Imprisoned Killers

Charles Chi-Tat Ng became one of the most infamous serial killers in American history after participating in a series of kidnappings and murders with Leonard Lake at a secluded compound in Wilseyville, California, during the early 1980s. Investigators linked the pair to at least 11 murders, although the true number of victims may never be known. Following one of the longest extradition battles and murder trials in California history, Ng was convicted of 11 murders and sentenced to death.

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.

Chris Dawson is an Australian former schoolteacher and rugby league player who was convicted of murdering his wife, Lynette Dawson, who disappeared in 1982. For decades, he maintained that she had voluntarily left, but suspicions persisted due to inconsistencies in his account and his relationship with a teenage student. The case was revived decades later following investigative journalism and public interest, ultimately leading to his conviction in 2022. The court found that he killed his wife to pursue a relationship with his student, highlighting issues of manipulation, grooming, and abuse of power.

Chris Watts is an American family annihilator who murdered his immediate family in Colorado in 2018. His case gained widespread attention due to the contrast between his outward image as a quiet family man and the calculated nature of his actions. Watts initially attempted to mislead investigators and the public before confessing. He later pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and received multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Christopher Gregory Davis murdered his boyfriend, 56-year-old Barry Schmalbach, in Cape Coral, Florida, after Schmalbach planned to end their relationship in July 2023. Although Schmalbach's body has never been recovered, investigators built an extensive circumstantial case showing Davis using his boyfriend's financial accounts, purchasing items associated with concealing and disposing of a body, renting an isolated property under a false identity and attempting to dispose of tools. In June 2025, a Lee County jury convicted Davis of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and eight identity-related offences. He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 45 consecutive years.

Christopher McGowan murdered his girlfriend, Claire Inglis, in Stirling, Scotland, in November 2021 after being released on bail to live at her home despite an extensive history of violent offending. Claire had begun a relationship with McGowan unaware of his violent past, and after he moved into her home she became trapped in an escalating pattern of coercive control, abuse and violence. McGowan subjected her to a prolonged and sadistic assault before strangling her to death. In 2023, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years.

Christopher Monks Jr. became the subject of a high-profile criminal case after conspiring to murder his adoptive parents in Kent, England, in 2009. The plot involved recruiting an online acquaintance, Shaun Skarnes, to carry out the killings while his parents slept. The attack failed when Christopher Monks Sr. awoke and disarmed the intruder before police were called. Monks was convicted of conspiracy to murder and made subject to an indefinite hospital order.

Clifford Robert Olson Jr., known as the "Beast of British Columbia," was a Canadian serial killer who murdered 11 children and teenagers in British Columbia between November 1980 and July 1981. His victims, eight girls and three boys, ranged from nine to 17 years old and were abducted from communities around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Olson was arrested in August 1981 after police surveillance caught him attempting to pick up two young hitchhikers. He pleaded guilty to 11 counts of first-degree murder in January 1982 and received 11 concurrent life sentences with no parole eligibility for 25 years. He remained imprisoned until his death from cancer in September 2011.