Serial Killers With the Most Victims

Ranked by the number of murders a court convicted the person of. Confessed and suspected counts are shown separately because they rest on weaker evidence than a conviction.

ColdCaseIndex currently lists 104 serial killers in this group, out of 104 profiles. The list is computed from the dataset on every build, so it changes as profiles are added.

Serial Killers With the Most Victims
#NameAliasStateActiveConvictedConfessedSuspectedLegal statusFate
1Gary RidgwayThe Green River KillerWashington1982 to 19984971At least 71 (49 confirmed plus about 22 additional suspected)ConvictedImprisoned
2Donald HarveyAngel of DeathOhio, Kentucky1970 to 19873787No official attribution beyond the 37 he pleaded guilty to; Harvey's own claims ranged from about 50 to 87ConvictedDied in prison
3John Wayne GacyThe Killer ClownIllinois1972 to 1978333033 confirmed; Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has said he suspects Gacy also killed while travelling for work, which the trial prosecutor disputesConvictedExecuted
4Charles CullenThe Angel of DeathNew Jersey, Pennsylvania1988 to 20032929Up to 40 by Cullen's own estimateConvictedImprisoned
5Juan CoronaJuan Vallejo CoronaCalifornia197125—25ConvictedDied in prison
6Jeffrey DahmerThe Milwaukee CannibalWisconsin, Ohio1978 to 1991161717ConvictedDied in prison
7Randy KraftThe Scorecard KillerCalifornia, Oregon, Michigan1972 to 1983160up to 67ConvictedImprisoned
8Robert Lee Yates Jr.The Spokane Serial KillerWashington1975 to 1998151516; at his arrest the Spokane County sheriff cited 12 to 18 possible victimsConvictedImprisoned
9William BoninThe Freeway KillerCalifornia1979 to 1980142122 to 36; police initially linked him to about 40 killingsConvictedExecuted
10Joseph James DeAngeloThe Golden State KillerCalifornia1975 to 1986131313 murders; prosecutors also attribute about 50 rapes and more than 120 burglariesConvictedImprisoned
11Richard RamirezThe Night StalkerCalifornia1984 to 198513—15 or more (13 convictions plus two San Francisco killings attributed by police)ConvictedDied in prison
12Henry Lee LucasThe Confession KillerTexas, Michigan, West Virginia1960 to 198311600Disputed: a Texas task force once attributed 200 or more killings to him; the Texas Attorney General's 1986 report found most of his confessions false, and DNA later excluded him from at least one murder he was convicted ofConvictedDied in prison
13Herbert MullinHerbert William MullinCalifornia1972 to 1973111313ConvictedDied in prison
14Arthur ShawcrossThe Genesee River KillerNew York1972 to 1989111111 murders plus 2 child deaths resolved by a 1972 manslaughter plea; police initially reviewed up to 17 deaths or disappearancesConvictedDied in prison
15Anthony SowellThe Cleveland StranglerOhio2007 to 200911—11ConvictedDied in prison
16Charles NgCharles Chitat NgCalifornia1984 to 198511—11 to 25ConvictedImprisoned
17Donald Henry GaskinsPee Wee GaskinsSouth Carolina1970 to 1982101314 to 15ConvictedExecuted
18Dennis RaderBTKKansas1974 to 1991101010ConvictedImprisoned
19Lonnie Franklin Jr.The Grim SleeperCalifornia1985 to 200710—14 to 25ConvictedDied in prison
20Gerald StanoGerald Eugene StanoFlorida1973 to 19809419 to 41ConvictedExecuted
21Joel RifkinJoel the RipperNew York1989 to 199391717ConvictedImprisoned
22Richard CottinghamThe Torso KillerNew Jersey, New York1967 to 198091520 attributed by prosecutors (9 convictions plus 11 cleared confessions); Cottingham has claimed 80 to 100ConvictedImprisoned
23Henry Louis WallaceThe Taco Bell StranglerNorth Carolina, South Carolina1990 to 199491111ConvictedImprisoned
24Samuel LittleSamuel McDowellCalifornia, Florida, Ohio, Texas1970 to 2005893about 60 confirmed by the FBI, of 93 confessedConvictedDied in prison
25Bobby Joe LongRobert Joseph LongFlorida19848910ConvictedExecuted
26Edmund KemperThe Co-ed KillerCalifornia1972 to 19738810, including his grandparents, killed in 1964 when he was 15ConvictedImprisoned
27Joseph Paul FranklinJames Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name)Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee1977 to 19808—8 to 22ConvictedExecuted
28Rex HeuermannRex Andrew HeuermannNew York1993 to 2010788ConvictedImprisoned
29Kenneth BianchiThe Hillside StranglerCalifornia, Washington1977 to 19797712 (10 in Los Angeles with Buono, 2 in Bellingham)ConvictedImprisoned
30Todd KohlheppTodd Christopher KohlheppSouth Carolina2003 to 2016777; Kohlhepp later claimed additional undisclosed victims, none verifiedConvictedImprisoned
31Roger KibbeI-5 StranglerCalifornia1977 to 1987768 or moreConvictedKilled
32Rodney AlcalaThe Dating Game KillerCalifornia, New York1971 to 1979728 charged (one Wyoming charge was never tried); investigators have linked him to further deaths in California, Washington, New York, New Hampshire and Arizona, with published estimates ranging into the dozensConvictedDied in prison
33Paul Dennis ReidThe Fast Food KillerTennessee19977—7ConvictedDied in prison
34Walter EllisThe Milwaukee North Side StranglerWisconsin1986 to 20077—9 (Milwaukee police said in 2009 that his DNA matched evidence from nine women killed 1986 to 2007; a former homicide detective later cited at least five more unsolved cases in which he was a suspect)ConvictedDied in prison
35Aileen WuornosAileen Carol WuornosFlorida1989 to 1990677ConvictedExecuted
36David BerkowitzSon of SamNew York1976 to 1977666 killed and 7 wounded in the eight charged shootings; in 2024 the NYPD also attributed an April 1976 Bronx shooting that wounded a womanConvictedImprisoned
37Robert BerdellaThe Kansas City ButcherMissouri1984 to 1987666ConvictedDied in prison
38Lorenzo GilyardThe Kansas City StranglerMissouri1977 to 19936—13ConvictedImprisoned
39Ottis TooleOttis Elwood TooleFlorida1980 to 19836—1 further (Adam Walsh, attributed by Hollywood, Florida police in 2008; never charged)ConvictedDied in prison
40Richard ChaseRichard Trenton ChaseCalifornia1977 to 19786—6ConvictedSuicide
41Robert FoleyRobert Carl FoleyKentucky1989 to 19916—6ConvictedImprisoned
42Danny RollingThe Gainesville RipperFlorida, Louisiana1989 to 1990588ConvictedExecuted
43Keith Hunter JespersonThe Happy Face KillerOregon, Washington, California, Florida, Wyoming, Nebraska1990 to 1995588ConvictedImprisoned
44Arthur Gary BishopRoger DownsUtah1979 to 1983555ConvictedExecuted
45Edward Wayne EdwardsEd EdwardsOhio, Wisconsin1977 to 1996555ConvictedDied in prison
46Shawn Grate—Ohio2006 to 2016555ConvictedImprisoned
47Waneta HoytWaneta Ethel Nixon HoytNew York1965 to 1971555ConvictedDied in prison
48Kenneth McDuffThe Broomstick MurdererTexas1966 to 19925—9 to 14 or moreConvictedExecuted
49Lawrence BittakerThe Tool Box KillersCalifornia19795—5ConvictedDied in prison
50Robert HansenRobert Christian HansenAlaska1971 to 198341717 to 21ConvictedDied in prison
51Gary Michael HiltonThe National Forest Serial KillerNorth Carolina, Florida, Georgia2007 to 2008444ConvictedImprisoned
52Scott Lee KimballScott KimballColorado, Utah2003 to 2004444ConvictedImprisoned
53Kristen GilbertKristen Heather StricklandMassachusetts1995 to 19964—4 murders and 3 attempted murders charged; prosecutors noted she was on duty for about half of roughly 350 deaths on her ward between 1989 and 1996, but no further murders were attributed to herConvictedImprisoned
54Timothy Wilson SpencerThe Southside StranglerVirginia19874—5 (investigators also attributed the 1984 Arlington murder of Carolyn Hamm to him; he was never charged with it)ConvictedExecuted
55Ted BundyTheodore Robert BundyWashington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Florida1974 to 197833020 attributed by police before his confessions; the FBI put the total at more than 30, and some estimates run to 36 or moreConvictedExecuted
56Jerry BrudosJerome Henry BrudosOregon1968 to 1969344ConvictedDied in prison
57Robert Ben RhoadesThe Truck Stop KillerTexas, Illinois1989 to 1990334 to 50+ConvictedImprisoned
58Westley Allan DoddThe Vancouver Child KillerWashington1989333ConvictedExecuted
59Alfredo PrietoAlfredo Rolando PrietoVirginia, California1988 to 19903—9ConvictedExecuted
60Carlton GaryThe Stocking StranglerGeorgia, New York1977 to 19783—7 to 9ConvictedExecuted
61Dorothea PuenteDorothea Montalvo PuenteCalifornia1982 to 19883—9 (charged); seven bodies recovered from her yard, one from the Sacramento River, one earlier death reclassifiedConvictedDied in prison
62Khalil Wheeler-Weaver—New Jersey20163—4ConvictedImprisoned
63Robert Charles BrowneRobert BrowneColorado, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas1980 to 19912489 to 48ConvictedImprisoned
64Larry EylerThe Highway KillerIllinois, Indiana1982 to 198422119 to 24 (police estimates, 1983 to 1984)ConvictedDied in prison
65Coral Eugene WattsThe Sunday Morning SlasherTexas, Michigan1974 to 1982212roughly 90 unsolved cases (Michigan task force estimate, 2004); some estimates exceed 80ConvictedDied in prison
66Derrick Todd LeeThe Baton Rouge Serial KillerLouisiana1998 to 20032—7ConvictedDied in prison
67Gary HeidnikGary Michael HeidnikPennsylvania1986 to 19872——ConvictedExecuted
68Genene JonesGenene Ann JonesTexas1981 to 19822—more than a dozen to as many as 60ConvictedImprisoned
69Judy BuenoanoJudias BuenoanoFlorida1971 to 19832—3ConvictedExecuted
70Shelly KnotekMichelle KnotekWashington1991 to 20032—3 deaths in the household (the third was her husband's conviction)ConvictedReleased
71Tommy Lynn SellsCoast to Coast KillerTexas1987 to 19992—18 to 70ConvictedExecuted
72Wayne WilliamsWayne Bertram WilliamsGeorgia1979 to 19812—24ConvictedImprisoned
73H. H. Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett)Henry Howard HolmesIllinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana1891 to 1894127About 9 (8 confirmed, 1 probable); claims of 27 to 200 or more are not supported by the recordConvictedExecuted
74Carl PanzramCharles PanzramKansas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut1920 to 19291215 corroborated by investigators; Panzram also claimed killings in Portuguese AngolaConvictedExecuted
75Angel Maturino ResendizThe Railroad KillerTexas, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois1986 to 199911115 to 23ConvictedExecuted
76Joshua WadeJoshua Alan WadeAlaska1994 to 2007155ConvictedDied in prison
77Nannie DossThe Giggling GrannyAlabama, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma1927 to 195414up to 11ConvictedDied in prison
78Velma BarfieldMargie Velma BarfieldNorth Carolina1974 to 1978145 to 7ConvictedExecuted
79Albert FishHamilton Howard FishNew York1924 to 1928135 to 15 (contemporary police and psychiatric estimates); he claimed about 100, unverifiedConvictedExecuted
80Marybeth TinningMarybeth Roe TinningNew York1972 to 1985138 of the 9 deathsConvictedReleased
81Gary SchaeferGary Lee SchaeferVermont1979 to 1983123ConvictedDied in prison
82Amy Archer-GilliganAmy E. Archer GilliganConnecticut19141—5 to 24ConvictedDied (other)
83Jane ToppanJolly JaneMassachusetts1895 to 1901—3131 to 100Not guilty by reason of insanityDied (other)
84Albert DeSalvoThe Boston StranglerMassachusetts1962 to 1964—131 to 13Confessed, never triedKilled
85Israel Keyes—Alaska, Vermont2001 to 20120811 (FBI, 2013)Died before trialSuicide
86Alan Wade Wilmer Sr.Colonial Parkway KillerVirginia1986 to 1989——7Suspected, never chargedDied (other)
87Axeman of New OrleansThe AxemanLouisiana1918 to 1919——At least 6 killed and 6 injured in the attacks attributed to the series in 1918 and 1919; historians dispute which attacks belong to it, and totals of up to 17 killed have been citedUnidentifiedUnknown
88Belle GunnessBrynhild Paulsdatter StørsethIndiana, Illinois1900 to 1908——14 to more than 40 (remains of at least 11 people dug up on the farm, plus three children and a headless woman in the fire ruins)Suspected, never chargedUnknown
89Christopher WilderThe Beauty Queen KillerFlorida, Texas, Kansas, Utah, California, New York19840—At least 8 killed; 11 or more abductedDied before trialKilled
90Cleveland Torso MurdererThe Mad Butcher of Kingsbury RunOhio1935 to 1938——12 officially counted (7 men, 5 women); some researchers suggest 20 or moreUnidentifiedUnknown
91Connecticut River Valley KillerThe Valley KillerNew Hampshire, Vermont1978 to 1988——At least 7 women killed; 1 woman attacked and survivedUnidentifiedAt large
92Dean CorllThe Candy ManTexas1970 to 19730—28 attributed by Houston police; 27 bodies recovered in 1973; a 2025 forensic review points to at least 30Died before trialKilled
93Eastbound StranglerAtlantic City Serial KillerNew Jersey2006——4UnidentifiedAt large
94Freeway PhantomThe Freeway PhantomDistrict of Columbia, Maryland1971 to 1972——6UnidentifiedAt large
95Herb BaumeisterHerbert Richard BaumeisterIndiana, Ohio1980 to 1995——At least 11 at Fox Hollow Farm (coroner estimates up to 25 or more), plus 9 deaths in Indiana and Ohio from 1980 to 1990 linked by sheriffs in 1998Died before trialSuicide
96Honolulu StranglerThe Honolulu RapistHawaii1985 to 1986——5 (attributed by the Honolulu Police Department task force)UnidentifiedAt large
97I-70 KillerI-70 Serial KillerIndiana, Missouri, Kansas, Texas1992——6 killed in 1992; 2 more killed and 1 wounded in Texas in 1993 to 1994 are a disputed possible linkUnidentifiedAt large
98New Bedford Highway KillerNew Bedford Highway KillingsMassachusetts1988——9 to 11UnidentifiedAt large
99Oakland County Child KillerThe Babysitter KillerMichigan1976 to 1977——4UnidentifiedAt large
100Paul John KnowlesThe Casanova KillerFlorida, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, Connecticut, Virginia1974——18 to 35Died before trialKilled
101Phantom Killer of TexarkanaThe Phantom KillerTexas, Arkansas1946——5 killed and 3 wounded in 4 attacksUnidentifiedUnknown
102Wayne NanceThe Missoula MaulerMontana1974 to 1986——6Died before trialKilled
103West Mesa Bone CollectorWest Mesa murdersNew Mexico2003 to 2005——11 women and an unborn child recovered; police say up to 8 more missing women may be linkedUnidentifiedAt large
104Zodiac KillerZodiacCalifornia1968 to 1969——5 confirmed killed and 2 survivors; 37 claimed in a 1974 letterUnidentifiedAt large

Profiles

Convicted 1982 to 1998

Gary Ridgway

The Green River Killer

Imprisoned. Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, pleaded guilty in 2003 to 48 murders of women and girls in King County, Washington, between 1982 and 1998, and to a 49th in 2011.

Washington 49 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1970 to 1987

Donald Harvey

Angel of Death

Pleaded guilty in 1987 and 1988 to 37 murders of hospital patients and others in Ohio and Kentucky between 1970 and 1987; claimed as many as 87.

Ohio 37 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1972 to 1978

John Wayne Gacy

The Killer Clown

Executed in 1994. John Wayne Gacy was convicted by a Cook County jury in 1980 of murdering 33 boys and young men in suburban Chicago between 1972 and 1978; 29 were found at his home. Five victims remain unidentified.

Illinois 33 convicted Executed
Convicted 1988 to 2003

Charles Cullen

The Angel of Death

Imprisoned. Former nurse who pleaded guilty to murdering 29 patients with drug overdoses at New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals from 1988 to 2003; sentenced in 2006 to 18 life terms. He has estimated his own toll at up to 40.

New Jersey 29 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1971

Juan Corona

Juan Vallejo Corona

Died in prison. Labor contractor Juan Corona was convicted of murdering 25 farmworkers buried in orchards near Yuba City, California, in 1971.

California 25 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1978 to 1991

Jeffrey Dahmer

The Milwaukee Cannibal

Died in prison. Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys in Ohio and Wisconsin between 1978 and 1991. A jury found him sane on 15 counts in 1992; he received 16 life terms and was killed by a fellow inmate in 1994.

Wisconsin 16 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1972 to 1983

Randy Kraft

The Scorecard Killer

On death row in California since 1989. Randy Kraft was convicted by an Orange County jury of murdering 16 young men between 1972 and 1983; a coded list found at his 1983 arrest is believed to reference up to 67 victims in…

California 16 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1975 to 1998

Robert Lee Yates Jr.

The Spokane Serial Killer

Imprisoned for life. Former Army helicopter pilot who pleaded guilty in Spokane County in 2000 to 13 murders (1975 to 1998) and was convicted by a Pierce County jury in 2002 of two more; his death sentence became life without…

Washington 15 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1979 to 1980

William Bonin

The Freeway Killer

Executed in 1996. William Bonin, the Freeway Killer, was convicted by juries in Los Angeles and Orange counties of murdering 14 boys and young men along Southern California freeways in 1979 and 1980; he confessed to 21.

California 14 convicted Executed
Convicted 1975 to 1986

Joseph James DeAngelo

The Golden State Killer

Imprisoned for life. Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer, pleaded guilty in 2020 to 13 California murders committed from 1975 to 1986 and admitted dozens of rapes; he was identified in 2018 through forensic genetic genealogy.

California 13 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1984 to 1985

Richard Ramirez

The Night Stalker

Died on death row in 2013. Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, was convicted by a Los Angeles jury in 1989 of 13 murders, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries committed in 1984 and 1985, and sentenced to…

California 13 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1960 to 1983

Henry Lee Lucas

The Confession Killer

Died in prison in 2001. Texas drifter convicted of 11 murders who confessed to about 600 killings in 1983 to 1985 and then recanted; a 1986 Texas Attorney General report found most confessions false, and his death sentence was…

Texas 11 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1972 to 1973

Herbert Mullin

Herbert William Mullin

Died in prison. Herbert Mullin admitted killing 13 people in Santa Cruz County and Los Gatos, California, in 1972 and 1973. Convicted of 11 murders in two counties, he was repeatedly denied parole and died at a Stockton prison…

California 11 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1972 to 1989

Arthur Shawcross

The Genesee River Killer

Convicted by a Monroe County jury in December 1990 of 10 murders of Rochester-area women and sentenced to 250 years to life; pleaded guilty to an 11th in Wayne County.

New York 11 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 2007 to 2009

Anthony Sowell

The Cleveland Strangler

Convicted by a Cuyahoga County jury in 2011 of 11 aggravated murders after the remains of 11 women were found at his Cleveland home in October 2009; sentenced to death, affirmed on appeal, died in state custody in February 2021.

Ohio 11 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1984 to 1985

Charles Ng

Charles Chitat Ng

Under sentence of death. Charles Ng was convicted in 1999 of 11 murders committed with Leonard Lake in 1984 and 1985, centred on a rural property in Wilseyville, California.

California 11 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1970 to 1982

Donald Henry Gaskins

Pee Wee Gaskins

Executed. Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins was serving life sentences for nine South Carolina murders from 1970 to 1975 when he killed death-row inmate Rudolph Tyner with a bomb in 1982. Sentenced to death, he was electrocuted in 1991.

South Carolina 10 convicted Executed
Convicted 1974 to 1991

Dennis Rader

BTK

Serving life. Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, pleaded guilty in 2005 to ten murders in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, from 1974 to 1991 and received ten consecutive life terms.

Kansas 10 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1985 to 2007

Lonnie Franklin Jr.

The Grim Sleeper

Died on death row in 2020. Lonnie Franklin Jr., the Grim Sleeper, was convicted by a Los Angeles jury in 2016 of 10 murders and one attempted murder in South Los Angeles between 1985 and 2007, and was caught in 2010 through…

California 10 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1973 to 1980

Gerald Stano

Gerald Eugene Stano

Executed. Gerald Stano was convicted of nine murders of young women in Florida between 1973 and 1980 and confessed to about 41 in three states, though police doubted several confessions.

Florida 9 convicted Executed
Convicted 1989 to 1993

Joel Rifkin

Joel the Ripper

Imprisoned. Joel Rifkin, a Long Island landscaper, confessed to killing 17 women in New York between 1989 and 1993 and was convicted of nine murders after a 1993 traffic stop revealed a body in his truck.

New York 9 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1967 to 1980

Richard Cottingham

The Torso Killer

Imprisoned since 1980. Richard Cottingham, the "Torso Killer", was convicted at trials in New Jersey and New York (1981, 1982, 1984) of five murders, later pleaded guilty to four more, and has confessed to 11 others closed…

New Jersey 9 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1990 to 1994

Henry Louis Wallace

The Taco Bell Strangler

On death row. Henry Louis Wallace was convicted in 1997 of murdering nine young women in Charlotte, North Carolina, between 1992 and 1994 and received nine death sentences.

North Carolina 9 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1970 to 2005

Samuel Little

Samuel McDowell

Died in prison. Samuel Little was convicted of eight murders in California, Texas and Ohio. He confessed to 93 killings from 1970 to 2005, and authorities said nearly 60 were confirmed. He died in December 2020, aged 80.

California 8 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1984

Bobby Joe Long

Robert Joseph Long

Executed in 2019. Bobby Joe Long pleaded guilty to eight 1984 murders of women in the Tampa Bay area and was sentenced to death for one; a survivor's account of her abduction led police to him.

Florida 8 convicted Executed
Convicted 1972 to 1973

Edmund Kemper

The Co-ed Killer

Imprisoned. Edmund Kemper was convicted by a Santa Cruz County jury in 1973 of eight counts of first-degree murder for killing six young women, his mother and her friend in 1972 and 1973.

California 8 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1977 to 1980

Joseph Paul Franklin

James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name)

Executed. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist sniper, was convicted of eight murders in Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee committed between 1977 and 1980.

Utah 8 convicted Executed
Convicted 1993 to 2010

Rex Heuermann

Rex Andrew Heuermann

Serving life. Massapequa Park architect Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty in April 2026 to seven of the Gilgo Beach / Long Island serial killings and admitted an eighth. He was sentenced in June 2026 to life without parole.

New York 7 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1977 to 1979

Kenneth Bianchi

The Hillside Strangler

Imprisoned for life. Kenneth Bianchi, one of the two Hillside Stranglers, pleaded guilty in 1979 to five Los Angeles murders and two Bellingham, Washington murders; his cousin Angelo Buono was convicted of nine killings in 1983.

California 7 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 2003 to 2016

Todd Kohlhepp

Todd Christopher Kohlhepp

Imprisoned for life. Todd Kohlhepp, a South Carolina real estate agent, pleaded guilty in May 2017 to seven murders: the 2003 Superbike Motorsports shootings in Chesnee and three people killed on his Woodruff property in 2015…

South Carolina 7 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1977 to 1987

Roger Kibbe

I-5 Strangler

Killed in prison. Roger Kibbe, the I-5 Strangler, was convicted in 1991 of murdering Darcie Frackenpohl and pleaded guilty in 2009 to six more killings of women in Northern California.

California 7 convicted Killed
Convicted 1971 to 1979

Rodney Alcala

The Dating Game Killer

Convicted; died on California's death row in 2021. Rodney Alcala, the Dating Game Killer, was convicted in 2010 of five murders in Southern California (1977-1979) after two overturned Samsoe convictions, and pleaded guilty in…

California 7 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1997

Paul Dennis Reid

The Fast Food Killer

Died in prison. Paul Dennis Reid was convicted of murdering seven workers in robberies at a Captain D's and a McDonald's in Nashville and a Baskin-Robbins in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1997.

Tennessee 7 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1986 to 2007

Walter Ellis

The Milwaukee North Side Strangler

Convicted of seven murders; died in prison in 2013. Walter Ellis strangled women on Milwaukee's north side between 1986 and 2007, was identified through a 2009 DNA review of unsolved homicides, and pleaded no contest in 2011.

Wisconsin 7 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1989 to 1990

Aileen Wuornos

Aileen Carol Wuornos

Executed by Florida in 2002. Aileen Wuornos shot seven men along Florida highways in 1989 and 1990; a jury convicted her of the Richard Mallory murder and she pleaded guilty or no contest to five more, receiving six death…

Florida 6 convicted Executed
Convicted 1976 to 1977

David Berkowitz

Son of Sam

Imprisoned. David Berkowitz, the 'Son of Sam', pleaded guilty in 1978 to six murders in New York City's 1976-77 .44-caliber shootings, which killed six and wounded seven.

New York 6 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1984 to 1987

Robert Berdella

The Kansas City Butcher

Died in prison. Robert Berdella pleaded guilty in 1988 to murdering six young men held captive at his Kansas City, Missouri home between 1984 and 1987.

Missouri 6 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1977 to 1993

Lorenzo Gilyard

The Kansas City Strangler

Serving life. Lorenzo Gilyard, a Kansas City trash company supervisor, was linked by DNA in 2004 to the strangling of 12 women and girls and convicted in 2007 of six 1986-1987 murders.

Missouri 6 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1980 to 1983

Ottis Toole

Ottis Elwood Toole

Died in prison 1996. Jacksonville drifter convicted of six Florida murders (1980-1983); two death sentences reduced to life. Confessed with Henry Lee Lucas to many more, then recanted.

Florida 6 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1977 to 1978

Richard Chase

Richard Trenton Chase

Suicide. Richard Chase was convicted in May 1979 of six counts of first-degree murder for killings in Sacramento, California, in December 1977 and January 1978.

California 6 convicted Suicide
Convicted 1989 to 1991

Robert Foley

Robert Carl Foley

Serving death sentence. Robert Carl Foley was convicted of six murders in Laurel County, Kentucky: four people shot in 1989 and brothers Rodney and Lynn Vaughn in 1991.

Kentucky 6 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1989 to 1990

Danny Rolling

The Gainesville Ripper

Executed in Florida in 2006. Danny Rolling pleaded guilty in 1994 to murdering five college students in Gainesville in August 1990 and, days before his execution, confessed in writing to the 1989 killing of three members of the…

Florida 5 convicted Executed
Convicted 1990 to 1995

Keith Hunter Jesperson

The Happy Face Killer

Serving life. Long-haul trucker Keith Hunter Jesperson, the Happy Face Killer, is held at the Oregon State Penitentiary for murders of women committed between 1990 and 1995; eight killings in six states are considered confirmed.

California 5 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1979 to 1983

Arthur Gary Bishop

Roger Downs

Executed. Arthur Gary Bishop was convicted in 1984 of abducting and murdering five boys, aged 4 to 13, in the Salt Lake City area between 1979 and 1983.

Utah 5 convicted Executed
Convicted 1977 to 1996

Edward Wayne Edwards

Ed Edwards

Died in prison. Edward Wayne Edwards pleaded guilty in 2010 and 2011 to five murders in Ohio and Wisconsin committed between 1977 and 1996.

Ohio 5 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 2006 to 2016

Shawn Grate

On Ohio's death row. Shawn Grate was convicted of killing five women in Ashland, Richland and Marion counties between 2006 and 2016; a captive's 911 call from his Ashland house led to his arrest in September 2016.

Ohio 5 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1965 to 1971

Waneta Hoyt

Waneta Ethel Nixon Hoyt

Died in prison. Waneta Hoyt of Tioga County, New York, was convicted in 1995 of murdering her five children between 1965 and 1971, deaths long attributed to SIDS.

New York 5 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1966 to 1992

Kenneth McDuff

The Broomstick Murderer

Executed 1998. Texas killer sentenced to death for three 1966 murders, released on parole in 1989 after his sentence was commuted, and convicted of two 1991 to 1992 murders; his case drove Texas parole reform.

Texas 5 convicted Executed
Convicted 1979

Lawrence Bittaker

The Tool Box Killers

Died on death row in 2019. Lawrence Bittaker and accomplice Roy Norris, the 'Tool Box Killers', kidnapped and murdered five teenage girls in Los Angeles County in 1979.

California 5 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1971 to 1983

Robert Hansen

Robert Christian Hansen

Died in prison. Anchorage baker Robert Hansen pleaded guilty in 1984 to murdering four women in Alaska, confessed to killing 17, and was sentenced to 461 years. He died in custody in Anchorage in August 2014, aged 75.

Alaska 4 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 2007 to 2008

Gary Michael Hilton

The National Forest Serial Killer

Imprisoned. Gary Michael Hilton was convicted of killing four people on forest land in 2007 and 2008: Meredith Emerson in Georgia, Cheryl Dunlap in Florida and John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina.

North Carolina 4 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 2003 to 2004

Scott Lee Kimball

Scott Kimball

Serving 70 years. Scott Lee Kimball, a con man released in 2002 to work as a paid FBI informant, pleaded guilty in Boulder County, Colorado, in October 2009 to killing four people, including his uncle, in Colorado and Utah in…

Colorado 4 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1995 to 1996

Kristen Gilbert

Kristen Heather Strickland

Imprisoned for life. Former VA nurse convicted by a federal jury in March 2001 of murdering four patients and trying to kill two others with epinephrine injections at the Northampton, Massachusetts, VA Medical Center in 1995 and…

Massachusetts 4 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1987

Timothy Wilson Spencer

The Southside Strangler

Executed in Virginia in 1994. Timothy Spencer, the Southside Strangler, was convicted by juries of raping and strangling four women in Richmond and Arlington in fall 1987, the first U.S. murder convictions won on DNA evidence.

Virginia 4 convicted Executed
Convicted 1974 to 1978

Ted Bundy

Theodore Robert Bundy

Executed in Florida in 1989. Ted Bundy was convicted of three murders in Florida and confessed to 30 killings of young women across Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Florida between 1974 and 1978.

Florida 3 convicted Executed
Convicted 1968 to 1969

Jerry Brudos

Jerome Henry Brudos

Convicted on guilty pleas to three first-degree murders in Oregon in 1969 and sentenced to three consecutive life terms. Jerry Brudos confessed to four killings of young women in 1968 and 1969 and died in the Oregon State…

Oregon 3 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1989 to 1990

Robert Ben Rhoades

The Truck Stop Killer

Serving life. Long-haul trucker Robert Ben Rhoades pleaded guilty to the 1990 murder of 14-year-old Regina Walters in Illinois and, in 2012, to the Texas capital murders of Patricia Walsh and Douglas Scott Zyskowski.

Texas 3 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1989

Westley Allan Dodd

The Vancouver Child Killer

Executed. Westley Allan Dodd pleaded guilty to murdering three boys in the Vancouver, Washington area in 1989. A jury sentenced him to death in 1990; he waived his appeals and was hanged at Walla Walla on January 5, 1993.

Washington 3 convicted Executed
Convicted 1988 to 1990

Alfredo Prieto

Alfredo Rolando Prieto

Executed. Alfredo Prieto was sentenced to death in California for the 1990 murder of a 15-year-old girl and in Virginia for the 1988 killings of two George Washington University students in Reston.

Virginia 3 convicted Executed
Convicted 1977 to 1978

Carlton Gary

The Stocking Strangler

Executed. Carlton Gary, the Columbus, Georgia "Stocking Strangler," was convicted in 1986 of the 1977 murders of three elderly women, Florence Scheible, Martha Thurmond and Kathleen Woodruff, and executed by lethal injection in…

Georgia 3 convicted Executed
Convicted 1982 to 1988

Dorothea Puente

Dorothea Montalvo Puente

Died in prison 2011. Sacramento boarding-house operator charged with nine murders after seven bodies were dug from her yard in 1988; a Monterey County jury convicted her of three in 1993 and deadlocked on six.

California 3 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 2016

Khalil Wheeler-Weaver

Serving 160 years. Khalil Wheeler-Weaver of Orange, New Jersey, was convicted in December 2019 of murdering three women he met through online apps in 2016 and attempting to kill a fourth.

New Jersey 3 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1980 to 1991

Robert Charles Browne

Robert Browne

Serving life. Robert Charles Browne pleaded guilty to the 1991 murder of Heather Dawn Church and the 1987 murder of Rocio Sperry near Colorado Springs.

Colorado 2 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1982 to 1984

Larry Eyler

The Highway Killer

Died in prison. Larry Eyler was convicted in Illinois in 1986 of murdering Daniel Bridges and sentenced to death, pleaded guilty in Indiana in 1990 to a second murder, and confessed through his attorney to 21 killings of young…

Illinois 2 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1974 to 1982

Coral Eugene Watts

The Sunday Morning Slasher

Died in prison in 2007. Confessed in 1982 to 12 murders under a Texas plea deal that granted immunity and a 60-year burglary sentence, then convicted by Michigan juries in 2004 and 2007 of two earlier stabbings.

Texas 2 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1998 to 2003

Derrick Todd Lee

The Baton Rouge Serial Killer

Died in prison. Derrick Todd Lee was convicted of murdering two women in south Louisiana in 2002 and sentenced to death; DNA linked him to five more killings between 1998 and 2003.

Louisiana 2 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1986 to 1987

Gary Heidnik

Gary Michael Heidnik

Executed in 1999. Gary Heidnik held six women captive in his Philadelphia basement from November 1986 to March 1987; two died. A jury convicted him of two first-degree murders in 1988.

Pennsylvania 2 convicted Executed
Convicted 1981 to 1982

Genene Jones

Genene Ann Jones

Imprisoned. Texas pediatric nurse convicted by a jury in 1984 of murdering 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan and injuring another child; pleaded guilty in 2020 to the 1981 murder of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer.

Texas 2 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1971 to 1983

Judy Buenoano

Judias Buenoano

Executed. Judy Buenoano was convicted of poisoning her husband James Goodyear with arsenic in Orlando in 1971 and of murdering her son Michael, who drowned in 1980. She was electrocuted at Florida State Prison in March 1998.

Florida 2 convicted Executed
Convicted 1991 to 2003

Shelly Knotek

Michelle Knotek

Released in 2022 after serving about 19 years. Pleaded guilty (Alford pleas) in 2004 to second-degree murder of Kathy Loreno and first-degree manslaughter of Ron Woodworth, boarders who died in her Pacific County, Washington…

Washington 2 convicted Released
Convicted 1987 to 1999

Tommy Lynn Sells

Coast to Coast Killer

Executed. Drifter Tommy Lynn Sells was sentenced to death for the 1999 murder of 13-year-old Kaylene Harris near Del Rio, Texas, and pleaded guilty to a second child killing in San Antonio.

Texas 2 convicted Executed
Convicted 1979 to 1981

Wayne Williams

Wayne Bertram Williams

Serving life. Wayne Williams was convicted in 1982 of murdering two adult men in Atlanta. Police then closed 22 other Atlanta child murders cases as attributed to him without trial; he maintains his innocence, and the city…

Georgia 2 convicted Imprisoned
Convicted 1891 to 1894

H. H. Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett)

Henry Howard Holmes

Executed in 1896. Herman Webster Mudgett, alias H. H. Holmes, was convicted in Philadelphia of murdering Benjamin Pitezel and is tied to about nine deaths in Chicago, Indianapolis and Toronto.

Illinois 1 convicted Executed
Convicted 1920 to 1929

Carl Panzram

Charles Panzram

Executed 1930. Carl Panzram, a career burglar, confessed in 1928 to 21 murders in several states and abroad; he was convicted of only one, the 1929 killing of a Leavenworth prison foreman, and was hanged in Kansas.

Kansas 1 convicted Executed
Convicted 1986 to 1999

Angel Maturino Resendiz

The Railroad Killer

Executed in Texas in 2006. Angel Maturino Resendiz, the Railroad Killer, was convicted of the 1998 murder of Dr. Claudia Benton near Houston, admitted 11 killings along rail lines in Texas, Florida, Kentucky and Illinois, and…

Texas 1 convicted Executed
Convicted 1994 to 2007

Joshua Wade

Joshua Alan Wade

Died in prison. Joshua Wade pleaded guilty in 2010 to murdering his Anchorage neighbor Mindy Schloss and admitted the 2000 killing of Della Brown; in 2014 he confessed to three more Alaska killings.

Alaska 1 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1927 to 1954

Nannie Doss

The Giggling Granny

Died in prison. Nannie Doss pleaded guilty in 1955 to poisoning her fifth husband, Samuel Doss, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, confessed to killing four husbands, and is linked to as many as 11 family deaths from 1927 to 1954.

Oklahoma 1 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1974 to 1978

Velma Barfield

Margie Velma Barfield

Executed. Velma Barfield was convicted in 1978 of poisoning her boyfriend Stuart Taylor with arsenic in Robeson County, North Carolina, and admitted poisoning three others, including her mother.

North Carolina 1 convicted Executed
Convicted 1924 to 1928

Albert Fish

Hamilton Howard Fish

Executed at Sing Sing in 1936. Albert Fish was convicted in 1935 of the 1928 murder of 10-year-old Grace Budd in New York after a letter he sent her family was traced to him; he also confessed to two earlier child killings.

New York 1 convicted Executed
Convicted 1972 to 1985

Marybeth Tinning

Marybeth Roe Tinning

Convicted in 1987 of the murder of her infant daughter Tami Lynne; nine of her children died between 1972 and 1985 in Schenectady, New York. Sentenced to 20 years to life, paroled in August 2018.

New York 1 convicted Released
Convicted 1979 to 1983

Gary Schaefer

Gary Lee Schaefer

Died in prison. Gary Schaefer was convicted of the 1983 murder of 11-year-old Katy Richards in Springfield, Vermont, confessed to a 1981 killing and was charged in a third.

Vermont 1 convicted Died in prison
Convicted 1914

Amy Archer-Gilligan

Amy E. Archer Gilligan

Died (other). Amy Archer-Gilligan, who ran a home for elderly people in Windsor, Connecticut, was convicted of poisoning resident Franklin Andrews with arsenic in 1914.

Connecticut 1 convicted Died (other)
Not guilty by reason of insanity 1895 to 1901

Jane Toppan

Jolly Jane

Died (other). Massachusetts nurse Jane Toppan confessed in 1902 to poisoning 31 people from 1895 to 1901. A Barnstable jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity, and she died in 1938 at the Taunton state hospital, where…

Massachusetts 31 confessed Died (other)
Confessed, never tried 1962 to 1964

Albert DeSalvo

The Boston Strangler

Killed. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the 13 Boston Strangler murders of 1962 to 1964 but was never tried for them. Serving life for unrelated assaults and robberies, he was stabbed to death at Walpole prison in 1973.

Massachusetts 13 confessed Killed
Died before trial 2001 to 2012

Israel Keyes

Died before trial. Israel Keyes was indicted for the 2012 kidnapping and killing of Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, confessed to murdering Bill and Lorraine Currier in Vermont and five others, and died by suicide in custody in…

Alaska 0 convicted Suicide
Suspected, never charged 1986 to 1989

Alan Wade Wilmer Sr.

Colonial Parkway Killer

Suspected, never charged. Fisherman Alan Wade Wilmer Sr., who died in 2017, has been named by the FBI and Virginia State Police as responsible for six of the eight Colonial Parkway victims of 1986 to 1989, plus a 1989 Hampton…

Virginia 7 suspected Died (other)
Unidentified 1918 to 1919

Axeman of New Orleans

The Axeman

Unidentified. An unknown attacker killed at least six people and injured six more in night-time axe attacks on homes in New Orleans and Gretna, Louisiana, between May 1918 and October 1919, most of them Italian-American grocers.

Louisiana At least 6 killed and 6 injured in the attacks attributed to the series in 1918 and 1919; historians dispute which attacks belong to it, and totals of up to 17 killed have been cited suspected Unknown
Suspected, never charged 1900 to 1908

Belle Gunness

Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth

Suspected, never charged. Norwegian-born widow whose La Porte, Indiana farm yielded the remains of at least 11 people after an April 1908 fire; the headless body ruled hers in 1908 is disputed and 2008 DNA tests were inconclusive.

Indiana 14 to more than 40 (remains of at least 11 people dug up on the farm, plus three children and a headless woman in the fire ruins) suspected Unknown
Died before trial 1984

Christopher Wilder

The Beauty Queen Killer

Died before trial. Christopher Wilder, an Australian-born Florida businessman, is linked by the FBI to at least eight murders and eleven or more abductions across the United States between February 26 and April 13, 1984, when he…

Florida 0 convicted Killed
Unidentified 1935 to 1938

Cleveland Torso Murderer

The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run

Unidentified. An unknown offender decapitated and dismembered 12 officially counted victims in Cleveland, Ohio, between 1935 and 1938, most found in or near Kingsbury Run.

Ohio 12 officially counted (7 men, 5 women); some researchers suggest 20 or more suspected Unknown
Unidentified 1978 to 1988

Connecticut River Valley Killer

The Valley Killer

Unidentified. At least seven women were stabbed to death in the Connecticut River Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont between 1978 and 1987, and a pregnant woman survived a 1988 attack.

New Hampshire At least 7 women killed; 1 woman attacked and survived suspected At large
Died before trial 1970 to 1973

Dean Corll

The Candy Man

Killed by his accomplice in 1973 and never charged. Dean Corll, Houston's 'Candy Man', is linked by police to 28 murders of boys and young men from 1970 to 1973; accomplices Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks were convicted.

Texas 0 convicted Killed
Unidentified 2006

Eastbound Strangler

Atlantic City Serial Killer

Unidentified. The bodies of four women, two of them confirmed strangled or asphyxiated, were found facing east in a drainage ditch behind a Black Horse Pike motel in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, on November 20, 2006.

New Jersey 4 suspected At large
Unidentified 1971 to 1972

Freeway Phantom

The Freeway Phantom

Unidentified. The Freeway Phantom abducted and strangled six Black girls and young women, aged 10 to 18, in Washington, D.C., between April 1971 and September 1972, leaving their bodies beside roads in D.C.

District of Columbia 6 suspected At large
Died before trial 1980 to 1995

Herb Baumeister

Herbert Richard Baumeister

Died by suicide before charges. Indianapolis thrift-store owner whose Westfield estate, Fox Hollow Farm, yielded the remains of at least 11 men in 1996; sheriffs later linked him to nine more deaths along I-70.

Indiana At least 11 at Fox Hollow Farm (coroner estimates up to 25 or more), plus 9 deaths in Indiana and Ohio from 1980 to 1990 linked by sheriffs in 1998 suspected Suicide
Unidentified 1985 to 1986

Honolulu Strangler

The Honolulu Rapist

Unidentified. An unknown man sexually assaulted, bound and strangled five women on Oahu, Hawaii, between May 1985 and April 1986, leaving them near waterways around Honolulu airport.

Hawaii 5 (attributed by the Honolulu Police Department task force) suspected At large
Unidentified 1992

I-70 Killer

I-70 Serial Killer

Unidentified. Six shop workers were shot in the head in small stores in Indiana, Kansas and Missouri between April 8 and May 7, 1992, all linked by a .22-caliber weapon.

Indiana 6 killed in 1992; 2 more killed and 1 wounded in Texas in 1993 to 1994 are a disputed possible link suspected At large
Unidentified 1988

New Bedford Highway Killer

New Bedford Highway Killings

Unidentified. Nine women who disappeared from New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1988 were found beside area highways in 1988 and 1989, and two more remain missing.

Massachusetts 9 to 11 suspected At large
Unidentified 1976 to 1977

Oakland County Child Killer

The Babysitter Killer

Unidentified. Four children aged 10 to 12 were abducted in Oakland County, Michigan, between February 1976 and March 1977 and found dead days or weeks later.

Michigan 4 suspected At large
Died before trial 1974

Paul John Knowles

The Casanova Killer

Killed. Paul John Knowles, the Casanova Killer, was linked to at least 18 killings across several states in 1974 after escaping a Jacksonville jail.

Georgia 18 to 35 suspected Killed
Unidentified 1946

Phantom Killer of Texarkana

The Phantom Killer

Unidentified. An attacker shot and beat eight people in four attacks around Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas, between February and May 1946, killing five.

Texas 5 killed and 3 wounded in 4 attacks suspected Unknown
Died before trial 1974 to 1986

Wayne Nance

The Missoula Mauler

Killed. Wayne Nance, a Missoula furniture delivery driver, was shot dead in 1986 by a man he attacked at home. Investigators suspect him of at least six killings in western Montana from 1974 to 1985; he was never charged.

Montana 6 suspected Killed
Unidentified 2003 to 2005

West Mesa Bone Collector

West Mesa murders

Unidentified. The remains of 11 women and an unborn child were found buried on Albuquerque's West Mesa in February 2009; the women had disappeared between 2003 and 2005.

New Mexico 11 women and an unborn child recovered; police say up to 8 more missing women may be linked suspected At large
Unidentified 1968 to 1969

Zodiac Killer

Zodiac

Unidentified. The Zodiac Killer attacked seven people in Northern California between December 1968 and October 1969, killing five, and taunted police and newspapers with letters and ciphers.

California 5 confirmed killed and 2 survivors; 37 claimed in a 1974 letter suspected At large

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