American Killers

Joel David Rifkin became one of the most infamous serial killers in American history after murdering at least 17 women in New York between 1989 and 1993. Most of his victims were women involved in sex work or struggling with substance abuse, many of whom initially disappeared without attracting widespread attention. Rifkin's crimes ended following a routine traffic stop that led police to discover the body of his final victim in his vehicle. He was later convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to more than 200 years in prison.

John Franklin Howard is an American man convicted in connection with an attempted murder-for-hire plot against his wife in Texas. The case gained attention due to the level of planning and the use of a hired attacker. He was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

John Arthur Spenkelink was a convicted robber and prison escapee who murdered Joseph Szymankiewicz in a Tallahassee, Florida, motel room in February 1973. Spenkelink shot Szymankiewicz twice while he was in bed and then attempted to delay discovery of the body by giving the motel proprietor a false account before leaving the area. He claimed the killing was self-defence, alleging that Szymankiewicz had robbed and sexually assaulted him, but prosecutors established that the murder was premeditated. Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, Spenkelink became a major figure in the American death-penalty debate after capital punishment was reinstated. Following years of appeals and stays, he was executed by electrocution at Florida State Prison on May 25, 1979, becoming the first person involuntarily executed in the United States after the modern resumption of capital punishment.

John Asher Farrell Villarreal became known in American criminal history after the murders of a Texas couple who stopped to help him while he was hitchhiking on Christmas Eve in 2014. Prosecutors alleged Villarreal repaid the victims' kindness with extreme violence, killing both occupants before stealing their vehicle and attempting to evade capture. The case attracted significant attention because of the apparent randomness of the attack and the betrayal involved. Investigators argued the victims had no prior connection to Villarreal and had simply offered assistance to a stranger. The murders shocked the local community and became a tragic example of a good Samaritan encounter ending in deadly violence.

John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and sex offender who murdered multiple victims in Illinois during the 1970s. He became widely known for maintaining a public image as a community figure while committing crimes in secret. Gacy’s case gained notoriety due to the scale of his offences and the contrast between his outward persona and his actions. He was later convicted and sentenced to death, becoming one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history.

Jonathan Schmitz is an American convicted murderer who killed Scott Amedure in Lake Orion, Michigan, in March 1995, three days after the two men appeared together on The Jenny Jones Show. Schmitz, then 24, had agreed to appear on the program for a secret-admirer segment. During the taping, Amedure revealed that he had a same-sex crush on Schmitz. Schmitz later said he had expected the secret admirer to be a woman and felt humiliated by the revelation. The episode was never broadcast. Three days later, Schmitz went to Amedure's mobile home, confronted him about a suggestive note Amedure had left at Schmitz's residence, retrieved a 12-gauge shotgun from his vehicle and returned to the door. He shot Amedure twice in the chest, killing him. Schmitz immediately left and called 911, ultimately surrendering to police. He was initially convicted of second-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. That conviction was overturned on appeal because of an error involving jury selection. Schmitz was retried in 1999 and again convicted of second-degree murder. He was once again sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. He was released on parole in August 2017 after serving approximately 22 years. The case became one of the most widely discussed examples of the controversy surrounding so-called "ambush television" and the responsibilities of daytime talk-show producers. A separate wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Amedure's family initially resulted in a $25 million verdict against the show's producers, but that judgment was later overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Henry Jonathan Valencia, often referred to as Jonathan Valencia, became known in true crime coverage after the murder of teenager Nosiah Santos during a public confrontation that prosecutors described as emotionally charged and deeply personal. Investigators alleged the killing stemmed from a secret relationship, escalating jealousy, and mounting tension between the two young men before the fatal shooting occurred. The case generated major online attention because portions of the confrontation and aftermath were captured on surveillance footage and witness recordings. Prosecutors argued Valencia intentionally targeted Nosiah Santos during the encounter before opening fire in front of witnesses. The combination of hidden relationship allegations, emotional conflict, and public violence turned the case into a heavily discussed modern youth homicide prosecution.

Joseph James DeAngelo, known as the "Golden State Killer," became one of the most infamous serial offenders in American history after committing a series of murders, rapes, and burglaries across California between 1974 and 1986. A former police officer, DeAngelo evaded identification for more than 40 years before investigators used investigative genetic genealogy to identify and arrest him in 2018. His case transformed modern criminal investigations and demonstrated the power of forensic DNA technology in solving long-unsolved crimes.