Famous Serial Killers

David Berkowitz

 Son of Sam

 Summer of 1976

 Shot 6 people, wounded 7 others

 Sent series of taunting letters to police and press

 Terrorized NYC

 Captured Aug 1977

 25 years to life for each murder- to be served consecutively

Dennis Rader

 BTK Killer

 Murdered 10 people

 Sedgwick County, Wichita, Kansas

 1974-1991

 Sent letters to police

 Went by name BTK for “Bind, Torture, Kill”

 Stalked victims, break into homes, bind limbs, strangle

 2005 sent a floppy disc to the press- he was traced to it

 10 consecutive life sentences

 Earliest possible release date is Feb 26, 2180

Richard Ramirez

 Satan worshipper

 Los Angeles  1984-1985

 Nicknamed Night Stalker

 Broke into homes

 Shoot, stab, rape, mutilate

 Victims ranged from 9 year old girl to a married couple in late 60’s

 Sentenced to death

 On death row for 23 years

 Died in cell in June 2013

Jeffrey Dahmer

 Milwaukee Cannibal

 17 men and boys

 Between 1978-1991

 Ate parts of victims in his home

 Caught when victim managed to overpower him and alert police

 1992- sentenced for 15 of the murders

 2 years into sentence- beaten to death by an inmate

Ted Bundy

 Kidnapped and murdered young women and girls in the 1970’s

 Approached girls in a public place, led to secluded areas, kill

 Dumped bodies in wooded areas

 Acted as own attorney- had access to law libraries

 Escaped from law library- twice broke out after capture

 Committed three more murders while escaped

 Executed by electric chair 1989 John Wayne Gacy

 Sexually assaulted and murdered 33 teenage boys and young men

 1972-1978

 Chicago

 Lured victims to his home- promise of work or money

 Murder by strangulation

 Buried 26 of the victims in crawl space under his home

 Sentenced to death

 14 years on death row

 Executed by lethal injection May 10, 1994

Gary Ridgway

 Confessed to killing at least 70 women

 Washington State between 1980’s to 90’s

 Avoided death penalty by giving detailed confession with dumping sites of victims

 5 of them he dumped in Green River

 Pressed nicknamed him the Green River Killer

 Life in prison- no parole