Modus Operandi - Stabbing

Leo Boatman became notorious after carrying out a deadly stabbing attack on Bournemouth beach in England in 2024. The case generated major media attention across the United Kingdom because the killings occurred in a busy public coastal area during the evening, creating widespread panic and horror among witnesses. Boatman’s violent behavior, criminal background and apparent disregard for human life later became central issues throughout the investigation and court proceedings. The murders reignited public debate surrounding violent repeat offenders, knife crime and public safety in British coastal nightlife areas.

Brett Peter Cowan became one of Australia’s most notorious child killers after abducting and murdering Daniel Morcombe on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 2003. The case devastated Australia because Daniel disappeared while waiting for a bus in broad daylight, triggering one of the country’s largest and longest-running child disappearance investigations. For years, Daniel Morcombe’s disappearance remained unsolved as his family led tireless public campaigns to keep the case in the national spotlight. Cowan was eventually exposed through an elaborate undercover police operation in which officers secretly befriended him and recorded incriminating admissions about the murder. The investigation and conviction later became one of Australia’s most significant child homicide cases.

Lance Kirkpatrick became one of Australia's most widely reported convicted killers after being found guilty of the 2022 murder of Melbourne mother Samantha Murphy. Murphy's disappearance prompted an extensive search across regional Victoria before investigators built a circumstantial case that ultimately led to Kirkpatrick's conviction. The case attracted national attention because of the lengthy investigation, widespread community involvement, and the absence of the victim's recovered remains.

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.

Bryan Kohberger is an American man charged in connection with the 2022 murders of four university students in Moscow, Idaho. At the time of the incident, he was a criminology PhD student at Washington State University, located a short distance from the crime scene. The case gained widespread national and international attention due to the number of victims, the nature of the attack, and Kohberger’s academic focus on criminal behaviour. He was arrested in December 2022, and legal proceedings are ongoing.

Peter William Sutcliffe, known worldwide as the "Yorkshire Ripper," became one of the United Kingdom's most infamous serial killers after murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. Operating across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, Sutcliffe evaded capture for more than five years despite one of the largest police investigations in British history. His crimes generated widespread fear, exposed major investigative failures, and permanently changed homicide investigations in the United Kingdom.

Andrei Chikatilo became one of the Soviet Union’s most infamous serial killers after murdering and mutilating dozens of women and children across Russia and Ukraine between 1978 and 1990. Nicknamed “The Butcher of Rostov” and “The Red Ripper,” Chikatilo terrorized the Soviet Union for over a decade while authorities struggled to identify the perpetrator amid political pressure, investigative failures and widespread public fear. His crimes shocked investigators because of their extreme brutality, sexual sadism and mutilation of victims. Chikatilo appeared outwardly quiet and socially awkward, allowing him to blend into ordinary Soviet society while secretly carrying out one of the deadliest serial murder sprees in modern history. His eventual arrest and confession exposed major flaws within the Soviet criminal justice system and transformed the case into one of the most notorious serial killer investigations ever conducted behind the Iron Curtain.

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.