The top 10 serial killers are
1. Ted Bundy
2. John Wayne Gacy
3. Jeffrey Dahmer
4. Aileen Wuornos
5. Harold Shipman
6. Gary Ridgway
7. The Zodiac Killer
8. The BTK Killer
9. The Night Stalker
We all know who they are. The names have become synonymous with terror, torture, and death. But what drives a person to kill again and again?
What makes them tick? Here, we look at the top 10 serial killers of all time based on their confirmed kills. From America's first known serial killer H.H. Holmes to Britain's "Moors Murderer" Ian Brady, these are the stories of cold-blooded killers that will send a chill down your spine.
1) H.H. Holmes – Estimated Kills: 200+ America's first known serial killer was Herman Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes. He is thought to have killed upwards of 200 people, although only nine murders could be officially attributed to him.
Holmes ran a Chicago hotel that he designed for killing purposes. It had trapdoors, secret passageways, and rooms fitted with gas pipes so he could asphyxiate his victims before disposing of their bodies in the basement kiln or dissolving them in acid baths. Holmes would often take out life insurance policies on his victims before murdering them to profit from their deaths.
2) Belle Gunness – Estimated Kills: 40+ Belle Gunness was born in Norway in 1859 but later moved to America, where she married and had two children with her husband, Peter Gunness. It is thought that she poisoned both her husband and her children so she could collect on their life insurance policies.
After moving to Indiana, Belle started placing personal ads in newspapers seeking suitors who were wealthy widowers with children. She promised them love and marriage but lured them to their deaths before robbing them blind. It's estimated that Belle killed between 40 and 60 people, although some believe the number could be even higher.
3) Pedro Lopez – Estimated Kills: 300+. Born in Colombia, Pedro Lopez is believed to have raped and murdered over 300 young girls across South America during the 1970s and 1980s. He preyed on poor indigenous girls between the ages of 8 and 12, luring them away from their homes with promises of gifts or money before sexually assaulting and killing them. In 1980, Lopez was arrested by Ecuadorian police after they found the decomposing bodies of 53 missing girls near one of his usual hunting grounds.
Who is the #1 Serial Killer in the World?
The #1 serial killer in the world is a controversial title held by many different killers over the years. Some believe it is a matter of opinion, while others think there is a definitive answer. However, the most commonly accepted explanation is America's infamous "Green River Killer," Gary Ridgway.
Ridgway was convicted of 49 murders in 2003 but is believed to have committed upwards of 90. His victims were primarily prostitutes and young women he would pick up along the Green River in Washington. He earned his nickname due to the large number of bodies found near the river over the years.
What sets Ridgway apart from other serial killers is his violence and cruelty. In addition to strangling or suffocating his victims, he would often mutilate their bodies or engage in sexual acts with them after they were dead. This made him one of the most reviled criminals in American history.
Who are the 7 Most Famous Serial Killers?
There are many different opinions on who the most famous serial killers are. Here is a list of ten of the most famous, based on public opinion and media coverage.
1. Jeffrey Dahmer: Dahmer was a Milwaukee-based serial killer who murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. He was arrested in 1991 after one of his victims escaped and alerted the police. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 life terms in prison but was killed by another inmate in 1994.
2. John Wayne Gacy: Gacy was a Chicago-based serial killer who raped and murdered 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. He was convicted of his crimes in 1980 and sentenced to death. Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994.
3. "The Zodiac Killer": This unidentified serial killer operated in Northern California during the late 1960s and early 1970s, killing at least five people that we know of. The Zodiac Killer's identity has never been confirmed, despite numerous theories and suspects over the years. The case remains unsolved.
4. "Son of Sam": David Berkowitz is a New York City-based serial killer who murdered six people in 1976 and 1977 (although he claimed to have killed up to 13). Berkowitz pled guilty to his crimes in 1978 and is currently serving six life terms in prison with no possibility of parole.
5. "The Green River Killer": Gary Ridgway is an American serial killer who pleaded guilty to murdering 48 women (mainly prostitutes) near Seattle, Washington, between 1982 and 1998; however, it is believed that he killed many more (possibly over 90). Ridgway received multiple life sentences with no possibility for parole as part of a plea bargain agreement which spared him from execution.
6. "BTK": Dennis Rader is an American serial killer from Wichita, Kansas, who confessed to 10 murders between 1974 and 1991. Rader was given the name "BTK" ("Bind, Torture, Kill") for his modus Operandi of binding his victims with cords or rope before torturing and murdering them. Rader pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder on April 28, 2005andwas, and was sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences with eligibility for parole after 175 years.
7. "Jack the Ripper": One of the England'smost infamous serial killers, JacktheRipperis thought to have murdered five prostitutes in London'sEast Endduring 1888.
Who is the Cruelest Serial Killer?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it is subjective. Some believe that the cruelest serial killer kills for pleasure without remorse or empathy for their victims. Others believe that the most vicious serial killer tortures their victims before killing them, causing them immense physical and psychological pain.
Some believe that the cruelty of a serial killers is defined by the number of victims they kill, regardless of how they do it. No clear definition of what makes a serial killer 'cruel' exists. It is often down to personal opinion.
However, some of the most notorious and sadistic killers in history have been known for their cruelty toward their victims. These include Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and Ted Bundy. All three of these men were convicted murderers who killed multiple people, often in gruesome ways.
They also showed little or no remorse for their actions and took pleasure in inflicting pain on others. For these reasons, they are often considered among the cruelest serial killers in history.
Who is the #1 Serial Killer in the Us?
The United States' first and most prolific serial killer was Dr. H.H. Holmes, who is estimated to have killed anywhere between 9 and 200 people during the late 19th century. Most of his victims were young women whom he lured into his "Murder Castle," a hotel he designed to kill them. He would often gas them or trap them in rooms where they would slowly starve to death before finally murdering them.
While it is impossible to know for sure how many people Dr. Holmes killed, there is no doubt that he was one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.
Top 10 Serial Killers Usa
The United States has produced some of the most notorious serial killers in history. Here are the top 10 most famous and gruesome murderers who have terrorized America:
1. Jeffrey Dahmer,
Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most well-known American serial killers. He committed his first murder in 1978 and continued killing until 1991 when he was finally caught and arrested. In all, Dahmer killed 17 men and boys. He was sentenced to life in prison, where another inmate eventually killed him.
2. John Wayne Gacy was a successful businessman who owned a construction company. He was also a prolific serial killer, responsible for the murders of 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. Gacy was convicted of his crimes in 1980 and sentenced to death; he died by lethal injection in 1994.
3.(Ted) Theodore Robert Bundy,
Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous American serial killers. He confessed to killing 30 women between 1974 and 1978, although it is believed that the true number of his victims may be higher. Bundy was sentenced to death in 1979 but escaped prison twice; he was eventually recaptured and executed in 1989. (Wikipedia, 2020)
4. (David) Berkowitz. Also known as the "Son of Sam," David Berkowitz terrorized New York City during the summer of 1976, shooting 13 people (killing six). Berkowitz claimed that he received orders to eradicate a demonic dog belonging to his neighbor, Sam Carr, hence his nickname. (Wikipedia, 2020)
5. (Richard Ramirez). The so-called "Night Stalker," Richard Ramirez, terrorized Los Angeles during the mid-1980s, breaking into homes at night and murdering 14 people (as well as raping several women). Ramirez was finally captured after being identified by one of his victims; he was sentenced to death but died of natural causes while on Death Row in 2013. (Wikipedia, 2020)
6. (Aileen Wuornos) Aileen Wuornos became one of America's first female serial killers when she began murdering johns (men who had hired her for sex work) along Florida's highways in 1989/1990.
Most Famous Serial Killer
One of the most famous serial killers in American history is Ted Bundy. Bundy was convicted of killing three women in Washington State in the 1970s but is suspected of killing many more. He was described as a "charming" and "good-looking" man, which made him all the more dangerous.
Bundy often approached his victims in public places, offering to help them with something or asking for directions. He would then lure them away to a secluded area where he would attack and kill them. In some cases, he even returned to the crime scene to mutilate the bodies further.
Bundy was finally arrested in Colorado in 1977 after being pulled over for driving erratically. A search of his car revealed items that belonged to one of his victims, and he was eventually sentenced to death. He confessed to several murders before his execution in 1989, but many unsolved cases may be attributed to him.
Serial Killers That Were Never Caught
While the vast majority of murderers are eventually caught, a few killers have managed to evade justice. These elusive criminals have committed some of the most brutal murders in history, and their victims number in the dozens, if not hundreds. Here are five of the most famous (or infamous) serial killers who were never caught.
1. Jack the Ripper The identity of Jack the Ripper, one of history's most notorious serial killers, has never been conclusively determined. The killer terrorized London's Whitechapel district in 1888, brutally murdering five prostitutes. Despite an extensive police investigation at the time, no one was ever arrested for the crimes attributed to Jack the Ripper. To this day, his identity remains a mystery.
2. Zodiac Killer. The Zodiac Killer is another well-known serial killer whose identity has never been confirmed. The Zodiac Killer operated in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s; he is believed to have murdered at least five people (although some estimates put his victim count as high as 37). The killer gained notoriety by sending taunting letters to newspapers that included details about his crimes; however, despite an intense search led by law enforcement, he was never apprehended or identified. His case remains open to this day.
3.'BTK' Serial Killer In 1974, a serial killer began terrorizing Wichita, Kansas, with a series of murders lasting over two decades before he was finally apprehended in 2005. The perpetrator came to be known as 'BTK' (short for 'bind, torture kill') for his MO of binding and strangling his victims - usually women whom he targeted randomly. BTK sent taunting letters to local news outlets describing his crimes in detail; however, it wasn't until after he resumed killing after a long hiatus that authorities finally identified him as Dennis Rader. By that point, Rader had murdered ten people; he pleaded guilty to all counts and is currently serving ten consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole.
4.'Original Night Stalker' Like BTK, 'The Original Night Stalker' - also known as 'the East Area Rapist' - terrorized California communities throughout the 1970s, using similar methods (breaking into homes while residents slept, then binding them before sexually assaulting them ).
Conclusion
This blog post is about the top 10 serial killers. It lists the names of the killers and provides information about their crimes. It also includes a photo gallery of the criminals.