Alive Killers

Aaron Campbell became one of Scotland's most infamous child killers after abducting and murdering seven-year-old Megan Montgomery in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, in 2020. Campbell lured the child from outside her home before killing her and concealing her body in nearby woodland. Following an extensive police investigation, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with one of the longest minimum terms imposed in Scotland for the murder of a child.

Adrian Ernest Bayley became one of Australia’s most notorious violent offenders after abducting, raping and murdering Jill Meagher in Melbourne in 2012. The murder shocked Australia because Meagher disappeared while walking home through Brunswick after a night out with friends, sparking enormous public fear and grief across Victoria. Bayley’s extensive violent criminal history later generated intense outrage after it emerged he had previously committed multiple sexual and violent offenses before being released on parole. The case became a defining moment in Australian discussions surrounding parole laws, repeat sex offenders and women’s safety, while Jill Meagher’s death triggered massive public vigils and nationwide mourning.

Al-Mutahan McLean is an American man convicted of the prolonged abuse and murder of his 10-year-old son in Dayton, Ohio, in 2019. The case became nationally known due to the sustained nature of the abuse and the severity of the conditions the child endured over several years. He later pleaded guilty to multiple charges and received a lengthy prison sentence, with the case highlighting both extreme intra-family violence and systemic failures in child protection oversight.

Alex Murdaugh became one of America’s most infamous disgraced legal figures after being convicted of murdering members of his own family in South Carolina in 2021. The case exploded into national headlines because Murdaugh came from one of the most powerful legal dynasties in the American South, with generations of influence over law enforcement, prosecutions and politics throughout the region. As investigators examined the murders, they uncovered a far larger web of corruption involving financial fraud, opioid addiction, theft, insurance schemes and abuse of legal power spanning many years. The collapse of the Murdaugh family empire transformed the case into one of the most heavily publicized American criminal scandals of the modern era.

Allan Legere is a Canadian serial killer known as the "Monster of the Miramichi," responsible for a series of brutal murders and assaults in New Brunswick in the late 1980s. His crimes were marked by extreme violence and terrorized local communities. Legere escaped custody during his initial imprisonment, committing additional crimes before being recaptured. He was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, with his case becoming notable for the use of DNA evidence in securing his conviction.

Amy Bishop is an American former professor who carried out a mass shooting at the University of Alabama in 2010, killing multiple colleagues during a faculty meeting. The attack shocked the academic community and raised concerns about workplace violence. Bishop was arrested shortly after the incident and later pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, and her case remains one of the most notable instances of academic workplace violence.

Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian domestic terrorist responsible for the 2011 attacks in Oslo and on the island of Utøya, the deadliest act of violence in Norway since World War II. His coordinated attack involved a car bombing followed by a mass shooting, resulting in 77 deaths. Breivik was arrested on the day of the attacks and later convicted of terrorism and mass murder. He received the maximum sentence under Norwegian law, with provisions allowing for indefinite extension based on continued risk.

Angharad Williamson became one of the United Kingdom's most reviled child killers after murdering her two young sons, John Paul Bennett and Jake Bennett, alongside her partner, Jamie Barrow, in South Wales in 2020. The boys endured prolonged abuse before being killed inside their family home. Following a high-profile trial, Williamson and Barrow were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with the case prompting renewed calls for stronger child protection measures.