Straight Killers

Richard Ramirez, known as the “Night Stalker,” was an American serial killer who carried out a series of murders and attacks across California between 1984 and 1985. His crimes were marked by unpredictability, extreme violence, and a lack of a consistent victim profile. Ramirez created widespread fear due to the random nature of his attacks and his ability to evade capture for an extended period. He was later convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to death, becoming one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history.

Richard Benjamin Speck became one of America's most infamous mass murderers after murdering eight student nurses during a single night in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13–14, 1966. The attack at a South Side townhouse generated worldwide attention and became one of the most notorious crimes in American history. Speck was convicted of eight counts of murder and sentenced to death, although his sentence was later commuted to imprisonment following changes to U.S. capital punishment laws. He died in prison in 1991.

Robert Hansen became one of Alaska’s most infamous serial killers after abducting women, flying them into the wilderness and hunting them before murdering them. Nicknamed “The Butcher Baker” because he outwardly lived as a quiet family baker while secretly committing brutal murders, Hansen terrorized Anchorage and surrounding areas throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The case shocked investigators because Hansen appeared to be an ordinary husband, business owner and outdoorsman while hiding a sadistic double life. Authorities later discovered he targeted vulnerable women, particularly sex workers and dancers, before using Alaska’s remote wilderness as a personal hunting ground. His crimes became one of the most disturbing serial murder cases in American history and inspired numerous books, documentaries and films.

Robert Clive Napper became one of the United Kingdom's most infamous serial killers after murdering Rachel Nickell in 1992 and Samantha Bisset and her four-year-old daughter, Jazmine, in 1993. Before his identification, Napper committed numerous violent sexual assaults across South East London, becoming known as the "Green Chain Rapist." Advances in DNA profiling eventually linked him to the murders after years of investigative failures, making his case one of Britain's most significant forensic breakthroughs.

Robert Pape was convicted for his role in the 1998 Pinyon Pines murders, a triple homicide that remained unsolved for nearly two decades before advances in DNA technology revived the investigation. Prosecutors established that Pape and Cristin Smith entered the Friedli home in September 1998, murdered Vicki Friedli, her daughter Becky Friedli and family friend Jon Hayward, then set the residence on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. Following renewed forensic testing and a lengthy cold-case investigation, Pape was convicted in 2018 of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Robert William Pickton became one of Canada's most infamous serial killers after murdering women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside during the 1990s and early 2000s. Convicted of six murders but believed by investigators to have killed many more, Pickton targeted vulnerable women, many involved in sex work or struggling with addiction, before disposing of their remains on his rural pig farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. The investigation exposed major policing failures and remains one of the largest serial murder cases in Canadian history.

Rodney James Alcala became one of America's most infamous serial killers after murdering at least eight women and girls between 1971 and 1979, although investigators believe he may have killed well over 100 victims. Nicknamed the "Dating Game Killer" after appearing on the television show The Dating Game during his killing spree, Alcala used his charm and photography hobby to lure victims before murdering them. He was convicted in multiple states and died on California's death row in 2021.

Roy Lewis Norris became one of America's most infamous serial killers after murdering five teenage girls alongside accomplice Lawrence Bittaker during a five-month killing spree across Southern California in 1979. Working together in a customized van known as the "Murder Mac," the pair abducted vulnerable teenage girls before murdering them and disposing of their bodies in remote locations. After his arrest, Norris agreed to testify against Bittaker in exchange for avoiding the death penalty and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.