The mind of a serial killer is quite a mystery. But, over the years, we have come to learn certain things that many of them have in common. Most serial killers come from abusive families; often with very domineering mothers. And, most are made, during their childhoods, to feel inadequate, usually by one or both parents. However, we know that there is something more to these criminal minds, since there are certainly many people who come from such backgrounds who don’t go on to commit crimes. Here is a list of 5 of the most famous serial killers in recent history.
1. Ted Bundy – Ted Bundy was an attractive, well spoken man who often won the sympathy of his victims by having his arm in a sling or feigning some other injury. He raped and murdered numerous young women between 1974 and 1978. He was executed in 1989 after confessing to 40 murders.
2. David Berkowitz – Son of Sam – Berkowitz killed six people and wounded several others during 1976 and 1977. He claimed that he heard voices and killed to keep the demons quiet. He later recanted that story and said that he made it up to make people think he was out of his mind. He said that he really killed because he gained sexual arousal from it. He received a 365 year sentence. Today he is housed in the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg NY. He has become a born again Christian and counsels troubled inmates. His case has come up for parole several times and is due to do so in May 2010. However, he has refused to seek parole at any time, saying he deserves to be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
3. John Wayne Gacy – Gacy appeared to be an upstanding citizen. He owned a contracting business and performed as a clown at children’s birthday parties. But he also confessed to the murder of 24 boys between 1972 and 1978. He lured his victims into handcuffing themselves by saying he wanted to show them a pair of trick handcuffs. Once cuffed, he dared them to free themselves and then used either a rope or board across their throats to kill them while he raped them. He surrendered to police once he knew they were about to arrest him. He was executed by lethal injection in 1994.
4. Jeffrey Dahmer – This Milwaukee serial killer committed some of the most gruesome murders in US history between 1978 and 1991. He killed boys of African and Asian descent. His murders involved torture, dismemberment, sodomy, necrophilia and cannibalism. He committed his first murder at the age of 18. Dahmer was caught when a would be victim escaped and alerted police. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 life terms, but was murdered by a fellow inmate.
5. Gary Ridgway – Ridgway was responsible for what came to be known as the Green River Killings between 1982 and 1984 in Washington. He is said to have killed 70 women, all prostitutes, though he was charged with 48 murders. Incidentally, Ted Bundy helped police catch Ridgeway by giving them information on how a serial killer’s mind works. In exchange for information regarding all his murders, Ridgway was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole rather than the death penalty. He is incarcerated today in Washington.
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