Explore Killers

Aileen Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered multiple men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Operating primarily along highways, she targeted men she encountered while working as a sex worker. Her case gained widespread attention due to her background, her claims of self-defense, and the rarity of a female serial killer receiving the death penalty. Wuornos was convicted of multiple murders and executed in 2002.

Albert Henry DeSalvo is best known for confessing to the infamous Boston Strangler murders, in which 13 women were killed in the Boston, Massachusetts, area between 1962 and 1964. Although he was never tried for those murders, modern DNA testing later linked him to the final victim, strengthening the case against him. DeSalvo was imprisoned for unrelated crimes and was murdered in prison in 1973.

Albert Fish became one of the most horrifying killers in American history after murdering children during the early 1900s and later sending grotesque letters to victims’ families. Known for extreme sadism, self-harm and cannibalistic behavior, Fish terrorized New York and surrounding states while hiding behind the appearance of a quiet elderly man. Often referred to as “The Gray Man,” “The Boogeyman” and “The Werewolf of Wysteria,” Fish shocked investigators and the public because of the disturbing nature of his crimes and psychological abnormalities. His case became one of the earliest high-profile examples of criminal profiling and remains one of the darkest child murder cases in American true crime history.

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.

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.

David Alan Gore was an American serial killer who, along with his cousin Fred Waterfield, committed at least six murders of women in and around Vero Beach, Florida, from 1981 to 1983. Known collectively as the "Killing Cousins," the pair exploited Gore's position as an auxiliary sheriff's deputy and his knowledge of local citrus groves to lure victims, often using a badge or vehicle to gain trust before subjecting them to sexual assault, torture, and murder.

David Berkowitz, known as the “Son of Sam,” is an American serial killer responsible for a series of shootings in New York City between 1976 and 1977. His crimes created widespread fear and led to one of the largest manhunts in the city’s history. Berkowitz gained notoriety for sending letters to police and media, claiming responsibility for the attacks. He was later arrested, confessed, and sentenced to multiple life terms.

David Parker Ray became one of the most infamous serial offenders in American history after constructing a soundproof torture chamber inside a trailer on his property in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Known as the "Toy-Box Killer," Ray was convicted of kidnapping, torture, and sexual offences against multiple women. Although investigators suspected he murdered numerous victims over several decades, no homicide convictions were ever secured because no bodies were recovered. His crimes remain among the most disturbing criminal investigations in modern American history.