Photo credit: Wisconsin Department of Corrections Walter Ellis had a 21-year killing career before he was finally caught in 2007. During this time, he raped and killed seven women in the city of Milwaukee. He received nickname of the “Milwaukee North Side Strangler” from a local news organization and was

Photo credit: Arizona Department of Corrections Phoenix was not a good place to live in 2005 and 2006 because it had not one but two serial killers active at the same time. One of them, dubbed the Serial Shooter by the media, performed drive-by shootings on pedestrians seemingly targeted at

Luis Garavito is not as famous as some of his rivals here on this list, but he is the most prolific serial killer of all time. Born on January 25th, 1957, “La Bestia” is the oldest of seven brothers. His childhood was ruled by his father, subsequently described as both

By far one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, the “Monster of the Andes” butchered enough people to fill a small town. After killing around 100 tribal women in Peru in the 1970s, he was apprehended by tribal forces that were just about ready to execute him

Elizabeth Bathory was a 16th century countess in Hungary who was responsible for the murder of 200-300 young women, who were brought to her castle after being promised well-paid work as servants. They were tortured and killed. Atrocities include severe beatings; burning or mutilation of hands, faces and genitalia; freezing

Amelia Dyer was the most prolific baby farm murderess in history. Baby farming was the caring of illegitimate children for a lump sum payment. Dyer let the infants die from neglect and abuse almost immediately after receipt of each child, than she would pocket most of, or all, the fee.

Harold Shipman was born on January 14th, 1946, the second of four children to devout Methodist parents. In 1963, his mother died from cancer. In 1970, he graduated from medical school. He became a doctor and a respected member of his community. However, he injected his patients – most of

As if Serfdom wasn’t bad enough, this Russian noblewoman, during the 1700s, made it even worse. She tortured and killed at least 100 of her serfs, but was not arrested until 1762, because of her routes and her wealth. In 1762, Russian Empress Catherine II decided to try Saltykova publicly,

Thug Behram was the leader of the Thuggee cult, which was responsible for the murder of 931 people between 1790 and 1840. Behram himself committed about 125 murders, each with the ceremonial ruhmal (handkerchief). To join the cult, one’s father or mother must have been a member. In at least

Miyuki Ishikawa was an experienced midwife who murdered at least 103 newborn children during the 1940s. The parents of these newborns were poor and could not afford to raise a child. She could not raise the children, so to solve this problem she neglected them, and many of these children

Rais was a Breton who fought against the English, often serving alongside Joan of Arc. A year after Joan was burned at the stake, Rais retired from military service and returned to his family’s castle, at Machecoul. From there, Rais began a campaign of sadistic sex murders, killing between 60

On April 28, 1996, a lone gunman entered the Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania, Australia. Over the course of the next hour and a half, he would shoot and kill thirty-five people and injure twenty-three others. The shooter was Martin Bryant—a man who had been described by his neighbors

In May 1938, 21-year-old Toi Mutsuo was severely depressed and suffered from tuberculosis, which at the time was an incurable and terminal illness. He lived in the small village of Kaio, on the outskirts of Okayama in Japan. Mutsuo’s parents died when he was very young, forcing him to be

Baruch Goldstein was an American-born Israeli settler who perpetrated the notorious Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, in 1994. As a member of the militant Jewish Defense League, Goldstein heavily discriminated against Arabs throughout his life before the massacre. He worked as a physician in the Israeli Defense force, though he

On October 16th, 1991, George Hennard, of Bell County Texas, drove his pick-up truck through the window of a Luby’s Cafeteria. The carnage that followed later became known as the Luby’s Massacre. Hennard crawled out of the vehicle and screamed at the top of his voice: “This is what Bell

It’s cheating a bit to put Gein on here, since he only has two confirmed kills and therefore doesn’t technically fit the definition of a serial killer (which requires three or more). However, it’s hard to do a list like this and leave off the killer who helped inspire Norman

Richard Trenton Chase Richard Trenton Chase was killing cats at age 10 and showed all the signs of becoming a nasty little psychopath when he veered into heavy drug use and eventually was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Over time, his behavior became increasingly bizarre and violent as he became convinced

Fish was a sado-masochist, gay rapist, cannibal, and pedophile who believe God was telling him to torture and mutilate children. He was an especially prolific child molester, who was believed to have abused more than 400 children despite having been married and fathered six children of his own. Fish was