Edmund Kemper

• Years Active: 1972–1973

• Nickname: The Co-Ed Killer

• Motives:

  • Hatred of women

  • Troubled relationship with his mother

• Victims:

  • 10 total victims, mainly young female college students, and family members

• Modus Operandi:

  • Lured victims in

  • Strangulation

  • Engaged in necrophilia

  • Dismemberment of bodies

• Known For:

  • Remarkable height of 6'9"

  • High intelligence

  • Chilling confessions about his crimes

Richard Ramirez

• Years Active: 1984–1985

• Nickname: The Night Stalker

• Motives:

  • Satanism

  • Thrill-seeking

  • Sexual violence

• Victims:

  • 13+ victims, including men, women, and children

• Modus Operandi:

  • Home invasion

  • Shooting and stabbing

  • Sexual assault

• Known For:

  • Terrorizing the city of Los Angeles with brutal home invasions

Jeffrey Dahmer

• Years Active: 1978–1991

• Nickname: The Milwaukee Cannibal

• Motives:

  • Sexual compulsion

  • Desire for control and companionship

• Victims:

  • 17 young men and boys

• Modus Operandi:

  • Lured victims in

  • Strangulation

  • Dismemberment of bodies

  • Engaged in necrophilia

  • Cannibalism

• Known For:

  • Acts of cannibalism and preserving body parts

Ed Gein

• Years Active: 1950s (discovered in 1957)

• Nickname: The Butcher of Plainfield

• Motives:

  • Obsession with his mother

  • Psychological illness

• Victims:

  • 2 confirmed victims, with suspicions of more

• Modus Operandi:

  • Exhumed corpses from graves

  • Made trophies from body parts

• Known For:

  • Inspiring fictional killers including Norman Bates and Leatherface

Aileen Wuornos

• Years Active: 1989–1990

• Nickname: The Damsel of Death

• Motives:

  • Claims of self-defense

  • Hatred of men

  • Financial gain

• Victims:

  • 7 men

• Modus Operandi:

  • Hitchhiked to find victims

  • Used shooting as method of killing

• Known For:

  • Being a rare female serial killer

  • Controversial trial that garnered media attention

Dorothea Puente

• Years Active: 1982–1988

• Nickname: The Death House Landlady

• Motives:

  • Financial gain via cashing social security checks of tenants

• Victims:

  • 9 elderly or disabled tenants

• Modus Operandi:

  • Poisoning victims

  • Buried victims in her yard

• Known For:

  • Killing vulnerable tenants for profit

Belle Gunness

• Years Active: 1880s–1908

• Nickname: Lady Bluebeard

• Motives:

  • Financial gain through insurance and murder

• Victims:

  • Estimated between 14 to 40 (including husbands, suitors, children)

• Modus Operandi:

  • Poisoning

  • Bludgeoning

  • Dismemberment

• Known For:

  • Disappearing after a fire at her home

  • Suspected of committing multiple murders

H.H. Holmes

• Years Active: 1890s

• Nickname: The Devil in the White City

• Motives:

  • Financial gain

  • Sadistic pleasure

• Victims:

  • Estimated 9 confirmed, possibly over 20

• Modus Operandi:

  • Constructed a "Murder Castle" with traps

  • Utilized methods including poisoning and suffocation

• Known For:

  • Designing a notorious 'Murder Castle' with secret rooms and traps

John Wayne Gacy

• Years Active: 1972–1978

• Nickname: The Killer Clown

• Motives:

  • Sexual sadism

  • Desire for control

• Victims:

  • 33 young men and boys

• Modus Operandi:

  • Lured victims with false promises of work or money

  • Strangulation technique

  • Buried victims under his house

• Known For:

  • Performing as a clown at charity events while committing murders

Ted Bundy

• Years Active: 1974–1978

• Nickname: Ted

• Motives:

  • Sexual compulsion

  • Desire for control

  • Hatred of women

• Victims:

  • Estimated 30+ young women

• Modus Operandi:

  • Lured victims by feigning injury or impersonating authority

  • Methods included bludgeoning and strangulation

• Known For:

  • Charismatic personality

  • Escaped custody twice

  • Committing brutal murders