Most of us could never imagine taking the life of another human being. But what about those who kill repeatedly? What makes them tick? Are they really crazy, or just thirsty for blood? Below are 10 of the most notorious killers of our time.
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy was born Theodore Robert Cowell on November 24, 1946 in Vermont. Before he was executed by electric chair in 1989 he had confessed to killing 30 people, but there could be as many as 3-4 more.
David Koresh
David Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell on Aug 17 1959. His mother was 14. In 1983 David began claiming that he had the gift of prophecy and was leader of The Branch Davidians just outside of Waco Texas. On April 19 1993, the self proclaimed Lamb of God ended a 51 day standoff with authorities, resulting in a fire that claimed the lives of 80 Branch Davidians.. Twenty-five of them were children.
The Reverend Jim Jones
James Warren Jones was born on April 13, 1931. He later became founder of The Peoples Temple and preached what he called apostolic socialism to his many followers. On November 18 1978 Jones ordered his followers at Jonestown Guyana to take part in what is now looked at as the largest mass suicide in history. Over 900 people died from cyanide poisoning and gunshot wounds.
Richard Ramirez
Known to the world as The Night Stalker, Ricardo Nunoz Ramirez was born on February 29 1960 in El Paso Texas. By the age of 18 Ramirez was addicted to candy, drugs and heavily into Satanism. None were safe from the psychopath. He killed men and women of ages but he took particular pleasure in the rape, sodomy and mutilation of the women, prior to killing them.
On September, 20, 1989, The Night Stalker was found guilty on 43 counts in Los Angeles County, including 13 murders, and charges including burglary, sodomy, and rape. He was sentenced to death for each of the murders.
Gary Leon Ridgway
Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, was born on February 18 1949 in Salt Lake City Utah. Most of Ridgway`s victims were prostitutes and teenage runaways. In November 2003 Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder although he says he has killed 71.
Henry Lee Lucas
Born on August 23, 1936, Henry Lee Lucas was once listed as America`s most prolific serial killers. After his apprehension in June 1983, Lucas admitted in participating in the murders of 600 people. Lucas was convicted on several charges and given the death penalty, but the conviction was later commuted by then Governor George W. Bush. Lucas died of heart failure in prison in March 2001.
John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy was born on March 17, 1942 in Chicago Illinois. The world became a better place when Gacy was executed in May 1994 for the rape and murder of 33 teenage boys. Twenty-seven of the boys were found buried in the crawl space of Gacy`s home.
David Berkowitz
David Richard Berkowitz was born June 1, 1953 in Brooklyn N.Y. and became known as The Son of Sam. In 1977 Berkowitz confessed to killing 6 people and was sentenced to six life sentences (365 years)
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960 in Wisconsin. Dahmer was known to dissect small animals as a child and by the time he was a teenager he was an alcoholic loner who was charged with public nudity . In 1988 he was found guilty of fondling a 13 year old boy and forced to register as a sex offender. Dahmer was convicted of 15 counts of murder as well as many other charges including rape and cannibalism and sentenced to life . On November 28, 1994 Dahmer was beaten to death by a fellow inmate.
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson was born on November 12, 1934. Charles spent most of his early life behind bars for petty offences. By the late 1960`s Manson was head of The Manson Family, a quasi-commune in California. Although Manson did not participate in any murders, he was convicted in 1969 for 7 murders including actress Sharon Tate who was pregnant at the time. Although he was originally sentenced to death, his sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment after the death penalty was abolished in California in 1972. Manson has publicly called himself The Devil and still claims to have ne remorse for his actions.
Very interesting! I could only take time to watch one video now but I intend to return to view the rest. I am familiar with all of these men except Henry Lee Lucas.
#2 by Josey, May 13, 2008
Very fascinating. I had no idea the extend of the damage that some of these men did.
#3 by lanne, May 13, 2008
I have removed a few comments left here because I thought that some readers may have found them offensive. The reason that I included David Koresh in this article is because I think that he is without a doubt responsible for the lives that were lost in Waco. True, the FBI may not have handled things as they should have, but that does not take the blame from Koresh. You do not build a compound and fill it with firearms if you do not expect a stand off at some point: no matter what is or isn`t going on inside. I think that the only real mistake on the part of the FBI, is that when they heard mumblings of abuse, incest, child abuse and sodomy...they waited too long to go in there.
#4 by shaun ashcroft, May 13, 2008
Thank you for your up lifting story! What is it the drives a woman to write wonderful; recipes and then a story on serial killers! Did you think they were cereal killers!! Seriously, I enjoyed it, if that is the correct word to use. On this side of the world, I was familiar with just over half of them but was not aware of their exact details. I think so much of the parents and loved ones of the victims.What a nightmare for them. It also amazes me that noone suspected these people as they grew up that maybe they had a few things going on!
Thanks again Lanne. These things do fascinate us.
#5 by Ruby Hawk, May 13, 2008
We will never know what makes these people tick. But usually they have been abused as children in such horrible ways we cannot even imagine. I think the abuse disrupts the developement of the brain and causes it to go terribly askew. We will likely never know how their brains became so corupted. As far as Koresh goes, He is a different story. I think he was a mental case, and of course they all were so we are right back where we started.
#6 by Judy Sheldon, May 13, 2008
Lanne, David Berkowitz, Son of Sam was a particularly frightening individual for me because I lived in NY at the time that he was on rampage. He targeted brown haired women and many of my coworkers would not go out after work. Some even cut or dyed their hair.
#7 by R.B. Parsley, May 13, 2008
Lanne,
Great article!!!I remember these guys. At the time, the horror they instilled in others through they\\\'re crimes, was beyond belief. I know the feeling Judy is talking about. In the 80\\\'s Coleman Altman and Debra Brown terrorized Cincinnati.Myslf, one of my cousins and some of our friends had gone to Cincy to see a Reds ballgame. On our return trip home, my cousins car broke down before we even got out of Cincinnati. A couple police officers saw us and stopped to see if we were alright. We told them our car had broke down. They told us that Altman and his girl friend had just murdered someone just a block from where we broke down just within minutes of our breakdown. The two officers called in another squad car and had us taken to the police station where we not only slept for the night, but were given anything we wanted to eat or drink. In the officers lounge they had a TV we could watch. As luck would have it, that night turned into a very educational night for all of us.We learned a lot about Altman by listening to the police officers talk. The next morning we were given breakfast and taken back to our car. They gave us the name of a mechanic and directions. We were back on the road by noon. The mechanic didn\\\'t charge us for the repairs. It took us a while to get over the shock of being that close to something so tragically horrifying. It definitely was a night none of us have forgotten. A little tidbit about Rev Jim Jones. He was born and raised and lived in Lynn Indiana, where he had at one time his own church. He supposedly left Lynn and started The Peoples Temple a short time later. Excellent article, Lanne.
Randy
#8 by Francie, May 13, 2008
Something so very wrong with these people, very scary, deliberate actions taken, Frightening is putting it mildly. I cannot begin to imagine.
#9 by Lucy Lockett, May 13, 2008
Interesting article but I could not listen to them, they do not deserve to be heard. They are sick of mind and heart.
#10 by Anne Lyken-Garner, May 14, 2008
Well, as someone wise once said, 'you snooze, you lose.' I have been collecting data over the past few months to write an article about murders like these, (I've even got some of the same ones) I haven't put it together, but have been working on other things instead. I suppose I'll just have to save it and publish it later with another name:-)
Great article, shame you beat me to it (smile)! These were indeed some of the world's most cruel,inhuman 'people'.
#11 by Jack65, May 22, 2008
Nice piece -- with some kick-ass videos. Here's another top 10 list of serial killers (this one featuring the more bizarre ones in history)
People tend to forget about the sniper that terriorized Montgomery County Maryland.
#13 by emma, Jun 28, 2008
pretty scary stuff. I didn't even get to watch most of the videos, due to them not playing. Oh well. About David Koresh, its really sad when so many people want to believe in something. they need to believe in something,and they go to a person like Koresh. And then they drag their children along because the parents believe in this thing. If they believe in free will, wouldnt you think their children have a mind too? I think they should make a movie on this David Koresh guy. I\'d go see it. sure it would make big bucks!!!
Very interesting! I could only take time to watch one video now but I intend to return to view the rest. I am familiar with all of these men except Henry Lee Lucas.