Straight Killers

Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker became one of the most infamous serial killers in American history after murdering five teenage girls alongside accomplice Roy Lewis Norris during a five-month period in Southern California in 1979. Operating from a customized van that became known as the "Murder Mac," the pair targeted runaway and hitchhiking teenagers before killing them and disposing of their bodies in remote mountain areas. Bittaker was convicted of five murders and sentenced to death, remaining on California's death row until his death in prison in 2019.

Leonard Thomas Lake became one of the most infamous serial killers in American history after operating a secluded compound in Wilseyville, California, with accomplice Charles Ng during the early 1980s. Investigators believe the pair murdered at least 11 people, although the true number of victims may be significantly higher. Their crimes came to light in 1985 following Lake's arrest for shoplifting, leading police to uncover buried human remains, extensive video recordings, journals, and evidence documenting one of the most disturbing serial murder investigations in United States history.

Lyle Menendez became one of the most infamous figures in American true crime history after he and his younger brother, Erik Menendez, were convicted of murdering their wealthy parents inside their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. The shocking nature of the killings, combined with the family’s image of wealth and privilege, turned the case into a global media obsession throughout the 1990s. Lyle was portrayed by prosecutors as manipulative, arrogant and motivated by greed, while the defense argued he was a deeply traumatised son shaped by years of alleged emotional, physical and sexual abuse inside the Menendez household. Decades later, the Menendez brothers case remains one of the most debated family murder cases in American criminal history.

Mario Schembri is an Australian convicted killer who pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Melbourne businessman Herman Rockefeller in January 2010. After a violent confrontation at Schembri's Hadfield home, Rockefeller died from injuries sustained during the assault. Schembri subsequently dismembered the victim's body with a chainsaw and burned the remains in an attempt to conceal the crime. He was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of seven years.

Mark Sievers became infamous after orchestrating the brutal murder-for-hire killing of his wife inside their Florida home in 2015. The case shocked the United States because the victim was a highly respected physician and mother, while investigators later uncovered a conspiracy involving Sievers, close friends and hired killers. Authorities described the crime as a calculated and financially motivated murder plot driven by greed, personal dysfunction and manipulation. The investigation later exposed disturbing details involving staged alibis, conspiracy planning and violent execution-style attacks, transforming the case into one of Florida’s most heavily publicized murder-for-hire prosecutions.

Michael Swango became one of the most notorious medical serial killers in American history after being linked to a series of poisonings involving patients, coworkers, and acquaintances over several decades. A licensed physician and former paramedic, Swango exploited positions within hospitals and medical institutions to gain access to vulnerable victims while maintaining the outward image of a highly educated healthcare professional. The case generated international attention because Swango continued obtaining medical employment despite repeated suspicions, disciplinary actions, and criminal convictions. Investigators later connected him to deaths and poisonings across the United States and Africa, leading many experts to believe the true number of victims may never be fully known. His ability to repeatedly evade detection turned the case into one of the most disturbing examples of institutional failure and medical predation in modern criminal history.

Mitchell Sims became one of America's most notorious transient serial killers after carrying out a series of murders across multiple states during the 1980s. Nicknamed the "Pizza Hut Serial Killer," Sims was convicted of abducting, robbing, and murdering pizza delivery driver John Harrington in Las Vegas, Nevada, while investigators also linked him to the murders of another pizza employee and a customer in South Carolina. His willingness to kill complete strangers during robberies, combined with his mobility across state lines, made him one of the FBI's most infamous traveling serial offenders before his execution in 2015.

Moses Sithole became one of Africa's most prolific serial killers after murdering at least 38 young women in and around Johannesburg, South Africa, between 1994 and 1995. Known as the "ABC Killer" because many of the murders occurred in Atteridgeville, Boksburg, and Cleveland, Sithole lured victims with false promises of employment before sexually assaulting and murdering them. His case shocked post-apartheid South Africa and remains one of the country's deadliest serial murder investigations.