia 5 14 Gangland hitman; sentenced to four consecutive sentences of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years. Williams died in 2010 after being attacked by a fellow inmate.
Lindsay Robert Rose Australia 5 10 Contract killer who operated between 1984 and 1994; sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
William Patrick Fyfe Canada 5 9 Convicted of killing five women in the Montreal area of Quebec, although he claims to have killed four others. He serve a life sentence in West Canada.
David Maust United States 5 9 Killed teenage boys; caught when bodies of three boys were found in the concrete floor of his basement in Hammond, Indiana. Committed suicide in prison in 2006.
Danny Rolling United States 5 8 Known as the “Gainesville Ripper”; murdered five students in August 1990. Executed on October 6, 2006.
Vincent Johnson United States 5 6 The Brooklyn Strangler.
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley United Kingdom 5 5 The “Moors Murderers”. Abducted children in northern England. They were found guilty of two and three murders respectively.
Caroline Grills Australia 5 5 Poisoned five family members with thallium hidden in tea and scones she had given them in Sydney between 1947 and 1953. Sentenced to five consecutive life sentences; died from peritonitis on October 6, 1960.
Thomas Dillon United States 5 5 Ohio Sniper.
William MacDonald Australia 5 5 Murdered derelicts in Sydney and Brisbane between 1960 and 1962; sentenced to five consecutive life sentences.
Queho United States 5 1? Active 1910/1911 and 1919. Found dead in a cave in 1940.
Alfred Packer United States 5 5 Murderer and cannibal.
Marc Dutroux Belgium 5 5 Serial killer convicted of having kidnapped, tortured and sexually abused six girls during 1995 and 1996, ranging in age from 8 to 19, four of whom he murdered; also tortured and murdered his accomplice, Bernard Weinstein.
Andrew Cunanan United States 5 5 Murdered five people including Gianni Versace between April 1997 and July 1997 ending with his suicide.
Gwendolyn Graham and Catherine May Wood United States 5 5 Nurses who killed five elderly women in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Harry Powers United States 5 2 Lonely hearts swindler and conman. Killed two women and three children in Quiet Dell, West Virginia. Arrested 1931 after bodies of victims found buried near his garage. Hanged March 28, 1932.
Ottis Toole United States 4 125 Convicted of three counts of murder, and confessed to four more murders before dying in prison. A sometime accomplice of convicted serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, Toole admitted to multiple counts of murder, rape, and cannibalism, and was the suspect in several unsolved murders. On December 16, 2008, police announced that they had identified Toole as the likely murderer of Adam Walsh, and would be closing the case as a result.
Leonard Fraser Australia 4 7 Serial rapist and pedophile who murdered four women in Rockhampton between 1998–1999. Sentenced to five consecutive life sentences plus 25 years without the possibility of parole; died in prison of a heart attack on January 1, 2007.
Arnold Sodeman Australia 4 4 The schoolgirl strangler, hanged in 1936.
David and Catherine Birnie Australia 4 4–8 Australian couple who raped and murdered four women in their home and attempted to murder a fifth in Perth in 1986. Both were sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole; David Birnie hanged himself in prison on October 7, 2005.
Jozef Slovák Slovakia 4 4+ A Slovak serial killer active in Slovakia and Czech republic from 1978 to 1991. He was suspected by his investigators of more murders, but only four could be proven.
Gordon Cummins United Kingdom 4 4 Active 1942. Raped three of his victims and robbed the remaining one. Also attacked two other women. Sentenced to death by hanging.
Marc Sappington United States 4 4 Schizophrenic serial killer who heard voices telling him to kill after extended daily PCP use. He cannibalized part of his last victim.
James Vlassakis Australia 4 4 Snowtown murderer and stepson of John Justin Bunting; sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 26 years.
Mark Jeffries Australia 4 4 Convict transported from Ireland who cannibalized his fellow escapees in 1824; hanged in 1826.
Peter Woodcock Canada 4 4 Sexual sadist and child rapist. Killed three young children in Toronto in the 1950s. Sentenced to a psychiatric facility, where he murdered a fellow inmate in 1991.
Lam Kor-wan Hong Kong 4 4 Taxi driver and one of Hong Kong’s only serial killers. Famous for keeping body parts in his parents’ home.
Kathleen Folbigg Australia 4 4 Mother convicted of murdering her three infant children and the manslaughter of a fourth child between 1991 and 1999. Sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 25 years.
Jerry Brudos United States 4 4 Electronics technician who bludgeoned and strangled four young women between 1968 and 1969 dressed up in women’s clothing. Known as the “Lust Killer” and “Shoe Fetish Slayer.”
Tsutomu Miyazaki Japan 4 4 Mutilated and killed four girls, aged between four and seven, and sexually molested their corpses. He drank the blood of one victim and ate her hands.
Robert Napper United Kingdom 3 3 Rapist and murderer who mutilated one of his victims so badly that the policeman who found her was put into therapy for two years.
Charles Albright United States 3 3 The trophies this seemingly well-adjusted former teacher took from his victims led the press to dub him the “Texas Eyeball Killer.”
Paul Kenneth Bernardo Canada 3 5 The “Scarborough Rapist” later gained national infamy when he moved into torturing and killing teenage girls, assisted by his wife, Karla Homolka.
Bible John Scotland 3 3 Unidentified strangler and rapist of young women active in Glasgow between 1968 and 1969.
Bendali Debs Australia 3 3–5 Convicted of the murder of Kirsty Harty at Upper Beaconsfield in 1997 and of the Moorabbin Police murders 14 months later; sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 27 years without the possibility of parole.
Paul Denyer Australia 3 5 Serial killer known as the “Frankston Killer” who murdered three women in 1993; sentenced to three consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 30 years.
Westley Allan Dodd United States 3 3 Dodd had an extensive arrest record for molesting children by the time his behavior escalated to include murder. Refusing to appeal his death sentence, he stated that he “should be punished to the full extent of the law, as should all sex offenders and murderers,” and that if he ever escaped, he would immediately return to “killing and raping kids.” Executed in 1993, his hanging was the first in the United States in almost thirty years.
Peter Dupas Australia 3 6 Sexual sadist from Melbourne, who murdered three women and is suspected of at least three further killings. Serving three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Was convicted of 16 separate acts of sexual violence before his first murder charge.
William Heirens United States 3 3 Burglar who stabbed three females between 1945 and 1946. Known as the “Lipstick Killer”.
John Joubert United States 3 3 “The Nebraska Boy Snatcher,” Joubert was enlisted in Air Force when he was arrested for the murders of two children. Later linked to another killing previous to his military service, of an 11-year-old boy in Maine. Joubert’s criminal behavior began at the age of 13, with a series of random attacks on strangers that went unsolved until his arrest in Nebraska.
Eddie Leonski Australia 3 3 Confessed to three murders after being picked out of a line of American servicemen by witnesses. Was sentenced to death, and hanged in 1942.
Gordon Northcott United States 3 17 1928 murderer with his mother in the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders.
Altemio Sanchez United States 3 3 Known as the Bike Path Rapist for murdering three women and raping at least 14 others in and around the Buffalo, New York area over a span of 25 years (1981–2006). Sentenced to 75 years in prison with no chance of parole.
Dr. Michael Swango United States 3 30+ Murderer and serial killer suspect.
Peter Tobin United Kingdom 3 48 Scottish rapist and serial killer known to have killed at least three young women between 1991 and 2006. Currently a suspect in the Bible John murders, committed in Glasgow during the late 1960s.
Stephen Griffiths England 3 14 English serial killer known to have killed 3 prostitutes but says he’s killed 14 to beat yorkshire ripper peter sutcliffe.He killed his victims with a hammer and crossbow and then later ate parts of them which was why he was later dubbed crossbow cannibal.
Javed Iqbal Pakistan 2 100+ Killed young and poor children from all across Pakistan along with three teenage accomplices. Surrendered himself to the police after his 100th kill, but committed suicide before being executed.

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pedro López (serial killer)

Pedro Alonso López (born 8 October 1948 in Santa Isabel, Colombia) is a Colombian-born confessed serial killer, accused of raping and killing more than 300 girls across South America. Aside from uncited local accounts, López’s crimes first received international attention from an interview conducted by Ron Laytner, a long time freelance photojournalist who reported interviewing López in his Ambato prison cell in 1980.

Laytner’s interviews were widely published, first in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, 13 July 1980, then in the Toronto Sun and The Sacramento Bee on 21 July 1980, and later in many other North American papers and foreign publications over the years. Apart from Laytner’s account and two brief Associated Press wire reports the story was published in The World’s Most Infamous Murders by Boar and Blundell.
According to Laytner’s story, López became known as the “Monster of the Andes” in 1980 when he led police to the graves of 53 of his victims in Ecuador, all girls between nine and twelve years old. In 1983 he was found guilty of murdering 110 young girls in Ecuador alone and confessed to a further 240 murders of missing girls in neighbouring Peru and Colombia.
BackgroundAccording to López, his mother, a prostitute with thirteen children, caught him fondling his younger sister in 1957, when he was eight years old, and evicted him from the family home. He was then picked up by a man, taken to a deserted house and repeatedly sodomized. At age twelve he was taken in by an American family and enrolled in a school for orphans. He ran away because he was allegedly molested by a male teacher. At 18, he says, he was gang-raped in prison and, he claimed, killed three of the rapists while still incarcerated.
After his jail term he started preying on young girls in Peru. He later claimed that, by 1978, he had killed over 100 of them. He had been caught by a native tribe, who were preparing to execute him, when an American missionary intervened and persuaded them to hand him over to the state police. The police soon released him. He relocated to Colombia and later Ecuador, killing about three girls a week. López later said “I like the girls in Ecuador, they are more gentle and trusting, more innocent.”The authorities had previously believed the disappearance of so many girls was due to sexual slavery or prostitution.

López was arrested when an attempted abduction went wrong and he was trapped by market traders. He confessed to over 300 murders. The police only believed him when a flash flood uncovered a mass grave of many of his victims.

According to the BBC: “He was arrested in 1980 but was freed by the government in Ecuador at the end of last year [1998] and deported to Colombia. In an interview from his prison cell, López described himself as ‘the man of the century’ and said he was being released for ‘good behaviour’.”

An A&E Biography documentary reports that he was released by Ecuadorian prison on 31 August 1994, and re-arrested an hour later as an illegal immigrant, and handed over to Colombian authorities who charged him with a twenty year old murder. He was found to be insane and held in a psychiatric wing of a Bogotá hospital. In 1998 he was declared sane, and released on $50 bail. The same documentary says that Interpol released an advisory for his re-arrest by Colombian authorities over a fresh murder in 2002.

AP wire reportsTwo AP wire reports from July 1980 and January 1981 are extant. The first is a late report of López’ arrest in March, and his confession to killing 103 girls, including 53 whose bodies had been found. The second reports that he was convicted of three murders, and had confessed to 300 sexual assaults and stranglings.

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Luis Garavito

Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos, aka “La Bestia” (“The Beast”) or “Tribilín” (American Spanish translation of Disney’s “Goofy”) (born 25 January 1957 in Génova, Quindío, Colombia) is a Colombian rapist and serial killer. In 1999, he admitted to the rape and murder of 140 young boys.[1] The number of his victims, based on the locations of skeletons listed on maps that Garavito drew in prison, could eventually exceed 300. He has been described by local media as “the world’s worst serial killer” because of the high number of victims.[2]

Once captured, Garavito was subject to the maximum penalty available in Colombia, which was 30 years. However, as he confessed the crimes and helped authorities locate bodies, Colombian law allowed him to apply for special benefits, including a reduction of his sentence to 22 years and possibly an even earlier release for further cooperation and good behavior.[3]
UpbringingLuis Alfredo Garavito was born on 25 January 1957 in Génova, Quindío, Colombia. He is the oldest of seven brothers, and apparently suffered physical and emotional abuse by his father. In his testimony, he described being a victim of sexual abuse when young.

[edit] MurdersThe victims were poor children, peasant children, or street children, between the ages of 6 and 16. Garavito approached them on the street or countryside and offered them gifts or small amounts of money. After gaining their trust, he took the children for a walk and when they got tired, he would take advantage of them. He then raped them, cut their throats, and usually dismembered their corpses. Most corpses showed signs of torture.[4]

Garavito was captured on 22 April 1999. He confessed to murdering 140 children. However, he is still under investigation for the murder of 172 children in more than 59 counties in Colombia. [5]

He was found guilty in 138 of the 172 cases; the others are ongoing. The sentences for these 138 cases add to 1,853 years and 9 days. Because of Colombian law restrictions, however, he cannot be imprisoned for more than 30 years. In addition, because he helped the authorities in finding the bodies, his sentence has been decreased to 22 years.[6]

[edit] Public responseAs Garavito served the later years[clarification needed] of his reduced sentence, many Colombians began to gradually criticize the possibility of his early release, some[who?] arguing that he deserved either life in prison or the death penalty, neither of which are applicable in Colombia.

In 2006, local TV host Pirry interviewed Garavito, which aired on 11 June of that same year. In this TV special, Pirry mentioned that during the interview, the killer tried to minimize his actions and expressed intent to start a political career in order to help abused children. Pirry also described Garavito’s conditions in prison and commented that due to good behavior, Garavito could probably apply for early release within 3 years.[2]

After the Pirry interview aired, criticism of Garavito’s situation gained increased notoriety in the media and in political circles. A judicial review of the cases against Garavito in different local jurisdictions found that his sentence could potentially be extended and his release delayed, because he would have to answer for unconfessed crimes separately, as they were not covered by his previous judicial process.

In subsequent years, Colombians have increasingly felt that due to Garavito’s approaching early release, his sentence is not sufficient punishment for his crimes. Colombian law originally had no way to extend the sentence, as cases of serial killers like Garavito had no legal precedent in the country and thus the legal system could not properly address this case.

In late 2006, however, a judicial review of the cases against Garavito in different local jurisdictions found that his sentence could be extended and his release delayed, due to the existence of crimes he did not admit to and for which he was not previously condemned.

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

List of murderers by number of victims

This is a list of murderers by number of victims. Both serial killers and spree killers are included, but war crimes, and acts of terrorism (such as the September 11 attacks) are excluded. The murders must be reliably referenced to have been committed “with [the murderer’s] own hands.” Murderers are listed here by the most common consensus figures, where possible. In cases of murder-suicide, the perpetrator is not included in the victim count.

ListVictims Type Name(s) Location Date Additional information
172 !138–300+ serial Luis Garavito Colombia 01990 1990s Child-murderer, torture-killer, and rapist known as “La Bestia” aka “The Beast.” Convicted of killing 138 victims but suspected of murdering over 300 victims, mostly street children. Sentenced to 1,853 years but could only be imprisoned for 30 which was reduced to 22 after aiding investigators.[1]
110–300+ serial Pedro López Colombia, Peru, Ecuador 01980 1980s Child-murderer and rapist, convicted of killing 110 young girls but confessed to killing 300, exact total unknown. Known as “The Monster of the Andes” and sentenced in 1983 but released in 1998, believed to still be killing.[2]
274–400+ serial Amelia Dyer Reading, Bristol, London 01896-01-051860s to 1896 Only convicted of one murder. Killed 274 babies, confirmed after her death when their bodies were recovered from the River Thames. Estimated to have killed between 274 and 400 babies, however, lack of evidence cannot confirm the exact number. Baby-farm murderess.[3]
250+ serial Harold Shipman Hyde, United Kingdom 01990 1990s Convicted of 15 murders and responsible for the deaths of 218 patients identified by inquiry but he is believed to have killed up to 250 people.[4] He would inject diamorphine into his patients and then falsify his own medical records reporting that his patient had been in poor health. Known as Doctor Death. [5]
100–200+ serial Elizabeth Báthory Csejte, Kingdom of Hungary 01500 1500s Hungarian noblewoman and countess, known as the “Blood Countess” or “Blood Queen”. Total killings unknown, accusations pointed to between 100 and 700 victims but she is believed to have actually killed 100 to 200 people.[6] Possibly the victim of conspiracy and may have been innocent.[7][8]
38–138 serial Darya Saltykova Russian Empire 01800 1800s Russian noblewoman. Accused of up to 138 murders; found guilty of 38 murders.
125 serial Thug Behram India 01850 1850s Thugee cult leader. Confessed to have personally murdered more than 125 victims and present at 931 murders perpetrated by his cult. Behram is often quoted as having killed 931 people. This figure was the number of murders Behram had been present at, though he was never convicted of these murders. This lower figure was the conclusion of James Paton’s investigations in the 1830s. The Thugee cult as whole, however, were adjudged to have been responsible for 50,000–1,000,000 murders in total.[9]
103+ serial Miyuki Ishikawa Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan 01940 1940s Euthanized more than 103 newborn children. As a maternity nurse she killed infants born to parents unwilling to care for them during the prohibition of abortion in Japan. Sentenced to 4 years in prison. [10]
100 serial Javed Iqbal Lahore, Pakistan 01996 1996 to 1999 Child-murderer. Pakistan’s most profuse killer, confessed to killing 100 children and convicted of the same number. Found dead in his prison cell possibly tortured and murdered, ruled a suicide. [11]
90+ serial Gary Ridgway Green River Valley, Washington, United States 01982 1982 to 2000 The United States’ most prolific serial killer; also known as The Green River Killer. He almost exclusively targeted escorts from Seattle. Once there he would proposition a prostitute, drive to the banks of the Green River, and strangle her to death. After murdering his victim he would dump their body in the nearby water. Suspected of killing over 90 victims, confessed to 71, convicted of 48.[12]
90+ serial Delfina and María de Jesús González Guanajuato, Mexico 01955 1955 to 1964 Two sisters who hired prostitutes and murdered them after they were deemed useless. Probably the work of four of the sisters, sentenced to 40 years in prison. Body count varies due to the combined work of the sisters being impossible to assign to them individually.[13]
80–200+ serial Gilles de Rais Brittany 01435 1435 to 1440 Child-murderer and companion-of-arms to Joan of Arc. Convicted of 80 murders and suspected of 200, estimated total ranges substantially.[14]
80-110 serial Donald Henry Gaskins South Carolina, United States 01953 1953 to 1982 Child-murderer, known as the “Meanest Man In America” and “Pee-Wee”, convicted of killing 9 people but suspected of 80 murders. Killed three victims while incarcerated, one of which by using C-4. Later confessed on death row that he had murdered 110 victims. Executed in 1991.
72–150 serial Daniel Barbosa Colombia, Ecuador 01974 1974 to 1986 Child-murderer, believed to have possibly raped and killed over 150 victims primarily young virgin girls. Confessed to killing 72 victims and incarcerated with Pedro Alonso Lopez. Considered to be intelligent and believed to have been motivated to kill from his stepmother abusing him as a child. [15]
70–100 serial Pedro Rodrigues Filho Brazil 01967 1967 to 2003 Convicted and sentenced to 128 years, but the maximum one can serve in Brazil is 30 years. He has claimed to have killed over 100 victims, 40 of them inmates.
67 serial Yang Xinhai People’s Republic of China 02000 2000 to 2003 Killed 65 victims in four provinces of China, known as the “Monster Killer.” [16]
14–60 serial David Parker Ray Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, United States 01950 1950 to 1999 Torture-murderer, targeted women, convicted of killing 14 victims and suspected of 60 murders. Constructed a $100,000 torture chamber which he called his toy-box in which to murder victims.
58+ hitman Giuseppe Greco Sicily, Italy 01977 1977 to 1985 Underboss of the Sicilian Mafia during the Second Mafia War convicted of 58 murders; exact total unknown. Murdered and placed on trial after his death, sentenced to life.[17]
56 spree Woo Bum-kon Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea 01982-04-26 April 26, 1982 Largest spree killing in modern history, killing 56 and injuring 35. Bum-kon committed suicide, bringing the total to 57 dead.[18]
53 serial Andrei Chikatilo Rostov-on-Don, USSR/Russian Federation 01978 1978 to 1990 Known as Butcher of Rostov, The Red Ripper or The Rostov Ripper. Convicted of the highest number of serial killings in modern Russia’s history, 52. Executed in 1994.[13]
52 serial Anatoly Onopriyenko Lviv, USSR/Ukraine 01989 1989 to 1996 Soviet serial killer, convicted of killing 52 victims during six years known as “The Beast of Ukraine”, “The Terminator” and “Citizen O.” Sentenced to death commuted to life.[13]
50–200 contract Richard Kuklinski Jersey City, New Jersey 01948 1948 to 1986 Known as the Iceman, worked for Newark’s DeCavalcante crime family and New York City’s Five Families, he used all kind of methods to kill his victims, from poison to fire arms.
48 serial Alexander Pichushkin Moscow, Russian Federation 01992 1992 to 2006 Known as the Chessboard Killer. Killed at least 49 victims and suspected of 61, claimed 63. Russian Federation’s 2nd most prolific serial killer. [19]
42 serial Ahmad Suradji Indonesia 01986 1986 to 1997 Convicted of killing 42 women and girls in a series of ritual slayings he believed would give him magical powers. Executed by firing squad on 11 July 2008.
40 serial Belle Gunness Illinois and Indiana, United States 01900 1900 to 1908 May have killed up to 60.
40–189+ serial Henry Lee Lucas Virginia, Texas, Florida, possibly in other areas of the Southern United States. 01960 1960 to 1983 Confessed to killing 600 people but later recanted and is suspected of lying about a majority of his murders.[20] Probably responsible for the deaths of 40 people.[21] He originally offered a list of 77 women from 19 different states, as he confessed to more and more murders, the details became increasingly more bizarre. Some included dismemberment, necrophilia, even cannibalism. Lawmen linked the Lucas and Otis Toole to 81 murders alone.[22][23]
38 serial Moses Sithole South Africa 01994 1994 to 1995 South African serial killer. He used the disguise of a businessman and the promise of work to lure his victims away to be murdered, usually strangled. [24]
5–37 serial The Zodiac Killer United States 1962 to 1977 Remains unsolved but open in the California jurisdictions the 5 certain Zodiac murders occurred. Potentially 37 total victims claimed but unverified. [25]
36 serial Donald Harvey Kentucky and Ohio, United States 01970 1970 to 1987 Claims responsibility for another 51 murders.[26]
36–100 serial Serhiy Tkach USSR/Ukraine 01984 1984 to 2005 A former Ukrainian police criminal investigator, suffocated girls aged between 8 and 18 and performed sexual acts on their bodies after they were dead.
35 spree Martin Bryant Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia 01996-04-28 April 28, 1996 Known as the Port Arthur Massacre.[27]
35+ serial Ted Bundy Washington, Utah, Colorado, Florida and other states, United States 01974 1974 to 1978 Infamous for escaping from prison twice.[28]
33 serial John Wayne Gacy Chicago, United States 01972 1972 to 1978 Killer Clown, primarily preyed on young men and frequently raped his victims. Executed in 1994.[29]
32 spree Seung-Hui Cho Blacksburg, Virginia, United States 02007-04-16 April 16, 2007 Responsible for the Virginia Tech Massacre.[30]
32+ serial Jane Toppan Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States 01885 1885 to 1901 Nurse who killed using morphine. Confessed that she had killed more than 31 people and convicted of killing 11.
32 serial Vera Renczi Bucharest, Romania 01920 1920 to 1930 Convicted of killing 35 men through arsenic poisoning but confessed to only killing 32 victims.[31]
31 serial Karl Denke Münsterberg, German Reich 01903 1903 to 1924
30 spree Mutsuo Toi Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan 01938-05-21 May 21, 1938 Known as the Tsuyama massacre.[32]
30 spree Campo Elías Delgado Bogota, Colombia Dec 04, 1986
29+ serial Charles Cullen New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States 01988 1988 to 2003 Cullen has admitted to more murders, which authorities believe are likely, but the murders cannot be verified.[33]
27 serial Dean Corll Houston, Texas, United States 01970 1970 to 1973 Known as “The Candy Man” for his habit of handing out free candy to children at the school across from his family’s candy company. He abducted teenage boys from low income areas in Houston with two accomplices in a van where he raped and tortured them. He was shot and killed by one of his teenage accomplices after he tried to kill him following a dispute at one of Corll’s parties.[34]
27 serial H. H. Holmes Chicago, United States 01893 1893 to 1895 Total disputed. Although this figure is the only verified, and thus most commonly held consensus figure, based around Holmes’ most believable confession and forensic research, conjectures for the true figure range hugely, between 20 and 230. Hanged in 1896.[35]
27 serial Fritz Haarmann Hanover, Germany 01919 1919 to 1924 Convicted of murdering 24 young men in Hanover. He is also known as the Vampire of Hanover because of his preferred method of killing by biting through his victim’s throat, sometimes while sodomizing them. He would then dump the bodies in the nearby river Leine.[36]
27 serial Cedric Maake Johannesburg, South Africa 01996 1996 to 1997 Murdered 27 men and women in Johannesburg but originally confused as two separate serial killers. In some cases he killed his victims with a rock, in others he shot them, and in others he murdered tailors with a hammer. Sentenced to 27 life sentences and 1159 years which amounted to 1,340 years all together. [37]
27 serial Maria Swanenburg Leiden, Netherlands 01880 1880 to 1883 Female serial killer. Poisoned victims with arsenic in an effort to collect their insurance money.[38]
26+ serial Robert William Pickton Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada 01995 1995 to 2001 Found guilty on 6 murders, charges indefinitely stayed on 20 others. Comments by Pickton suggest that the total may be 49.
26 serial Marcel Petiot Paris, France 01926 1926 to 1944 Petiot is suspected of having killed up to 63 in total.[39]
25 serial Juan Corona California 01971 1971 Corona was convicted of murdering ranch laborers and burying them in orchards. He was sentenced to 25 terms of life imprisonment.
25 serial Leonard Lake and Charles Ng Wilseyville, California, United States 1982 to 1985 [40]
24 serial Béla Kiss Cinkota, Hungary 01912 1912 to 1916 [41]
23+ serial Ronald Dominique New Orleans, United States 01997 1997 to 2006 Known locally as the Bayou Strangler and murdered victims in the Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, Iberville Parish and Jefferson Parish.[42]
23 spree George Jo Hennard Killeen, Texas, United States Oct 16, 1991 Hennard, 35, was described as angry and withdrawn, with a dislike of women. He drove his pickup truck through the window of Luby’s Cafeteria and proceeded to blast away at anyone inside. He killed himself as police closed in.[43]
22 serial Arnfinn Nesset Orkdal, Norway -1983 A Norwegian nurse who poisoned his patients at a geriatrics facility in Orkdal.[44]
22 serial Carl Panzram Minnesota 01915 1915 to 1929 Confessed to 21 murders Nationwide, and sodomy of more than 1,000 young men
22 serial Norman Afzal Simons South Africa 01986 1986 to 1994 Station Strangler, convicted of only 1 of 22 cases of murder and sodomy of young children near Cape Town.[45]
21+ serial Vasile Tcaciuc Iaşi, Romania -1935 Romanian girl who lured victims and then murdered them.[46]
21 serial Igor Suprunyuck and Viktor Sayenko Ukraine 02007 2007 In 2007, the two 19-year-olds from Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, exacted their entire toll within the span of a month. At least one of the murders was recorded on the camera of a cellular phone and posted to the Internet. Suprunyuck, the ringleader, was found guilty of all 21 murders, while Sayenko was convicted of 18. Both received life sentences.
21 serial William Bonin California, United States 01979 1979 to 1980 One of the Freeway Killers. Executed in 1996.[47]
21 spree James Oliver Huberty San Ysidro, California, United States 01984-07-18 July 18, 1984 “Grumpy” Huberty perpetrated the San Ysidro McDonald’s massacre.[48]
21 serial Patrick Kearney California, United States 01965 1965 to 1977 [49]
21 serial Yoo Young-chul Seoul, South Korea 02003 2003 to 2004 Used a hammer to murder mostly older victims, until his focus shifted to the decapitation and mutilation of escorts after being dumped by a girlfriend who worked in that profession.[50]
20 serial Francis Heaulme France 01984 1984 to 1992 [51]
16–18 serial Mohammed Bijeh Pakdasht, Iran 02004 2004 [52]
19 serial Sergei Ryakhovsky Moscow, USSR/Russian Federation 01988 1988 to 1993 Known as the Balashikha Ripper.[53]
17 serial Joel Rifkin New York City, United States 01989 1989 to 1993 [54]
17 serial William Burke and William Hare Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom 01827 1827 to 1828 Known as the West Port murders.[55]
17 serial Jeffrey Dahmer Ohio and Wisconsin, United States 01978 1978 to 1991
17 spree Thomas Hamilton Dunblane, Scotland, United Kingdom 01996-03-13 March 13, 1996 Known as the Dunblane massacre.[56]
16 spree Charles Whitman Austin, Texas, United States Aug 1, 1966 After murdering his wife and mother, Whitman, 25, ascended a tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, where he shot and killed an additional 14. This stood as the deadliest shooting at an American university for over 40 years, until the Virginia Tech Massacre.[57]
16 spree Robert Steinhäuser Erfurt, Germany 02002-04-26 April 26, 2002 Known as Erfurt massacre.[58][59]
16 serial Charles Ray Hatcher Missouri, California and Illinois, United States 01969 1969 to 1982 [60]
16 serial Randy Steven Kraft California, United States 01969 1969 to 1983 Confessed to 51 further murders.[61]
16 spree Ronald Gene Simmons Russellville, Arkansas, United States Dec 22 to 28, 1987 Decorated former sergeant of the U.S. Air Force. Among Simmons’ toll were 14 family members, including young children and three toddlers. He sexually abused his daughter Sheila during her youth, and fathered her eldest child, both of whom were among the dead. Refused to appeal his conviction and executed in 1990.[62]
16 serial Robert Lee Yates Spokane, Washington, United States 01975 1975 to 1998
16 spree Michael Robert Ryan Hungerford, United Kingdom Aug 19, 1987 Known as the Hungerford Massacre.[63]
16 serial The Monster of Florence Florence, Italy 01968 1968 to 1985 Pietro Pacciani was convicted of the murders in 1994, but the decision was controversially overturned. Pacciani died 1998 and of three alleged accomplices——two convicted and one acquitted.[64]
16 serial Sipho Thwala KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa 01996 1996 to 1997 [65]
16 serial Jimmy Maketta Philippi, Cape Town, South Africa April to Dec 2005 Plead guilty and convicted of 16 murders and 19 rapes committed over a nine month period.
16 serial Jose Antonio Rodriguez Vega Santander, Spain 01987 !1987 to 1988
15 spree Tim Kretschmer Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany 02009-03-11 March 11, 2009 Known as Winnenden school massacre.[66]
15 serial Dennis Nilsen London, United Kingdom 01978 1978 to 1983 [67]
15 serial Jack Unterweger Vienna, Austria; Los Angeles, California, United States; Prague, Czech Republic 01974 1974 to 1992
17 !17–21 serial Robert Hansen Alaska, United States 01980 1980 to 1983 After brutally raping them, Hansen used his private airplane to transport female victims to a remote cabin. An accomplished hunter, he would set the women loose in the surrounding wilderness, to make sport of tracking them down and killing them.
15 spree Eric Borel Toulon, France 01995-09 !Sept 23 to 24, 1995
14 spree Ernst August Wagner Mühlhausen an der Enz, German Reich Sept 4, 1913
14 spree Patrick Sherrill Edmond, Oklahoma, United States Aug 20, 1986 Postal shooting.[68]
14 serial Arthur Shawcross Rochester, New York, United States 1972 to 1989 Arrested in 1972 after the rape and murder of two children, the Vietnam veteran was allowed to plead down to a single charge of manslaughter. Released after 14½ years in prison, he went on to kill 12 prostitutes.
14 spree Christian Dornier Luxiol, France 01989-07-12 July 12, 1989
14 spree Marc Lépine Montreal, Quebec, Canada Dec 06, 1989 Known as the École Polytechnique massacre.[69]
14 spree Friedrich Leibacher Zug, Switzerland Sept 27, 2001
13 spree Farda Gadirov Baku, Azerbaijan 02009-04-30 April 30, 2009 Known as Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shooting.[70]
13 spree Howard Unruh Camden, New Jersey, United States Sept 6, 1949 [71]
13 serial Boston Strangler Boston, United States 01962 1962 to 1964 Although Albert DeSalvo was widely thought to be the Boston Strangler, police and others analysing the case have long doubted the truth of his confession.[72]
13 serial Vasiliy Kulik Irkutsk, USSR 01984 1984 to 1986 Known as the Irkutsk Monster.[73]
13 serial Peter Sutcliffe West Yorkshire, United Kingdom 01975 1975 to 1980 Known as the Yorkshire Ripper.[74]
13 serial Richard Ramirez Southern California, United States 01984 1984 to 1985 Known as the “Night Stalker”.[75][76]
13 spree George Banks Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States 01982 1982
13 spree Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Columbine, Colorado, United States 01999-04-20 April 20, 1999 Known as the Columbine High School massacre. Harris and Klebold committed suicide, bringing total dead to 15.[77]
13 spree David Gray Dunedin, New Zealand Nov 13, 1990 Known as the Aramoana Massacre.[78]
13 serial Thozamile Taki South Africa 02007 2007 Known as the “sugar cane serial killer”
13 spree Jiverly Wong Binghamton, New York, United States 02009-04-03 April 3, 2009 Known as the Binghamton shootings
12 spree Sadamichi Hirasawa Tokyo, Japan Jan 26, 1948 It is suspected that he was falsely charged[79][80]
12 serial Maxim Petrov St. Petersburg, Russia 02000 2000 to 2002 Doctor who killed patients.[81]
12 serial Fred West Gloucester, United Kingdom 01967 1967 to 1987 [82]
12 serial Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Los Angeles, California, United States 01977 1977 to 1978 Known as the Hillside Stranglers. The victim count is 12 for Bianchi, and 10 for Buono.[83]
12 spree Derrick Bird Cumbria, England 02010-06-02 June 2, 2010 Known as the Cumbria shootings. Bird committed suicide.
11 serial Henri Désiré Landru Paris, France 01914 1914 to 1918 [84]
11 serial Clifford Olson Surrey, British Columbia, Canada 01980 1980 to 1981 [85]
11 serial Sergey Golovkin Moscow, USSR/Russian Federation 01986 1986 to 1992 [86]
11 spree Charles Starkweather Nebraska, Missouri, and Wyoming 01957 1957 to 1958 [87]
11 serial John Justin Bunting South Australia, Australia 1992 to 1999 Ringleader in the Snowtown murders, AKA the Bodies in Barrels murders
11 serial Francisco Garcia Escalero Madrid, Spain 01987 1987 to 1994
10–25 serial Matti Haapoja Ylistaro, Finland 01870 1870 to 1894 Most prolific Finnish killer ever. Hung himself in his cell in Kakola prison, Turku[88]
10 spree Tore Hedin Annelöv, Landskrona, Sweden 01951 1951 to 1952 First murdered one person, then a year later murdered another nine persons in just a few hours on August 22, 1952). Finally he killed himself.[89]
10 spree Matti Saari Kauhajoki, Finland Sept 23, 2008 Known as the Kauhajoki school shooting. Saari committed suicide making him 11th victim.
10 spree Walter Seifert Cologne, Germany 01964-06-11 June 11, 1964 Cologne school massacre[90]
10 serial Edmund Kemper Santa Cruz, California, United States 01964 1964 to 1973 [91]
10 spree Kumatarō Kido and Yagorō Tani Osaka Prefecture, Japan 01893 1893 [92][93]
10 serial Robert Joe Wagner South Australia, Australia 1992 to 1999 Ringleader in the Snowtown murders, AKA the Bodies in Barrels murders
10 serial David Randitsheni South Africa 02004 2004 to 2008 Kidnapped 19 people, raped 17 and murdered 10 (all children).
10 serial Dennis Lynn Rader Wichita, Kansas, United States 01974 1974 to 2004 AKA The BTK killer (Bind, Torture, Kill)
8 spree Pekka-Eric Auvinen Jokela, Finland 02007-11-11Nov 11, 2007 Known as the Jokela school shooting. Auvinen committed suicide before his capture.
7 spree Mattias Flink Falun, Sweden 01994-06-11June 11, 1994
7 serial Paul Dennis Reid Tennessee 01997 1997 Reid killed the employees of restaurants he targeted for a series of robberies.
5–8 serial Gary C. Evans Troy, New York, United States 01985 1985 to 1998 Murdered eight victims. Met and befriended the Son of Sam killer while incarcerated. Released in 1984, proceeded to burgralize and kill while in and out of jails over 13 years. Aided investigators in a high profile murder case before dodging parole and being chased. The manhunt finally ended when he jumped to his death off a bridge.

Note: This list can never be complete due to the secrecy with which criminals, especially murderers, tend to operate.

[edit] Serial killers by number of victimsA serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, in three or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons.[94] There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few hours to many years. This list shows serial killers by number of victims. In many cases, the exact number of victims assigned to a serial killer is not known, and even if that person is convicted of a few, there can be the possibility that he/she killed many more.

The third column in the table states the number of victims definitely assigned to that particular serial killer, and thus the table is in order of that figure. The fourth column states the number of possible victims the killer could have murdered. Some of these crimes are unsolved, but were included because they are the work of a serial killer, despite nobody being caught.

Name Country Proven victims* Possible victims Miscellaneous information
Harold Shipman United Kingdom 218 250+[95] A doctor who targeted his patients, the majority of whom were elderly women. Killed his patients with lethal injections of diamorphine.
Luis Garavito Colombia 138 300 Targeted young boys. Arrested in 1999.
Thug Behram India 125 931 Born 1765, died 1840. Leader of the Thuggee cult.
Pedro Alonso López Colombia 110 350 Targeted young girls. Arrested in 1980. Though he may be the most prolific serial murderer of modern times, he was released after it was declared he had been rehabilitated. Current whereabouts unknown.
Erzsébet Báthory Hungary 80[6] 650 Born 1560, died 1614. Accused of murdering 600 or so people; however, no public trial was held. Was imprisoned in a room of her own castle until her death.
Gilles de Rais Brittany 80 600 Breton nobleman fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War. His confession was gained under torture and threat of torture, as was customary.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho Brazil 71 100+ Convicted and sentenced to 128 years, but the maximum one can serve in Brazil is 30 years. He has claimed to have killed over 100 victims, 40 of them inmates.
Yang Xinhai China 67 67 Would enter victims’ homes at night and kill everyone with axes, meat cleavers, hammers, and shovels.
Andrei Chikatilo USSR/Russia 53 56 Convicted of the murder of 53 women and children between 1978 and 1990. Three people were previously convicted and executed for his crimes.
Anatoly Onoprienko USSR/Ukraine 52 52+ Convicted of the murders of 9 people in 1989 and 43 people in 1995–1996. Traveled through Europe illegally from 1990 to 1995; whether he killed during this time is unknown.
Bruno Lüdke Germany 51 51 Mentally disabled, Lüdke was arrested after being discovered with a corpse. Nazi police declared him insane and imprisoned him in a psychiatric hospital, where he was experimented on before being executed in 1944. The case remains controversial, as the only evidence tying him to the crimes was a confession that may have been physically coerced.
Alexander Pichushkin Russia 49 61+ Convicted of murdering 49 victims and suspected of killing 61. Claimed to have murdered 63 people out of his goal of 64 to fill a chessboard. Stated goal of becoming Russia’s most prolific serial killer.
Gary Leon Ridgway United States 48 90 Truck painter who confessed to killing 71 women and dumping their bodies along the Green River near Seattle, Washington. The man with the most murder convictions in U.S. history, he pleaded guilty to 48 and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for each.
Ahmad Suradji Indonesia 42 42 Convicted of killing 42 women and girls in a series of ritual slayings he believed would give him magical powers. Executed by firing squad on 11 July 2008.
Gerald Stano United States 41 41 Confessed to killing 41 women in mostly Florida and New Jersey areas. Some controversy surrounds the case as he is believed by some to have been a serial confessor.
Belle Gunness United States 40? 60? Active 1900 to 1908.
Moses Sithole South Africa 38 38 Preyed on unemployed women, posing as a businessman and luring his victims with the prospects of a job, before leading them to an isolated place, where he raped, tortured, and murdered them. Sentenced to 2410 years imprisonment with a nonparole period of 930 years. Known as South Africa’s Ted Bundy.
Donald Harvey United States 36 87 Self-professed Angel of Death. Worked as an orderly in Cincinnati-area hospitals and preyed on his patients. Claims to have killed 87 patients starting at age 18. Active 1970–1987. Serving 28 life sentences in Ohio.
Serhiy Tkach USSR/Ukraine 36 100 Former police investigator claims to have killed 100.
Ted Bundy United States 35 100+ Claimed that he may have killed more than 100.
John Wayne Gacy United States 33 33 The “Killer Clown” who kept bodies of young men and boys buried under his Chicago home.
Jane Toppan United States 31 31 Cambridge lust murderer who poisoned 31 victims between 1895 and 1901.
Dean Corll United States 27 30 The “Candyman” raped, tortured, and murdered adolescent boys and young men in the 1970s, crimes that came to be known as the “Houston Mass Murders.” Had his victims delivered to him by paid accomplices David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley. After shooting and killing Corll in self-defense, Henley himself brought the murders to police attention.
Cedric Maake South Africa 27 27 Known as the “Wemmer Pan Killer”.
Dr. Marcel Petiot France 26 63 Active 1926 and from 1942 to 1944. Executed in 1946.
Juan Corona United States 25 ? Corona was convicted of murdering ranch laborers and burying them in orchards. He was sentenced to 25 terms of life imprisonment.
Fritz Haarmann Germany 24 27 Also known as the Butcher of Hanover and the Vampire of Hanover is believed to have been responsible for the murder of 27 boys and young men. He was convicted, found guilty of 24 murders and executed.
Béla Kiss Hungary 24 ? Convicted after the bodies of 24 women were found in his home. Escaped from prison in 1916. Fate unknown
Matti Haapoja Finland 22 25 His last victim was the prison warden where he was serving his life sentence. Hanged himself in his cell in Kakola prison, Turku.
Igor Suprunyuck and Viktor Sayenko Ukraine 21 31 Two 19-year-olds in Ukraine randomly slaughtered 21 people in the course of a single month in 2007. Both are serving life sentences.
Vampire of Silesia Poland 21 ? Killed 21 women in 1964–1970 in Poland’s region of Upper Silesia. Zdzisław Marchwicki (executed in 1977) was most likely the man responsible for the killings; however, his guilt remains in dispute.
Earle Nelson United States 20 20+ Necrophiliac who targeted landladies throughout the West Coast during 1926.
Mary Ann Cotton United Kingdom 20 20 Killed up to 20 of her husbands and offspring in County Durham in the 19th century.
Surender Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher India 19 30+ Between 2005 and 2006, businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic servant, Surender Koli, kidnapped, raped, murdered, and dismembered 19 people (mostly children). Convicted.
Charles Cullen United States 18 40 Nurse in New Jersey and Pennsylvania who murdered 40 patients between 1988 and 2003.
Paul John Knowles United States 18 35 Killed 18 people in various states in 1974. Claimed 35 murders. Known as the “Casanova Killer”.
Huang Yong China 17 25 Lured and murdered 17 teenage boys, although he is suspected of 25 murders between September 2001 and 2003.
Jeffrey Dahmer United States 17 17 Dahmer ate some of his victims and kept their body parts in his freezer. Was sentenced to life imprisonment. Murdered in prison in 1994.
Donato Bilancia Italy 17 17 Burglar who murdered 17 people between 1997 and 1998. Known as the “Prostitutes Killer” and the “Liguria Monster”.
Vladimir Kondratenko Ukraine 16 20+ Kondratenko and his friend Vladislav Volkovich, dubbed the Nighttime Killers, shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned 35– to 40-year-old male victims.
Randy Steven Kraft United States 16 65–100 Convicted on 16 counts of murder but left a cryptic list of 65 murders. May have had an accomplice.
Mahanand Naik India 16 ? Sources said that most of his victims were aged between 19 and 30. Strangled them through their dupattas. It also revealed that it was the lure of gold that led Naik to commit brutal killings.
Mohammed Bijeh Iran 16 16 Raped and killed at least 16 boys and teenagers. Nicknamed the “Tehran Desert Vampire.” Was convicted and executed after being lashed in front of a crowd in 2005.
Sipho Thwala South Africa 16 16 Nicknamed the Phoenix Strangler after the area in which he committed his crimes.
Elias Xitavhudzi South Africa 16 ? Nicknamed Panga man for his use of a machete (locally known as a “panga”).
Jimmy Maketta South Africa 16 16 Pleaded guilty and convicted of 16 murders and 19 rapes committed over a nine-month period in 2005.
John Allen Muhammad United States 16 16 Carried out the Beltway sniper attacks together with Lee Boyd Malvo.
Lee Boyd Malvo United States 16 16 Carried out the Beltway sniper attacks together with John Allen Muhammad.
Robert Lee Yates United States 16 16 Killed prostitutes in the “Skid Row” area of E. Sprague Avenue in Spokane, Washington.
Waltraud Wagner Austria 15 49-200 Nurse who killed elderly at Lainz General Hospital in Vienna in 1983. Together with her accomplices, she confessed to 49 murders but may have been responsible for up to 200. One of the “Lainz Angels of Death”.
Robert Hansen United States 15 21 Prostitutes he kidnapped were released into the Alaskan wilderness for him to hunt down like animals. Based on discovered remains, police suspect him of six murders in addition to the 15 for which he was convicted.
Angel Maturino Resendiz United States 15 18 Known as the “Railroad Killer” because his killings were committed near the railroad tracks he used to traverse the country. He was charged with and/or confessed to 15 murders occurring from 1986 to 1999 in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Georgia, and Kentucky. He was also suspected in a 1997 California murder case and claimed two additional killings he refused to elaborate on.[96]
Dennis Nilsen United Kingdom 15 15[97][98] Picked up young men in London between 1978 and 1982 and dismembered them, keeping various body parts around his home.
Coral Eugene Watts United States 14 80–100 Was granted immunity for a dozen murders as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors in 1982 and was given 60 years in prison. In 2007 he was found guilty of the murders of Helen Dutcher (which brought a life sentence) and later that year was found guilty of the murder of Gloria Steele. Died of prostate cancer on September 21, 2007.
Arthur Shawcross United States 14 14 After being arrested for the rape and murder of two children, he was able to plead down to a sentence for manslaughter. After 14½ years of incarceration, he began targeting prostitutes. Strangled and battered his victims. Known as the “Genesee River Killer,” “Genesee River Strangler,” “Rochester Strangler,” and “Monster of the Rivers.”
Richard Ramirez United States 13[75] 20+ Killed 13 people between June 28, 1984, and August 24, 1985, in Los Angeles. Known as the “Night Stalker.”
Peter Sutcliffe United Kingdom 13 17 Killed 13 women between October 30, 1975, and November 17, 1980, mainly in Yorkshire. Was known as the “Yorkshire Ripper.”
Cleveland Torso Murderer United States 13 40+ Unidentified serial killer, also known as The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, who targeted drifters and derelicts, of whom only two were identified, between 1934 and 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kaspars Petrovs Latvia 13 38+ Confessed to strangling 38 elderly residents of Riga, Latvia, in 2003. Convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the robbery and murder of 13.
Herbert Mullin United States 13 13 Despite detailed confessions, prosecutors decided not to try him for the first three crimes, instead focusing on crimes that conflicted with his insanity plea.
David Parker Ray United States 12 60 Torture-murderer possibly aided by numerous accomplices, including his girlfriend. Targeted victims in the Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, area. Known as the “Toybox Killer” for the mobile home he used as a house to rape, torture, and kill women.
Dr. Maxim Petrov Russia 12 19 Doctor who killed his patients in St. Petersburg. Suspected of 19 murders.
William Suff United States 12 12-22 County store clerk who raped, stabbed, strangled, and sometimes mutilated 12 or more prostitutes in Riverside County. Known as the “Riverside Prostitute Killer” and the “Lake Elsinore Killer”.
Maury Travis United States 12 17 Killed prostitutes in the St. Louis area from 2000 to 2002. Caught when he mailed an Expedia.com map showing where to find a body to a St. Louis newspaper. Committed suicide in prison.
Kenneth Bianchi United States 12 15 Convicted of strangling twelve females between ages 12 and 28 and suspected in another three cases. One of the “Hillside Stranglers”.
Fred West and Rosemary West United Kingdom 12 12+ Mainly targeted young females but were also found guilty of the murder of their own daughter. Also found guilty of raping another daughter. Buried the victims around their house and local area. Shortly before he committed suicide on New Year’s Day, 1995, Fred West said there were more victims.[99]
Benjamin Atkins United States 11 11 Raped and strangled his victims before abandoning their bodies in vacant buildings.
Bloody Benders United States 11 Unknown Active 1872 and 1873. Fate unknown.
John Justin Bunting Australia 11 11 Ringleader in the Snowtown murders; sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Nannie Doss United States 11 11 Responsible for 11 deaths between 1927 and 1954. Known as the “Giggling Nanny”, the “Giggling Granny,” and the “Jolly Black Widow.”
Leonard Lake and Charles Ng United States 11 25 Abducted women, used them as sex slaves, and then murdered them, together with any men, women, and children who got in their way. Lake committed suicide upon arrest, but Ng was later convicted of killing 11 people. Between 1982 and 1985, Lake and Ng were believed to have abducted and killed as many as 25 victims, as evidenced by human remains found on Lake’s California ranch.
Henry Lee Lucas United States 11 600 Convicted of 11 murders.[100] Detectives from 40 states came to visit Lucas, and an estimated 3,000 homicides were discussed in what is considered to be one of the greatest mockeries of the U.S. legal system when police officers cleared their books of unsolved murders.[23] The true number of murders committed by Lucas is unknown, but it is likely Lucas was not nearly as prolific a serial killer as he initially claimed to be, as most of his murder confessions were thoroughly discredited, and he himself claimed only one murder—that of his mother.
Clifford Olson Canada 11 11 Considered a dangerous offender, meaning that Olsen may never be released from prison. Has had three parole applications rejected.
Anthony Sowell United States 11 Unknown see Wikipedia article
Jack Unterweger Austria/United States 10 15 Served 14 years in Austrian prison because of a murder in 1974; killed at least 9 prostitutes after his release. Was a small media star in Austrian media in the early 1990s and was arrested in the United States, where he may have killed another 3 prostitutes, on behalf of Austrian police. Hanged himself in 1994 after being sentenced to life in prison.
David Randitsheni South Africa 10 ? Kidnapped 19 people, raped 17, and murdered 10 from 2004 to 2008. Sentenced to 16 consecutive life sentences plus 220 years in prison; hanged himself three weeks after conviction.
Edmund Kemper United States 10 10 A victim of Herbert Mullin was attributed to him originally.
Dennis Rader United States 10 10 Known as the BTK Killer. Murdered at least ten people in Sedgwick County (in and around Wichita), Kansas, between 1974 and 1991.
Robert Joe Wagner Australia 10 10 Secondary ringleader in the Snowtown murders and best friend of John Justin Bunting; sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Henry Louis Wallace United States 10 10 Confessed to 10 murders in Charlotte, North Carolina, between 1990 and 1994.
Angelo Buono United States 10 10 Convicted of strangling ten females. One of the “Hillside Stranglers.”
Charlene Gallego United States 10 10 Killed ten victims in Sacramento, California, between 1978 and 1980 together with her husband, Gerald Gallego.
Gerald Gallego United States 10 10 Killed ten victims in Sacramento, California, between 1978 and 1980 together with his wife, Charlene Gallego.
Donald Henry Gaskins
(a.k.a. “Pee Wee” Gaskins) United States 9 181 Known as “The Meanest Man in America,” he was convicted of nine murders in South Carolina taking place between 1969 and 1975. He was suspected in over 80 murders of mainly young boys and girls. He admitted to 181 killings in his final memoirs.
Herman Mudgett (a.k.a. H.H. Holmes) United States 9 27–350+[101] Active 1888–1894. Targeted mostly younger women during the Chicago World’s Fair in the 1890s and killed them by enticing them to his custom-built “murder castle,” which was tailor-made to kill large numbers of people using a wide variety of premeditated methods. To keep this secret, he fired all his builders and hired new ones before any one set of builders could ever finish one part of the “house.” He sometimes murdered his victims on a day-to-day basis but usually slept with the victim first and devised a method in the morning. Actual body count is unknown, but it is possible that there could have been more than 230 victims, as the majority of the victims were completely dissolved into acid housed in a gigantic pit built into his basement.
Patrick Lynch Australia 9 10 Irish convict transported to Australia who killed nine people in the town of Berrima over a three-day period in February 1841 but denied involvement in a tenth murder in 1835 when he was a bushranger. Dubbed “The Berrima Axe Murderer”; hanged on April 22, 1842. [102]
Peter Kürten Germany 9 9 Charged with nine murders and seven attempted murders. Dubbed “The Vampire of Düsseldorf” by the contemporary media. Executed by guillotine in 1931 (age 48).
Ondrej Rigo Slovakia 9 9 Slovak serial killer and necrophile, who committed his murders during the early 1990s in Slovakia, Germany and Netherlands. He was arrested in 1992 and received a life sentence in 1994. He remains the murderer with the biggest number of victims in the modern history of Slovakia.
Dagmar Overbye Denmark 9 15 She murdered between 9 and 25 children – of which one was her own – during a seven-year period from 1913 to 1920. On March 3, 1921, she was sentenced to death in one of the most talked about trials in Danish history, that changed legislation on childcare. The sentence was later commuted to life in prison. Overbye was working as a professional child caretaker, caring for babies born outside of marriage, murdering her own charges. She strangled them, drowned them or burned them to death in her masonry heater. The corpses were either cremated, buried or hidden in the loft.
Thomas Quick Sweden 8 30 Raped and murdered up to 30 men. Several scholars, however, have questioned if he killed anyone. As of 2008 he has withdrawn the confessions and intends to appeal.
Joseph Paul Franklin United States 8 20 Confessed to 20 murders and several attempted murders. Still awaiting trial for most of these crimes.
Peter Manuel Scotland 8 18 A USA-born Scottish burglar and serial killer who is known to have killed eight people across Lanarkshire between 1956 and 1958 but was believed to have killed up to eighteen. Manuel was the third-last prisoner to be hung in Scotland.
Christopher Wilder United States 8 13+ Killed eight women during a spree in April 1984 before accidentally killing himself; suspected in the disappearance and murder of more than 5 more.
Kendall Francois United States 8 9 From 1996 to 1998, he admitted to killing eight prostitutes in Poughkeepsie, New York, but denies involvement with the disappearance of a ninth prostitute.
Eric Edgar Cooke Australia 8 8 Nicknamed “The Night Caller”, he terrorized the city of Perth from 1959 to 1963 by assaulting 22 people at random with various means, killing eight of them. Hanged on October 26, 1964.
Michael Bruce Ross United States 8 8 Ross confessed to all of the murders, and was convicted of four of them. He was executed by the state of Connecticut on May 13, 2005 by lethal injection, making it the first execution in Connecticut and the whole of New England since 1960.
Alexander Pearce Australia 8 8 Irish convict transported to Australia who killed and cannibalized his fellow escapees in two separate escapes in four months in 1822. Hanged on July 9, 1824.
Jean-Baptiste Troppmann France 8 8 Born October 5, 1849 in Brunstatt (Haut-Rhin), he murdered 8 members of the unrelated Kinck family over a period of several months in 1869. His execution on January 19, 1870, in Paris, became the subject of an essay by Ivan Turgenev.
Ivan Milat Australia 7 23–37 Convicted of the Backpacker murders; sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences plus 18 years without the possibility of parole. May have had accomplices.
Derrick Todd Lee United States 7 10 Known as the “Baton Rouge or South Louisiana Serial Killer” convicted of three murders, sentenced to death by lethal injection. Believed to have murdered several other women in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Doug Clark United States 7 8+ Boiler operator who killed prostitutes in Los Angeles during 1980. One of the “Sunset Strip Killers”.
Christopher Worrell Australia 7 7 Died in car accident before capture.
Orville Lynn Majors United States 6 130 LPN in Vermillion County Ind., Preyed on elderly patients—thought to have killed many of them with injections of potassium chloride. Serving 360 years in Indiana.
Albert Fish United States 6 100(?) Pedophile and cannibal. Connected to three murders; claimed to be responsible for many others. Electrocuted on Jan. 16, 1936.
Tommy Lynn Sells United States 6 70? A drifter active 1980–1999 throughout the U.S. who specialized in killing children and multiple victims after breaking into their homes. Caught when a 10-year-old girl survived his attack and provided a description of him. On death row in Texas.
Robert Pickton Canada 6 20–49(?) Found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder. Accused of murdering 20 other women, most of them prostitutes and drug dealers.
John Wayne Glover Australia 6 13 British ex-pat living in Australia. Known by the media as “The Granny Killer” as he targeted elderly women.
Aileen Wuornos United States 6 8+ Killed strangers, all men, along Florida highways over 13 months in 1989 and 1990 while working as a prostitute.
Mary Cowan United States 6 6+ Cowan killed 3 daughters and first husband, then killed a second husband, and a stepson by a third husband before she was stopped.
Jack the Stripper United Kingdom 6 8 Murdered at least six prostitutes in London between 1964 and 1965, and may have been responsible for the deaths of two others before that. Remains unidentified.
Gert van Rooyen and Joey Haarhof South Africa 6 8 Their victims were never found; the pair shot dead a police officer and then committed suicide when faced with arrest after the escape of their last kidnap victim.
James Miller Australia 6 7 Sentenced to six consecutive terms of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years. Died of cancer in 2008.
Richard Chase United States 6 6 The “Vampire of Sacramento”, he was convicted of six murders. In addition to killing his victims, he often raped the women’s bodies and drank their blood, or took their organs home and ate them.
David Berkowitz United States 6 6 The “Son of Sam”, he would shoot couples in their cars, killing six and wounding seven.
Aleksandr Rubel Estonia 6 6 He was intoxicated with gasoline vapours during all his murders. Sentenced as a minor to the maximum punishment allowed by law — eight years of imprisonment — he was released on 8 June 2006.
Allen Thompson Australia 6 6 Convicted of the murders of a family of four in Richardson in March 1984, and of two of the family’s aunts who had died in a car accident in Canberra in December 1981; sentenced to six consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
András Pándy Belgium 6 6 Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002.
Billy Cook United States 6 6 Executed December 12, 1952.
Richard Cottingham United States 5 85-100 Killer operating in New York between 1977 and 1980. Convicted of five murders but selfmade claims of victim count as up to a hundred. Known as the “Torso Killer”.
Irene Leidolf Austria 5 49-200 Nurse who killed elderly at Lainz General Hospital in Vienna in 1983. Together with her accomplices she confessed to 49 murders but may have been responsible to up to 200. One of the “Lainz Angels of Death”.
Amy Archer-Gilligan United States 5 48? Active 1910 to 1917; died in mental hospital in 1962.
Zodiac Killer United States 5 37 Targeted young couples. Was never apprehended.
Joe Ball United States 5 5-20 Bootlegger who is said to have been responsible for up to 20 deaths in South Texas between 1936 and 1938. Known as the “Alligator Man”, the “Butcher of Elmendorf” and the “Bluebeard of South Texas”.
John Floyd Thomas United States 5 17–25 Murderer and serial killer suspect.
Jack The Ripper United Kingdom 5 4–16 Nobody was ever caught for the murders, and the identity of the killer has never been discovered. Preyed on prostitutes in Whitechapel, London, in 1888. Arguably the most infamous serial killer in history.
Steve Wright United Kingdom 5 5–22 Referred to as “Suffolk murders”, “Ipswich murders”, “Ipswich Ripper”, “Suffolk Ripper”, “Suffolk Strangler”, “East Anglia Ripper”, “Red Light Ripper” and “the Suffolkator”. Murdered five prostitutes, all of whom worked in Ipswich in 2006. There are possible links to previous Suffolk prostitute killings.
Kristen Gilbert United States 5 70? Targeted patients. Sentenced to life without parole.
Carl Panzram United States 5 22 From 1920 to 1928, he claimed in a posthumous autobiography to have committed over 22 killings. Hanged on September 5, 1930.
Carl Williams Australia 5 14 Gangland hitman; sentenced to four consecutive sentences of life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years. Williams died in 2010 after being attacked by a fellow inmate.
Lindsay Robert Rose Australia 5 10 Contract killer who operated between 1984 and 1994; sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
William Patrick Fyfe Canada 5 9 Convicted of killing five women in the Montreal area of Quebec, although he claims to have killed four others. He serve a life sentence in West Canada.
David Maust United States 5 9 Killed teenage boys; caught when bodies of three boys were found in the concrete floor of his basement in Hammond, Indiana. Committed suicide in prison in 2006.
Danny Rolling United States 5 8 Known as the “Gainesville Ripper”; murdered five students in August 1990. Executed on October 6, 2006.
Vincent Johnson United States 5 6 The Brooklyn Strangler.
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley United Kingdom 5 5 The “Moors Murderers”. Abducted children in northern England. They were found guilty of two and three murders respectively.
Caroline Grills Australia 5 5 Poisoned five family members with thallium hidden in tea and scones she had given them in Sydney between 1947 and 1953. Sentenced to five consecutive life sentences; died from peritonitis on October 6, 1960.
Thomas Dillon United States 5 5 Ohio Sniper.
William MacDonald Australia 5 5 Murdered derelicts in Sydney and Brisbane between 1960 and 1962; sentenced to five consecutive life sentences.
Queho United States 5 1? Active 1910/1911 and 1919. Found dead in a cave in 1940.
Alfred Packer United States 5 5 Murderer and cannibal.
Marc Dutroux Belgium 5 5 Serial killer convicted of having kidnapped, tortured and sexually abused six girls during 1995 and 1996, ranging in age from 8 to 19, four of whom he murdered; also tortured and murdered his accomplice, Bernard Weinstein.
Andrew Cunanan United States 5 5 Murdered five people including Gianni Versace between April 1997 and July 1997 ending with his suicide.
Gwendolyn Graham and Catherine May Wood United States 5 5 Nurses who killed five elderly women in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Harry Powers United States 5 2 Lonely hearts swindler and conman. Killed two women and three children in Quiet Dell, West Virginia. Arrested 1931 after bodies of victims found buried near his garage. Hanged March 28, 1932.
Ottis Toole United States 4 125 Convicted of three counts of murder, and confessed to four more murders before dying in prison. A sometime accomplice of convicted serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, Toole admitted to multiple counts of murder, rape, and cannibalism, and was the suspect in several unsolved murders. On December 16, 2008, police announced that they had identified Toole as the likely murderer of Adam Walsh, and would be closing the case as a result.
Leonard Fraser Australia 4 7 Serial rapist and pedophile who murdered four women in Rockhampton between 1998–1999. Sentenced to five consecutive life sentences plus 25 years without the possibility of parole; died in prison of a heart attack on January 1, 2007.
Arnold Sodeman Australia 4 4 The schoolgirl strangler, hanged in 1936.
David and Catherine Birnie Australia 4 4–8 Australian couple who raped and murdered four women in their home and attempted to murder a fifth in Perth in 1986. Both were sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole; David Birnie hanged himself in prison on October 7, 2005.
Jozef Slovák Slovakia 4 4+ A Slovak serial killer active in Slovakia and Czech republic from 1978 to 1991. He was suspected by his investigators of more murders, but only four could be proven.
Gordon Cummins United Kingdom 4 4 Active 1942. Raped three of his victims and robbed the remaining one. Also attacked two other women. Sentenced to death by hanging.
Marc Sappington United States 4 4 Schizophrenic serial killer who heard voices telling him to kill after extended daily PCP use. He cannibalized part of his last victim.
James Vlassakis Australia 4 4 Snowtown murderer and stepson of John Justin Bunting; sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 26 years.
Mark Jeffries Australia 4 4 Convict transported from Ireland who cannibalized his fellow escapees in 1824; hanged in 1826.
Peter Woodcock Canada 4 4 Sexual sadist and child rapist. Killed three young children in Toronto in the 1950s. Sentenced to a psychiatric facility, where he murdered a fellow inmate in 1991.
Lam Kor-wan Hong Kong 4 4 Taxi driver and one of Hong Kong’s only serial killers. Famous for keeping body parts in his parents’ home.
Kathleen Folbigg Australia 4 4 Mother convicted of murdering her three infant children and the manslaughter of a fourth child between 1991 and 1999. Sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 25 years.
Jerry Brudos United States 4 4 Electronics technician who bludgeoned and strangled four young women between 1968 and 1969 dressed up in women’s clothing. Known as the “Lust Killer” and “Shoe Fetish Slayer.”
Tsutomu Miyazaki Japan 4 4 Mutilated and killed four girls, aged between four and seven, and sexually molested their corpses. He drank the blood of one victim and ate her hands.
Robert Napper United Kingdom 3 3 Rapist and murderer who mutilated one of his victims so badly that the policeman who found her was put into therapy for two years.
Charles Albright United States 3 3 The trophies this seemingly well-adjusted former teacher took from his victims led the press to dub him the “Texas Eyeball Killer.”
Paul Kenneth Bernardo Canada 3 5 The “Scarborough Rapist” later gained national infamy when he moved into torturing and killing teenage girls, assisted by his wife, Karla Homolka.
Bible John Scotland 3 3 Unidentified strangler and rapist of young women active in Glasgow between 1968 and 1969.
Bendali Debs Australia 3 3–5 Convicted of the murder of Kirsty Harty at Upper Beaconsfield in 1997 and of the Moorabbin Police murders 14 months later; sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 27 years without the possibility of parole.
Paul Denyer Australia 3 5 Serial killer known as the “Frankston Killer” who murdered three women in 1993; sentenced to three consecutive life sentences with a non-parole period of 30 years.
Westley Allan Dodd United States 3 3 Dodd had an extensive arrest record for molesting children by the time his behavior escalated to include murder. Refusing to appeal his death sentence, he stated that he “should be punished to the full extent of the law, as should all sex offenders and murderers,” and that if he ever escaped, he would immediately return to “killing and raping kids.” Executed in 1993, his hanging was the first in the United States in almost thirty years.
Peter Dupas Australia 3 6 Sexual sadist from Melbourne, who murdered three women and is suspected of at least three further killings. Serving three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Was convicted of 16 separate acts of sexual violence before his first murder charge.
William Heirens United States 3 3 Burglar who stabbed three females between 1945 and 1946. Known as the “Lipstick Killer”.
John Joubert United States 3 3 “The Nebraska Boy Snatcher,” Joubert was enlisted in Air Force when he was arrested for the murders of two children. Later linked to another killing previous to his military service, of an 11-year-old boy in Maine. Joubert’s criminal behavior began at the age of 13, with a series of random attacks on strangers that went unsolved until his arrest in Nebraska.
Eddie Leonski Australia 3 3 Confessed to three murders after being picked out of a line of American servicemen by witnesses. Was sentenced to death, and hanged in 1942.
Gordon Northcott United States 3 17 1928 murderer with his mother in the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders.
Altemio Sanchez United States 3 3 Known as the Bike Path Rapist for murdering three women and raping at least 14 others in and around the Buffalo, New York area over a span of 25 years (1981–2006). Sentenced to 75 years in prison with no chance of parole.
Dr. Michael Swango United States 3 30+ Murderer and serial killer suspect.
Peter Tobin United Kingdom 3 48 Scottish rapist and serial killer known to have killed at least three young women between 1991 and 2006. Currently a suspect in the Bible John murders, committed in Glasgow during the late 1960s.
Stephen Griffiths England 3 14 English serial killer known to have killed 3 prostitutes but says he’s killed 14 to beat yorkshire ripper peter sutcliffe.He killed his victims with a hammer and crossbow and then later ate parts of them which was why he was later dubbed crossbow cannibal.
Javed Iqbal Pakistan 2 100+ Killed young and poor children from all across Pakistan along with three teenage accomplices. Surrendered himself to the police after his 100th kill, but committed suicide before being executed.

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

west mesa murders

The West Mesa Murders refer to the remains of 11 women found buried in 2009 in the desert on the West Mesa of Alburquerque, New Mexico. No suspects have been identified in the case and a serial killer is believed to be responsible.

Discovery

On February 2, 2009, a woman walking a dog found a human bone on the West Mesa of Albuquerque, New Mexico metropolitan area, and reported it to police. As a result of the subsequent police investigation, authorities discovered the remains of 11 women and an unborn fetus buried in the area. All the women were young; most were Hispanic, and most were involved with drugs and prostitution.Police suspect that the bodies were all buried by the same person or persons, and may be the work of a serial killer sometimes referred to as the West Mesa Bone Collector. Authorities also believe that the murders are closely linked to the annual state fair, which attracts large numbers of prostitutes to the area in the fall.

Victims

The remains discovered in 2009 were identified as those of the following women, all of whom disappeared between 2003 and 2005:]

Jamie Barela
Monica Candelaria
Victoria Chavez
Virginia Cloven
Syllania Edwards
Cinnamon Elks
Doreen Marquez
Julie Nieto
Veronica Romero
Evelyn Salazar
Michelle Valdez
Syllania Edwards, a 15 year-old runaway from Oklahoma, was different from the other victims. She was the only teenager, the only African American, and the only victim from out-of-state.Michelle Valdez was four months’ pregnant at the time of her death.On December 9, 2010, Albuquerque police released six photos of seven unidentified women who may also be linked to West Mesa. Some of the women appear to be unconscious, and many share the same physical characteristics as the original 11 victims. The following day the police released an additional photograph of another woman; this woman was subsequently identified by family members, who reported that she had died of natural causes several years ago.On December 13, 2010, police reported that two of the women in the photos had been identified as alive, and could have valuable information if they can be located. Police would not say how or where they had obtained the photos.

Suspects

Two men who initially attracted police attention in connection with the murders were Fred Reynolds and Lorenzo Montoya. Reynolds was a pimp who knew one of the missing women and reportedly had photos of missing prostitutes; he died a natural death in January 2009. Lorenzo Montoya lived less than two miles from the burial site; in 2006 there were reportedly tire tracks leading from his trailer to the site.In December 2006, Montoya strangled a teenage prostitute at his trailer; he was shot to death by the prostitute’s boyfriend.

In August 2010, police searched several properties in Joplin, Missouri associated with a local photographer and businessman in connection with the West Mesa cases. They confiscated “tens of thousands” of photos from the man, who reportedly used to visit the state fair in Albuquerque.

In December 2010, convicted Colorado serial killer Scott Lee Kimball stated that he was being investigated for the West Mesa murders; he denies killing the women.

No official suspects have ever been named in connection with the murders.A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.

Lawton girl was only teen in mass grave

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Investigators are keeping information close to the vest while vetting any discoveries made with the Tuesday search of a Joplin, Mo., man’s home and business in regards to 11 women found buried in the Albuquerque desert in 2009.

A 15 year-old Lawton girl, Syllania T. Edwards, was among the women identified from the grisly discovery, Nadine Hamby, Albuquerque Police information officer, said.

“We had tips or a lead that led us to Joplin to execute the warrants,” Hamby said.

Federal agents and police from New Mexico and Missouri searched the home and business of Rob Erwin, 57, Tuesday.

Hamby said Erwin has not been specifically named a person of interest or suspect in the case “We have never named a person of interest in this case.”

“With this case, because it’s such a high-profile case, several search warrants have been executed and the findings sealed,” Hamby said. “We don’t want to jeopardize the case by releasing too much information.”

Eleven women and a fetus were discovered in February 2009 after a hiker found bones in a 92-acre area that had been cleared for development. Among the women was the Lawton teenager reported missing Aug. 17, 2003 almost seven years ago. She was in Oklahoma state custody at the time of her disappearance. She was the only teenager discovered in the grave, Hamby said.

Edwards was believed to have left on her own accord and was listed as an endangered runaway until her body was identified in November 2009. Hamby said Edwards’ cause of death was listed the same as the others homicide. There were no signs of trauma, she said.

Edwards was first known to investigators as Victim No. 8. Hamby said the teenager was identified through dental records. Edwards was revealed to be the only victim from out-of-state.

“She was the oddball because all of the other victims were local women,” Hamby said. “Syllania is the only one not from Albuquerque, the only out-of-stater.

Colorado killer quizzed in mesa murders
Imprisoned man denies involvement
Updated: Monday, 03 Jan 2011, 7:21 PM MST
Published : Monday, 03 Jan 2011, 5:46 PM MST

DENVER, Colo. (KRQE) – Scott Lee Kimball — a Colorado serial killer — said he is being investigated for the murders of 11 women, whose bodies were found buried on the West Mesa in Albuquerque in February 2009.

Kimball is locked up in Colorado convicted in the deaths of three women and his uncle.

His cousin, Ed Coet, said Kimball wrote him a letter this week claiming investigators think he is the West Mesa killer. Kimball denies involvement.

“No, I did not kill any of them in New Mexico,” Kimball wrote to Coet in a letter. “One of the victims had an arrest record in Denver, so like in any other case they (law enforcement) are trying to corner me to it.”

Coet said Kimball maintained his innocence regarding the Colorado murders. He only confessed once he was convicted.

Coet said his cousin traveled through Albuquerque as part of his cattle business. Kimball was out of prison and was working as an FBI informant when the West Mesa victims started disappearing. Coet said he murdered two people in Colorado during that time.

Kimball was re-arrested in 2006, roughly the same time the killings stopped.

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz would not say if Kimball is or isn’t a suspect, but investigators are following leads.

“We’ve had detectives out of state for the last two weeks, out in Texas, out in Colorado, and we will continue to do all we can to solve this case,” Schultz said.

Coet said he believes Albuquerque Police were in Colorado last week questioning Kimball.

APD receives tips on pics
6 pictures re-spark look into west mesa murders
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Within 24 hours of releasing the photos they hope may be the key to solving the West Mesa murders, Albuquerque police say tips are coming in.

Unfortunately for now, it’s a waiting game for police to see if anybody knows who the women in the pictures are and where it will lead them.

Police said once the six images were released Thursday afternoon, they received a spike in calls from people regarding the pictures and the buried bodies on the west mesa. In those 26 calls, however, there have been no valid leads or at least anything that police can release at this time.

Still, it’s encouraging news that the public is responding.

( Update 3:15 p.m.: Albuquerque police have released a seventh photo of a woman they hope to identify. Tips on the six photos released Thursday now number 55.)

Investigators are trying desperately to find the killer who buried the 11 women whose skeletal remains were found early in 2009.

The six pictures released on Thursday, which police are calling their latest lead in the case, show women who they say are similar in age, race as well as size and profile to the victims buried on the mesa. Police believe the women in the pictures are from the Albuquerque area, but won’t say how they obtained them.

The APD hotline to report information on the west mesa murders is 1-877-SOLV-APD (765-8273).

January 5, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment