Explore Killers

Robert Alan Durst was an American real estate heir who became one of the most notorious criminal figures in the United States. His life was associated with the disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen “Kathie” McCormack, the murder of his longtime friend Susan Berman, and the death and dismemberment of his Texas neighbor Morris Black. Durst was convicted only of Berman's murder. He was acquitted of Black's murder but convicted of dismembering his body and tampering with evidence. He was never convicted in connection with McCormack's disappearance. Durst's wealth, unusual behavior, false identities and repeated involvement in investigations made him a subject of intense media attention for decades. His case received renewed international attention through the HBO documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Durst was arrested in 2015 and convicted of first-degree murder in 2021. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and died in prison in January 2022.

Robert Black Farmer became one of Australia’s most notorious child killers after the 2008 murder of 18-year-old Lauren Huxley on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Prosecutors alleged Farmer abducted Lauren as she walked home from a night out before sexually assaulting and murdering her, triggering one of the largest and most publicized homicide investigations in Queensland history. The case generated national outrage because of Lauren’s age, the predatory nature of the attack, and the extensive manhunt that followed. Investigators later uncovered forensic evidence linking Farmer to the crime, while media coverage focused heavily on his criminal history and escalating pattern of sexual offending. The murder remains one of the most infamous stranger-abduction killings in modern Australian criminal history.

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.

Rosemary Pauline West became one of the United Kingdom's most infamous serial killers after participating in a series of murders with her husband, Fred West, between the 1970s and 1980s. Convicted of ten murders in 1995, Rose played a central role in abusing, controlling, and murdering young women and girls, many of whom were buried at the couple's home at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester. The case shocked Britain because of the scale of the crimes and the years they remained hidden behind the façade of an ordinary family.