Top 15 Famous American Serial Killers

Serial killers in the USA outnumber those in other countries on a per capita basis, but this data may be due to better law enforcement records. These killers have many victims to their name. So, who are the most infamous serial killers in America?

"There's light and joy, but there's also darkness all around and we can be lost in it..." — David Almond

This is a list of notable serial killers from the USA, ranked by number of proven victims (deadliest):

#	Name:	Number of victims:
15.	Ed Gein	2 - 8
14.	The Zodiac Killer	5 - 37
13.	David Berkowitz	6
12.	Richard Trenton Chase	6
11.	Aileen Wuornos	7 - 8+
10.	H. H. Holmes	9 - 200+
9.	Edmund Kemper	10
8.	Dennis Rader	10
7.	Leonard Lake & Charles Ng	11 - 25
6.	The Boston Strangler (Albert DeSalvo)	13
5.	Richard Ramirez	13 - 16+
4.	Jeffrey Dahmer	17
3.	John Wayne Gacy	33 - 34+
2.	Ted Bundy	35 - 36+
1.	Gary Ridgway	49 - 90+

(See also Top 15 American Female Serial Killers)

(See also 7 Myths About Serial Killers)
(See also The Last Words of 30 Famous Serial Killers)
(See also Top 30 Serial Killers By Number of Victims (20th century))
(See also Top 30 Intelligent Serial Killers With Highest IQ)

15. Ed Gein (2 - 8)

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(Ed Gein)

Also known as the "Plainfield Ghoul", Ed Gein claimed responsibility for the deaths of two women in 1954 and 1957. Both women were shot, dismembered, and kept for trophies in Gein's house and shed. He was tried and convicted for the murder of Bernice Worden and died in a mental facility in 1984.

Born:  August 27, 1906, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, USA
Died:  July 26, 1984 (aged 77), Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Proven victims:  2

Possible victims:  8

Other names:  The Plainfield Ghoul, The Mad Butcher

Birthplace:  Wisconsin, United States of America

Height:  5'6" (168 cm)

Cause Of Death:  Cardiovascular disease, Respiratory failure

Place Of Death:  Mendota Mental Health Institute, Wisconsin, United States of America
Date apprehended:  November 16, 1957

14. The Zodiac Killer (5 - 37)

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(The Zodiac Killer)

The Zodiac Killer was responsible for at least five, and as many as 37, people in Northern California between December 1968 and November 1969. In this time the Zodiac, whose identity to this day is still unknown, sent menacing and cryptic messages to local newspapers in and around San Francisco, and continued to send ciphered messages to the newspapers after the killings had stopped. Though many books and articles have named possible suspects, the case remains open and unsolved.

Proven victims:  5

Possible victims:  37

Other names:  Zodiac
Span of killings: 1960s–1970s
Country:  United States
State(s):  California, possibly also Nevada

13. David Berkowitz (6)

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(David Berkowitz)

David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam" killer, claimed to be tormented by demons who spoke to him in the form of howling dogs in the neighborhood he lived. In 1976, Berkowitz claimed the first of his six victims, all of whom were shot without provocation, and would not stop until his arrest in 1977. He received a 365 year sentence for his actions.

Born:  June 1, 1953 (age 61), Brooklyn, New York

Proven victims:  6

Possible victims:  6

Other names:  The Son of Sam, The .44 Caliber Killer

Birthplace:  New York City, New York, United States of America
Date apprehended:  August 10, 1977

12. Richard Trenton Chase (6)

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(Richard Trenton Chase)

Schizophrenic known as "The "Vampire of Sacramento", he was convicted of six murders performed in the span of a month after being released of a psychiatric hospital where he had been committed for killing and eating the raw meat of several animals. In addition to killing his victims, he often raped the women's bodies and drank their blood, or took their organs home and ate them.

Born:  May 23, 1950, Santa Clara County, California, United States
Died:  December 26, 1980 (aged 30)

Proven victims:  6 

Possible victims:  6 

Other names:  The Dracula Killer, The Vampire of Sacramento, The Vampire Killer 

Birthplace:  California, United States of America 

Institution:  American River College 

Cause Of Death:  Drug overdose, Suicide 

Place Of Death:  Vacaville, California, United States of America
Date apprehended:  January 27, 1978

11. Aileen Wuornos (7 - 8+)

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(Aileen Wuornos)

Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Wuornos claimed that her victims had either raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute, and that all of the homicides were committed in self-defense. She was convicted and sentenced to death for six of the murders and was executed by the State of Florida by lethal injection on October 9, 2002.

Born:  Aileen Carol Pittman, February 29, 1956, Rochester, Michigan, U.S.
Died:  October 9, 2002 (aged 46), Florida State Prison, Bradford County, Florida, U.S.

Proven victims:  7

Possible victims:  8+

Other names:  Sandra Kretsch, Susan Lynn Blahovec, Lee Blahovec, Cammie Marsh Greene, Lori Kristine Grody

Birthplace:  Rochester, Michigan, United States of America

Cause Of Death:  Lethal injection, Capital punishment

Place Of Death:  Florida State Prison, Florida, United States of America
Date apprehended:  January 9, 1991

10. H. H. Holmes (9 - 200+)

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(Herman Webster Mudgett (Dr. Henry Howard Holmes))

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known under the name of Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was one of the first documented serial killers in the modern sense of the term. In Chicago at the time of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Holmes opened a hotel which he had designed and built for himself specifically with murder in mind, and which was the location of many of his murders. Holmes ran a hotel equipped for killing- outfitted with gas lines into guest rooms, giant furnaces, lime and acid pits, and large vaults- and would torture, suffocate, and strangle his victims before disposing of them in the facility. While he confessed to 27 murders, of which nine were confirmed, his actual body count could be as high as 200. Holmes was apprehended in Boston in 1894 and died by hanging in Philadelphia in 1896.

Born:  May 16, 1861, Gilmanton, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died:  May 7, 1896 (aged 34), Moyamensing Prison, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Proven victims:  9

Possible victims:  200+ (9 confirmed, 27 confessed, 200+ estimated)

Other names:  Henry W. Howard, Dr. Henry Howard Holmes

Birthplace:  Gilmanton, New Hampshire, United States of America

Profession:  Physician

Institution:  University of Michigan Health System

Cause Of Death:  Hanging

Place Of Death:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date apprehended:  November 17, 1894, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

9. Edmund Kemper (10)

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(Edmund Kemper)

Edmund Kemper, known as the "Co-Ed Killer", claimed 10 victims before surrendering to police in 1973. Kemper was confined to a juvenile facility after killing his grandparents at age 15, and carried on with his killings after being released. In 1972-73, Kemper killed his mother and a friend as well as six female college students who he mutilated and had sex with after their deaths. Kemper is currently serving a life sentence in the general population in a California jail.

Born:  Edmund Emil Kemper III, December 18, 1948 (age 67), Burbank, California

Proven victims:  10

Possible victims:  10

Other names:  The Co-ed Killer, The Co-ed Butcher

Height:  6'9" (206 cm)
Country:  United States
State(s):  California
Span of killings:  August 27, 1964–April 20, 1973
Date apprehended:  April 20, 1973

8. Dennis Rader (10)

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(Dennis Rader)

Known as the "BTK Killer" (blind, torture, kill), Dennis Rader was charged with the murders of 10 people in Kansas including four members of a neighboring family and several other he stalked and became obsessed with between the years of 1971-94. In 2004, Rader began communicating with police, even going so far as to send them information on a floppy disk that would eventually be traced back to his residence. Rader was apprehended and charged with the murders and is currently serving ten consecutive life sentences in a Kansas jail.

Born:  Dennis Lynn Rader, March 9, 1945 (age 71), Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S.

Proven victims:  10

Possible victims:  10

Other names:  The BTK Killer, The BTK Strangler, Bill Thomas Killman

Span of killings:  1974–1991
Date apprehended:  February 25, 2005

Institution:  Wichita State University, Wichita Heights High School, Butler Community College, Kansas Wesleyan University

7. Leonard Lake & Charles Ng (11 - 25)

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(Leonard Lake (right) and Charles Ng (left))

At least 12 bodies were found on the property of Leonard Lake in Wilseyville, CA including those of two couples and their small child, five men lured to the ranch to be robbed and murdered, and an 18-year-old woman. In addition to the dozen corpses found, police also discovered over 45 pounds of charred human bone fragments which could have come from as many as 25 additional people. Both men videotaped the torture, rape, and killing of several of their victims. Leonard Lake committed suicide by cyanide pill while in police custody, and Charles Ng has been on death row in California since 1999.

Born:  Leonard Lake, October 29, 1945, San Francisco, California
Born:  Charles Ng, December 24, 1960 (age 54), Hong Kong
Died:  Leonard Lake, June 6, 1985 (aged 39)
Cause of death:  Leonard Lake, Suicide by cyanide pill

Proven victims:  11

Possible victims:  25
Span of killings:  1983–1985

6. The Boston Strangler (Albert DeSalvo) (13)

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(The Boston Strangler (Albert DeSalvo))

The Boston Strangler is a name given to the murderer (or murderers) of 13 women in the Boston area, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, in the early 1960s. The crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo based on his confession, details revealed in court during a separate case, and DNA evidence linking him to the last murder victim. Since then, parties investigating the crimes have suggested that the murders (sometimes referred to as "the silk stocking murders") were committed by more than one person.

Age:  Died at 42 (1931-1973)

Number of victims:  13

Birthplace:  Chelsea, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Cause Of Death:  Murder
Date of murders:  June 1962 - January 1964
Date of arrest:  November 1964
Date of birth:  September 3, 1931
Location:  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Status:  Never convicted of murder. Sentenced to life in prison on January 9, 1967. Killed in prison by another inmate on November 25, 1973

5. Richard Ramirez (13 - 16+)

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(Richard Ramirez)

Richard Ramirez, "The Night Stalker", went on a killing spree in the Los Angeles area that claimed the lives of at least 13 and as many as 16 in a spree that included shootings, mutilations, and rapes of his actual and intended victims. He was caught in East LA after his mugshot was broadcast across Southern California and he was accosted by a mob in the process of attempting to steal a car. Ramirez was sentenced to death in 1989, and died of natural causes in 2013 while still on death row.

Born:  February 29, 1960, El Paso, Texas, USA
Died:  June 7, 2013 (aged 53), Greenbrae, California, USA
Cause of death:  B-cell lymphoma

Proven victims:  13

Possible victims:  16+

Other names:  The Night Stalker, The Walk-In Killer, The Valley Intruder

Birthplace:  Houston, Texas, United States of America

Height:  6' 1" (1.85 cm)

Span of killings:  April 10, 1984 – August 24, 1985
Location:  Los Angeles, California, USA
Date apprehended:  August 31, 1985

4. Jeffrey Dahmer (17)

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(Jeffrey Dahmer)

Between 1988-91, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer killed 17 men in Milwaukee, WI before the escape of his would-be 18th victim led to his capture. Dahmer is perhaps best known for dismembering and consuming parts of his victims, many of which were found in his apartment at the time of his arrest. Was sentenced to life imprisonment; murdered in prison in 1994.

Born:  Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, May 21, 1960, West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died:  November 28, 1994 (aged 34), Portage, Wisconsin, U.S.

Proven victims:  17

Possible victims:  17

Other names:  The Milwaukee Cannibal, The Milwaukee Monster

Birthplace:  West Allis, Wisconsin, United States of America

Profession:  Criminal

Institution:  Ohio State University, Revere High School

Height:  6' 0" (1.83 cm)
Weight:  180 lb (82 kg)

Cause Of Death:  Craniocerebral Trauma, Murder

Place Of Death:  Portage, Wisconsin, United States of America
Span of killings:  June 18, 1978 – July 19, 1991
Date apprehended:  July 22, 1991

3. John Wayne Gacy (33 - 34+)

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(John Wayne Gacy Jr.)

Known to have murdered a minimum of 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, 26 of whom he buried in the crawl space of his Chicago home. Gacy was known as the "Killer Clown" due to the fact he often entertained children at social events dressed in a self devised clown costume. He was executed by lethal injection in 1994.

Born:  John Wayne Gacy, Jr., March 17, 1942, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died:  May 10, 1994 (aged 52), Crest Hill, Illinois, USA

Proven victims:  33

Possible victims:  34+

Other names:  The Killer Clown

Birthplace:  Chicago, Illinois, United States of America

Profession:  Clown

Height:  5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight:  225 lb (16 st 1 lb; 102 kg)

Cause Of Death:  Lethal injection, Capital punishment

Place Of Death:  Crest Hill, Illinois, United States of America
Span of killings:  January 3, 1972 – December 11, 1978
Date apprehended:  December 21, 1978

2. Ted Bundy (35 - 36+)

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(Theodore "Ted" Bundy)

Theodore Bundy was a serial killer who terrorized the nation from 1974 until his final capture in 1979. He was attractive, educated, and charming but also a brutal killer who raped and killed an untold number of women across the country. Bundy confessed to 30 murders but authorities believe the true number of victims totaled over 100. After 10 years on death row, Bundy was executed by electrocution on January 24, 1989.

Born:  Theodore Robert Cowell, November 24, 1946, Burlington, Vermont, USA
Died:  January 24, 1989 (aged 42), Florida State Prison, Bradford County, Florida, USA
Proven victims:  35
Possible victims:  36+
Other names:  Chris Hagen, Kenneth Misner, Officer Roseland, Richard Burton, Rolf Miller
Profession:  Criminal
Institution:  Woodrow Wilson High School, University of Washington, University of Utah, University of Puget Sound, Temple University
Major/Field Of Study:  Psychology
Height:  5'10" (178 cm)
Cause Of Death:  Electric chair, Capital punishment
Place Of Death:  Florida State Prison, Florida, United States of America
Span of killings:  August 13, 1961, or February 1, 1974 – February 9, 1978
Date apprehended: August 16, 1975; escaped June 7, 1977; re-apprehended June 13, 1977; escaped December 30, 1977; re-apprehended February 15, 1978

1. Gary Ridgway (49 - 90+)

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(Gary Ridgway)

Over the course of nearly 20 years, Gary Ridgway, known as "The Green River Killer", terrorized the areas surrounding the Green River in Washington's King County where he would lure, kill, and dispose of at least 49 victims before his capture in 2001. While the number of confirmed deaths numbers 49, Ridgway confessed to killing as many as 71 women in his interviews after capture. He is currently serving 480 years in a Washington prison without the possibility of parole.

Born:  Gary Leon Ridgway, February 18, 1949 (age 67), Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

Proven victims:  49

Possible victims:  71 - 90+

Other names:  Green River Gary, The Green River Killer, The Riverman

Birthplace:  Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America

Institution:  Tyee Educational Complex
Span of killings:  1982–1998 confirmed, but could be as recent as 2001
Date apprehended:  November 30, 2001

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