Deceased Killers

Andrei Chikatilo became one of the Soviet Union’s most infamous serial killers after murdering and mutilating dozens of women and children across Russia and Ukraine between 1978 and 1990. Nicknamed “The Butcher of Rostov” and “The Red Ripper,” Chikatilo terrorized the Soviet Union for over a decade while authorities struggled to identify the perpetrator amid political pressure, investigative failures and widespread public fear. His crimes shocked investigators because of their extreme brutality, sexual sadism and mutilation of victims. Chikatilo appeared outwardly quiet and socially awkward, allowing him to blend into ordinary Soviet society while secretly carrying out one of the deadliest serial murder sprees in modern history. His eventual arrest and confession exposed major flaws within the Soviet criminal justice system and transformed the case into one of the most notorious serial killer investigations ever conducted behind the Iron Curtain.

Andrew Phillip Cunanan carried out a five-victim murder spree across four states between April and July 1997 that culminated in the fatal shooting of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace outside his Miami Beach home. Beginning with the murder of his former friend Jeffrey Trail in Minnesota, Cunanan killed architect David Madson, wealthy Chicago developer Lee Miglin and New Jersey cemetery caretaker William Reese before targeting Versace. The nationwide manhunt that followed became one of the largest in FBI history. Eight days after killing Versace, Cunanan died by suicide aboard a houseboat in Miami Beach as law enforcement closed in.

Arthur Frederick Goode III was an American serial killer and child molester who was convicted of murdering three boys in Florida during the 1970s and 1980s. His confirmed victims were 11-year-old Richard Belcher, 10-year-old Richard Hunsperger and 10-year-old David Oakes, all of whom were abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered. Goode was also investigated in connection with additional child disappearances and killings, but he was never convicted of those cases. He received death sentences for multiple murders and was executed in Florida's electric chair at Florida State Prison on April 5, 1987.

Arthur John Shawcross became one of America's most infamous serial killers after murdering 14 people in New York between 1972 and 1989. After serving a prison sentence for killing two children, Shawcross was released on parole and later went on to murder at least 12 women in the Rochester area. His crimes remained unsolved for several years before investigators linked him to the murders through surveillance, witness testimony, and forensic evidence. Shawcross was sentenced to 250 years in prison, where he remained until his death in 2008.

Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Broderick was convicted of murdering her ex-husband, Daniel T. Broderick III, and his new wife, Linda Kolkena Broderick, in San Diego, California, on November 5, 1989. After years of an increasingly bitter marriage, divorce and custody dispute, Betty entered the couple's home using a key she had obtained from one of her children and fired five shots from a .38-caliber revolver, killing both while they slept. She surrendered to police later that day. After her first trial ended in a hung jury, Broderick was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder at a second trial in 1991 and sentenced to 32 years to life imprisonment. She died in custody on May 8, 2026, aged 78.

Bradley Murdoch became one of Australia’s most infamous killers after murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio in the Northern Territory Outback in 2001. The case shocked Australia and the United Kingdom due to the remote desert setting, the disappearance of Falconio’s body and the terrifying survival story of Falconio’s girlfriend, Joanne Lees. Murdoch was portrayed as a violent drug-running truck driver with links to criminal networks across remote Australia. His conviction became one of the country’s most high-profile murder cases, inspiring documentaries, books and films while generating decades of speculation about what truly happened in the Outback. Murdoch maintained his innocence until his death from throat cancer in 2025, never revealing the location of Falconio’s remains.

Charles Manson was an American cult leader and criminal who orchestrated a series of murders in California in 1969 through members of his group, known as the Manson Family. Although he did not personally carry out the killings, he directed and influenced his followers to commit them. Manson became one of the most infamous figures in criminal history due to his ability to manipulate others into violence. His case remains a defining example of psychological control, group influence, and orchestrated multiple homicide.

Charles Howard Schmid Jr., nicknamed the "Pied Piper of Tucson," was an American serial killer who murdered three teenage girls in Tucson, Arizona, between 1964 and 1965. Charismatic and manipulative, Schmid gained the trust of local teenagers before committing the murders. He was convicted of the killings and sentenced to death, although his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Schmid was murdered by fellow inmates in prison in 1975.