As macabre as the subject matter may be, there’s s omething alluring about serial killers that we can’t help but be drawn to. They’ve been the fascination of the mainstream media and the public at large for decades.
The topic of murder and serial killers , in general, has spawned an entire generation of true-crime lovers. So for those who happen to fall into this category, here are some little-known facts about some of the world’s most notorious serial murderers .
The BTK killer took trophy photos of all his victims.
BTK is an acronym that stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill.” After his victims had succumbed to his malevolence, he would often dress in their clothes and photograph himself with a tripod, while in a state of bondage.
The Zodiac Killer would taunt police with a sick game of cat and mouse.
Zodiac took pleasure in eluding capture. He would often send letters/ciphers describing his crimes to a variety of newspapers, and he was known to make taunting phone calls to the police . To this day, he has never been caught.
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John Wayne Gacy was known as “The Killer Clown.”
This is because Gacy would often dress up as his alter ego, “Pogo the Clown” and perform at children’s birthday parties. He is said to have murdered at least 33 boys and young men .
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka’s first victim was Karla’s 15-year-old sister, Tammy.
Karla spiked Tammy’s drink with anesthetic during a family Christmas party. After everyone had gone to bed, the couple covered Tammy’s mouth with a Halothane-soaked cloth, sexually assaulted her, and the young girl accidentally died of asphyxiation.
H.H. Holmes converted a three-story hotel into a torture castle.
Holmes built trap doors, dead ends, chutes to the basement, as well as a variety of torture devices inside the hotel . He would unleash his victims inside and watch them scurry like rats in a maze.
Ted Bundy represented himself during his trial.
Ted Bundy fought vehemently against his own public defenders and wound up representing himself at trial. What’s perhaps most unnerving is that Bundy was reported to derive a kind of sick pleasure from cross-examining first responders to his victims.
Japanese murderer Issei Sagawa became known as the “Kobe Cannibal” and is a free man.
Sagawa killed and late devoured the remains of his friend, Renée Hartevelt. He was extradited to Japan, but due to a legal loophole was able to check himself out of a psychiatric hospital.
Serial Killer Ed Gein inspired an onslaught of Hollywood horror classics.
While films like The Silence of the Lambs , The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , and Psycho are works of fiction, they were all inspired by the murders of American serial killer, Ed Gein.
Jeffrey Dahmer was pulled over by the police while attempting to dispose of a body.
Dahmer was pulled over on suspicion of DUI. A garbage bag in the back seat, containing the mutilated remains of his victim , was in clear view of the police officer — yet somehow, Dahmer was able to talk his way out of it.
Robert Hansen would hunt his victims in the Alaskan wilderness.
Hansen was convicted of murdering 17 women. He would kidnap them, release them into the woods, and then hunt them down like animals using a rifle and a knife.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho was a real-life Dexter Morgan.
Pedro began killing at the age of 14 and quickly racked up a body count of more than 40 victims. The caveat, however, is that Pedro only killed other known killers — including an entire gang who killed his pregnant girlfriend.
There’s a chance that you have run into a serial killer without knowing it.
According to WorldAtlas, the FBI estimates that there are anywhere between 25 to 40 active serial killers on the loose at any given time. Many of whom have never and will never be caught.
Carl Panzram may just be the most cold-blooded serial killer you’ve likely never heard of.
Almost all serial killers have a type or a predilection when it comes to their victims, but not Carl Panzram. He would literally kill you for looking at him the wrong way , which he did on a number of occasions.
Harold Shipman was an MD and one of the world’s most prolific killers.
After seeing how his mother’s pain was eased with morphine, Shipman began administering morphine overdoses to his patients. He is thought to have murdered more than 250 people .
The most prolific serial killer in world history was Luis Garavito.
Garavito was active between 1992 and 1999. He was better known to his victims and the world at large as “La Bestia,” and has 189 confirmed kills to his name .