Notorious Murderers and Serial Killers

Although this is completely subjective, most would like say one of the following two:

* Marcus Julius Brutus who killed Julius Caesar

* John Wilkes Booth who killed Abraham Lincoln

It is very difficult to break these killers down to a particular county by the very nature of serial murder. It is very common for serial killers to kill in many different areas, counties, states, countries and sometimes continents. That being said, California has the most serial killers. But it is also the most populated state in the country so that makes sense. California's killers have come from large urban cities from San Diego to San Francisco and beyond. But less populated areas are also well represented. Case in point, the Zodiac (original) killer of the 1960's and 1970's. Although he was never identified it is obvious he came from a smaller town, probably Vallejo, CA, not the more urban City by the Bay. By these statistics it is obvious that location is not at the core of serial murder.

This is proved by the state of Washington. Washington has been the home and/or stomping ground to more serial killers (per capita) than any other state. In simpler terms, Washington state has a relatively small population compared to it's more populated neighbor to the south. It is also the home to the most famous killers from Ted Bundy to Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgeway. There have been many theories put forth as to why this is so but no single theory explains this completely. The amount of rainfall and limited sunlight being just one of those theories. It is possible that it may be a combination of serveral factors, weather/sunlight under-exposure might contribute but there is no concrete evidence to prove or disprove this.

The youngest-ever female serial killer may be Mary Bell, a ten year old who murdered several playmates. I hate to burst your bubble, but Mary Bell was not a serial killer by definition. She was responsible for only 2 murders(proven and confessed). 3 or more victims are required to fit the Serial Killer criteria, so she is not a Serial Killer. She only killed 2 of her playmates at different times.

///There are rumors that the FBI wants to change the three-victim minimum to two victims to qualify as a serial killer. I'm not sure if the change has been made or if it is still being discussed.

Not enough as the authorities want to. One of the primary reasons that active serial killers go uncaught is because a great many of them have learned to pick victims that are not easily identified. In some cases, nobody even notices that they are gone. Transients, homeless, and prostitutes often lead the type of lives that can leave them at risk with serial killers. In 1978, the FBI set up a Behavioural Science Service Unit in Quantico, Virginia. At this centre, serial killers are studied, and profiles are compiled on suspects. The FBI estimates that there are currently 1000 serial killers at large. Other estimates are much lower, around 35 - 100 serial killers currently committing crimes. In 1983, they estimated that 5000 Americans, or 15 people a day were killed by strangers. Every year, between 3500 - 5000 people in America are the victims of serial killers. In the past 20 years, 160 serial killers have been identified or captured, and 120 of them were in the United States.

The area between Houston, Texas and Galveston, Texas. More specifically, any where near I-45 It's suspected that at least two serial killers could be operating along this area. To date, it's believed that at least 24 women, have been killed.

There are so many but I will hit on the ones people are most familiar with. No serial killer list would be complete without Jack The Ripper. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Gary Ridgeway, Richard Ramirez, Son Of Sam (David Berkowitz) and the Zodiac. It's sad to say that with the exception of Jack The Ripper, who was from London, the rest of these killers are American.

It really is a matter of perspective, and there are different types of homicide and the people who commit them.

For war crimes, many would say Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin are right up there. But, one must also consider Pol Pot, Idi Amin Dada, Saddam Hussien, and Mehmed Talaat Pasha Bey, as well as a host of other government leaders of nations around the world and throughout history. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 resulted in 2,402 killed1, 247 wounded.

On 11 September, 2001, terrorists from al-Queda ended the lives of nearly 3,000, wounding over 6,000.

Jack The Ripper is the most infamous individual serial killer. John Wayne Gacy was one of the most prolific along with Wayne Williams, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer.

Charles Whitman killed sixteen and wounded thirty-two from a clock tower on the campus of the University of Texas. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed twelve students and a teacher at Columbine High School. Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan killed thirteen and wounded 29 at Ft. Hood, Texas. Jared Lee Loughner shot nineteen people at a Tuscon, Arizona shopping center, six of them died.

Aileen Wuornos takes first place as a female serial killer, however Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, of Hungary is credited with as many as 650 victims.

Jodi Arias will not be put to death -- at least not yet.

There are different kinds of murder. Adolf Hitler was resposible for the murders of at least 6 million Jews during the holocaust. Russian dictator Stalin killed 20 million people. The Roman Catholic Church admits to at least 100 million Christian deaths before Napolion exiled the Pope and effectively shut down the papacy in the late 1700's.

French nobleman Gilles de Rais raped and killed an estimated 600 young boys during the 1440's. Luis Garavito of Columbia was convicted of 138 murders of young boys but is suspected of at least 400 kills in the 1990's.

Whitman falls into the group called spree killers. They are a completely different breed of killer. They are usually motivated by anger and revenge on a world that does not understand them and has treated them poorly. These types of killers a lot of times plan on suicide or death by police gunfire. They don't want to be taken alive. They want to 'get back' and then 'check out'. And usually these crimes have nothing to do with sex or sexual fantasies, which is the driving force with most serial killers.

It was a great day for the FBI. Theodore John Kaczynski was arrested by FBI agents on April 3, 1996, in Lincoln, Montana.

Yes

Augusta Gein died on December 29, 1945.by smoked to much and she got paralyzed

Criminal experts predict that 1 serial killer will have 20 victims on average. Those 20 victims have numerous relatives, friends, coworkers, ect. So with the 'ripple effect' that's a lot of people. One victim's death can effect hundreds of lives. Then multiply that by the number of serial killers (could be up to 100 at any given time) in just the USA alone. The total is astounding.

This kind of killer is a huge drain on society. To catch this type of killer is expensive. The man hours , mostly overtime, can send small community law enforcement into the red. If the killer is not caught within a short period of time, a task force is usually set up to organize the evidence and keep everyone on the same page, information wise. There is expensive DNA and other forensic testing that must be done.

So the effects are far-reaching and expensive.

Serial Killer - A serial killer is a typical white male, 20-30, and most of them are usually in the USA. Their main motives are sex(even though the act of sex may or may not take place), power, manipulation, domination and control. The sex motive is usually rape for an organized killer and sadism for a disorganized killer. They act in a series of 5 or more murders with a cooling off period between each murder. Serial killers can go on for months and years before they are usually caught. The victim is usually the same for every killer - prostitute, hitch-hiker etc. Their victims may also have the same or similar attributes in gender, age, race, general look, residence etc. Serial killers also stick by their modus operandi very closely and may change it with experience. Most murders occur by strangulation, suffocation, stabbing etc. Serial killers act by a sex-murder fantasy based with their control, they usually live in this dream world in their teens until they act it out for real when they get into the adult stage. As each murder occurs a serial killer may be disappointed by his murder fantasy and may act it out again to achieve it to their own satisfaction.

Mass Killer - A mass killer is a a very angry and frustrated white male, 25-40, who may be suffering from some sort of mental problem. They are wholey disorganized and show a similar lifestyle to that of a disorganized serial killer. Their lifestyle usually includes such things as - they have a large array of weapons at home, are heavily into violence(on TV or videogames etc), live by themselves or with a parent, have no partner and may have been rejected by the opposite sex too much, would have tried to get into the army, plus many other common factors. They usually attack restaurants, schools, or other public places(they may at some time have been affiliated with this place because they could of been stressed, fired there, or rejected by the opposite sex there) wearing army camouflague gear and armed to the teeth. They have a blitz style attack involving machine guns or sometimes explosives. Although mass killers usually have guns there have been a few cases like Richard Speck - where all victims(considered to be over 3 for a mass kill) may be killed by stabbing or strangulation. The blitz attack has them with an automatic weapon with many spare rounds firing at any person in their path. The victims may or may not be related(some mass killers kill their entire families), but usually they just kill anyone. In many cases the killer has killed more females than males, this goes with the rejection factor. As they become suddenly stressed and act out this large murder in a short time of usually minutes to hours, they may commit suicide or get shot by police. No mass killer ever intends or knows he is going to escape the carnage.

Spree Killer - A spree killer is like a serial killer at warp speed(without the sex motive) or a mass killer at a snails pace. There havn't been too many spree killers and people havn't usually heard of them. A spree killer is usually a white male 20-30 who acts like a mass killer, killing alot of people by shooting, and this murdering usually happens over a period of time from a week/s to a month, with the killer fleeing the police and public fear at the same time. Spree killers usually flee with someone else and are like the typical mass killer but who intends to go uncaptured. Some cases of spree killers are Charles Starkweather or Andrew Cunanan. They are alike to mass killers in ways of victims and methods but lifestyles may have the spree killer with a criminal record and a partner.

There are several that could fit that description. Ted Bundy taught America that you can't trust a handsome face and charming demeanor. John Wayne Gacy was everyone's ideal neighbor, a businessman and involved in local politics when he wasn't entertaining children with his Pogo the Clown personna. Jeffrey Dahmer shocked the world with his freezer full of heads and other body parts, leftovers from victims he had for dinner. Gary Ridgeway, quiet and polite, considered a good Christian by those who knew him, killed over 60 young women in the Seattle, WA, area. He was finally caught by advances in DNA technology after two decades of killing. And finally, Charles Manson*, a living, breathing nightmare who has brought untold misery to those unlucky enough to enter his orbit.

*Charles Manson is considered a serial killer but also was a cult leader.

Before the fictional Hannibal Lecter there was a select group of real life monsters that terrorized our neighborhoods.

Albert Fish, Andrei Chickatilo, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. Between them their reigns of terror claimed over 150 lives. The Real Life Hannibal Lecters will take you into a world that is rarely shown on television. In the last 30 years, serial killers invegitations remains opened reaching more than 200 deaths a year and a unknown number of serial killers at large. This is no small number.

Ohio is famous for bringing serial killers to the world. Thomas Carr, richard tingle, Neal Bradley Long, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, William K. Sapp, James Ruppert, Larry Ralston, Thomas Dillon, Michael Swango, Gary & Thaddeus Lewingdon, Alton Coleman & Debra Brown, Moreland Family Juvenile Baby Killer, Eric Elliott, Lewis Gilbert and the Cleveland Torso Murderer were from Ohio.

If I forget to mention one, feel free to add it to the list.Moore's father is the notorious "Happy Face Killer" Keith Hunter Jesperson, who got his nickname for the smiley faces he allegedly drew on letters to police and the media, and is currently serving three life sentences for the strangulation deaths of eight women (he once claimed to have as many as 160 victims).

It is currently unknown how many actual serial killers originate from Alaska. It is also difficult to say how many fugitive murderers have avoided justice by moving to Alaska from somewhere else in the United States.

One well-known serial killer from Alaska was Robert C. Hansen or Bob "The Butcher" Baker, who was convicted of killing 4 women and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 11 recovered bodies are known to be Hansen's work but police speculate the death toll could be up to 30 or more.

Originally from Iowa, Hansen moved to Alaska as an adult. Despite prior arrests for theft and rape, Hansen managed to live under the radar for a decade as a quiet, respectable member of the community. He owned a bakery in Anchorage, Alaska (hence the name) and was an avid hunter, outdoorsman and pilot.

After sending his family on vacation, Hansen worked his 'Summer projects' by prowling the streets of Anchorage for prostitutes and strippers. After coercing one into his vehicle, he would kidnap her, bring her to his Anchorage home, rape her repeatedly, fly her out to his remote cabin on Knik River and release her into the woods. He would then hunt her down like an animal with his .223 caliber rifle.

In 1983, Hansen's luck ran out when 17-year-old Cindy Paulson managed to escape from the hangar before being flown out. Though her claims were largely ignored at first, they began taking her seriously after the discovery of the body of Jane Doe, 'Eklutna Annie'.

Police raided Hansen's home and discovered the murder weapon and a whole loot of paraphernalia connecting him to the murders. In 1984, Hansen confessed to 4 murders out of a plea bargain and even assisted police in finding other bodies. It is unknown to this day exactly how many women Hansen has killed.

There is no capital punishment in Alaska so Hansen is currently spending the rest of his years in the Seward, Alaska penitentiary.

- R. Shortman

Wasilla, Alaska

At the time of his arrest, Ridgeway lived with his third wife in Auburn, WA. A city in Washington south of Seattle.

The 'strain theory' as it applies to Gary L. Ridgeway, aka Green River Killer, begins in his childhood. Ridgeway had a very interesting relationship with his domineering mother. Borderline incestuous, Ridgeway later told how her provocative way of dressing, bathing young Gary when in his teens, and an absent father left Ridgeway sexually attracted to his mother. She was also overbearing and would quite frequently humiliate him especially about his bed wetting. Although the Ridgeways seemed, at least superfically, like an average family, Gary struggled throughout his childhood and teen years.

As an adult he had failed marriages (2), failed service record, and in general had trouble relating to other people. As is common with serial killers, many are not at ease with the rest of the human population.