Donald Harvey did not come from the dysfunctional family background typical of most serial killers. He was his mother’s pride and joy and a teacher’s pet, though he was also a loner, a common trait for serial murderers. From 1970 onward, working as an orderly or nurse’ aide, Harvey had

Henry Lee Lucas may have been America’s most prolific serial killer, murdering over 200 people, though Lucas confessed to as many as 600! Authorities have eventually concluded that many of Lucas’ claims were exaggeration and/or references to other peoples’ murders. Be that as it may, from 1960, when Lucasmurdered his

The Zodiac Killer – An Overview Known as one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, the Zodiac Killer terrorized California’s Bay Area for over two years in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although no one has been definitively identified as the Zodiac Killer, many theories have

The Horrifying Legacy of Charles Manson Charles Manson is one of the most notorious criminals in American history. In the late 1960s, he gained notoriety as the leader of a cult known as “The Family” and was convicted of seven murders, including actress Sharon Tate. His crimes shocked the nation

Edward Theodore Gein was a grave robber and murderer whose foul deeds inspired some of the most frightening characters in horror films. Gein was a mama’s boy who also wanted to be a woman. He robbed nearby cemeteries and murdered women for body parts, so he could “dress himself up” to

Carl Panzram may have been one of history’s first identified sociopaths. This man showed no conscience or compassion and never expressed the slightest regret for murdering 21 human beings. Panzram’s trouble started at the age of eight when he was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. Then, at a reform

In 1997, Ronald Dominique embarked on a decade-long killing spree that might have claimed as many as 23 lives. When he was arrested in 2006, he was charged with eight murders and condemned to eight life sentences. However, while in custody, Dominique confessed to the murders of 23 gay men

The Noida serial murders (also known as the Nithari Kand) have been described as among the most notorious crimes ever perpetrated in India. Between 2005 and 2006, at least 16 children and women were killed in a small village called Nithari just outside New Delhi. Their skeletal remains were linked

Photo credit: Arizona Department of Corrections Mark Goudeau was active in the Phoenix metro area during 2005 and 2006 at the same time as the Phoenix Serial Shooters. His spree lasted about the same length, but he managed to claim the lives of nine victims. Goudeau had already had a

Photo credit: Brenton Geach/Cape Argus South Africa has had a string of notorious serial killers over the last few decades, and Jimmy Maketta is one of the worst. During his relatively short nine-month spree between April and December 2005, he killed 16 people. He was convicted in 2007 on 46