Victim Targets - Men

Stanley "Tookie" Williams was an influential Los Angeles gang figure who co-founded the Crips with Raymond Washington before being convicted of four murders committed during two robberies in 1979. Sentenced to death in 1981, Williams spent more than two decades on California's death row while consistently maintaining his innocence of the murders. During his imprisonment, he renounced gang life, wrote books warning young people about gangs and became an anti-gang activist whose work attracted international attention and Nobel Peace Prize nominations. His supporters sought clemency based on his claimed rehabilitation, but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected the request, and Williams was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison on December 13, 2005.

Herbert William Mullin became one of California's most infamous serial killers after murdering 13 people in and around Santa Cruz between October 1972 and February 1973. Mullin later claimed he believed the killings were necessary to prevent catastrophic earthquakes, a delusion linked to severe mental illness. His short but deadly murder spree ended with his arrest in February 1973, and his case remains one of the most widely studied examples of psychosis and serial homicide in the United States.

Andrew Phillip Cunanan carried out a five-victim murder spree across four states between April and July 1997 that culminated in the fatal shooting of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace outside his Miami Beach home. Beginning with the murder of his former friend Jeffrey Trail in Minnesota, Cunanan killed architect David Madson, wealthy Chicago developer Lee Miglin and New Jersey cemetery caretaker William Reese before targeting Versace. The nationwide manhunt that followed became one of the largest in FBI history. Eight days after killing Versace, Cunanan died by suicide aboard a houseboat in Miami Beach as law enforcement closed in.

Leslie Louise Van Houten was a member of Charles Manson's Family who participated in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca during the second night of the infamous Manson Family killings in August 1969. Under Manson's direction, she joined Charles "Tex" Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel in attacking the LaBiancas inside their Los Feliz home. Van Houten was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after multiple trials and originally sentenced to death before California's death penalty was invalidated. She spent more than five decades in prison before being released on parole in 2023 after numerous successful parole recommendations and legal challenges.

Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel was one of Charles Manson's most devoted followers and participated directly in the Tate-LaBianca murders that left seven people dead over two nights in August 1969. At the Tate residence, she chased and repeatedly stabbed Abigail Folger, and the following night participated in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, later using their blood to write messages at the crime scene. Krenwinkel was convicted in 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death, which was reduced to life imprisonment after California temporarily abolished capital punishment. She has spent more than five decades in custody, becoming California's longest-serving female prisoner. Although parole boards have repeatedly found her suitable for release in recent years, Governor Gavin Newsom most recently reversed a parole grant in October 2025, finding that she continued to pose an unreasonable danger to society.

Susan Denise Atkins was one of Charles Manson's earliest and most devoted followers and participated directly in the Tate-LaBianca murders that left seven people dead over two nights in August 1969. At the Tate residence, Atkins helped restrain the victims, fatally stabbed actress Sharon Tate and wrote the word "Pig" on the front door using Tate's blood. She also participated in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca the following night. Convicted in 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Atkins was initially sentenced to death before her punishment was reduced to life imprisonment after California temporarily abolished capital punishment. She remained incarcerated until her death from brain cancer in 2009.

Charles "Tex" Watson was one of Charles Manson's most prominent followers and the principal attacker during the Tate-LaBianca murders that left seven people dead over two nights in August 1969. Acting under Manson's direction, Watson led Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian to the Tate residence, where five people were murdered, before participating with Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten in the killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca the following night. Watson fled to Texas but was extradited to California and tried separately from Manson and the other defendants. He was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in 1971 and sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment after California invalidated its death penalty. He has repeatedly been denied parole and remains incarcerated.

John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and sex offender who murdered multiple victims in Illinois during the 1970s. He became widely known for maintaining a public image as a community figure while committing crimes in secret. Gacy’s case gained notoriety due to the scale of his offences and the contrast between his outward persona and his actions. He was later convicted and sentenced to death, becoming one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history.