Straight Killers

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.

Ruby Carolyn Padgett became known in American criminal history after being convicted of first-degree murder for her role in the 1986 robbery and murder of Pizza Hut delivery driver John Steven Harrigan in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although Mitchell Sims carried out the fatal shooting, prosecutors successfully argued that Padgett was an active participant in the kidnapping and robbery that led to Harrigan's execution. Convicted under California's felony murder principles, Padgett received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Often overshadowed by Sims, who became known as the "Pizza Hut Serial Killer," Padgett remains a convicted murderer whose participation was instrumental in one of the most infamous pizza delivery murders in the United States.

Russell Arthur Henderson is an American convicted murderer who participated in the kidnapping, robbery and fatal attack on 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. Henderson and accomplice Aaron McKinney lured Shepard from a bar before taking him to a remote location, where he was severely beaten and left tied to a fence. Shepard died six days later. Henderson pleaded guilty to felony murder and kidnapping and received two consecutive life sentences.

Ryan Alexander Duke became widely known after being charged in the 2005 death of Georgia high school teacher and former beauty queen Tara Grinstead. The case remained one of Georgia's most infamous unsolved mysteries for nearly 12 years before Duke confessed to being involved in Grinstead's death. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to concealing her death rather than murder, bringing a partial resolution to a case that had captivated investigators and the public for years.

Ryan Derek Riggs murdered 25-year-old Rhonda "Chantay" Blankinship in Brown County, Texas, in May 2016 after abducting, sexually assaulting and killing her before abandoning her body in the cellar of an abandoned farmhouse. The case remained unsolved for 18 months until investigators used groundbreaking DNA phenotyping technology to generate a likeness of the suspect. Days after the image was released, Riggs stood before his church congregation and confessed to the murder before surrendering to police. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Sarah Boone became infamous after being accused of trapping her boyfriend inside a suitcase and leaving him to die during one of Florida’s most disturbing domestic homicide cases. The case gained international attention after investigators discovered cellphone videos allegedly recorded by Boone showing her boyfriend pleading for help while trapped inside the suitcase shortly before his death. Nicknamed the “Suitcase Killer” by media outlets, Boone drew intense public fascination because of the bizarre circumstances surrounding the crime and her repeated claims that the incident was an accident during a game of hide-and-seek. The disturbing video evidence, volatile relationship history and Boone’s unusual courtroom behavior later transformed the case into one of the internet’s most heavily discussed modern true crime stories.