Quick recap of some of America's most known serial killers. First there is David Berkowitz otherwise known as the Son of Sam. Berkowitz was convicted of killing 8 people in New York City between 1976-1977. His crimes were perpetrated with a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver. He killed six people and wounded seven others by July 1977. Berkowitz eluded the biggest police manhunt in the history of New York City while leaving letters that mocked the police and promised further crimes. He was finally caught on August 10th, 1977. He claimed to have been obeying the orders of a demon, manifested in the form of a dog "Harvey" who belonged to his neighbor "Sam".
Next I want to talk about Ted Bundy. Now overall he seemed like a normal American guy. He was good looking and educated. He actually worked as a suicide hotline crisis worker. Now Ted Bundy was a serial killer, kidnapper, rapist, burglar, and necrophilia who assaulted and murdered young women and girls during the 1970's and possibly earlier. Shortly before his execution he confessed to 30 homicides committed in 7 states between 1974-1978. The true victim count remains unknown. Bundy killed 11 people in the state of Washington, 8 in Utah, 3 in Colorado, 3 in Florida, 2 in Oregon, 2 in Idaho, and 1 in California. Many unidentified. Some of his victims were: Lynda Ann Healy (21) bludgeoned while asleep and abducted. Her skull and mandible recovered at Taylor Mountain Site. Roberta Kathleen Parks (22) vanished from Oregon State University. Her skull and mandible were also recovered at Taylor Mountain sit. Lynette Dawn Culver (12) abducted from Alameda Junior High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Her body was thrown into what authorities believe to be the Snake River, but she was never found. Then Bundy went into a sorority house in Florida. Margaret Elizabeth Bowman (21) bludgeoned and then strangled as she slept at the Chi Omega Sorority house. Lisa Levy (20) bludgeoned, strangled, and raped as she slept, also at the sorority house. Karen Chandler (20) was bludgeoned as she slept at the sorority house but she was able to survive the attack. Kathy Kleiner (21) also bludgeoned as she slept, she also survived. Cheryl Thomas (21) Bludgeoned as she slept eight blocks away from Chi Omega, she also survived.
There are many more victims and possible victims. We will probably never know. Ted Bundy was executed on January 24th, 1989 at Florida State Prison by electrocution.
Jeffery Dahmer "the Milwaukee Cannibal Dahmer's killing spree lasted for more than 13 years. He sought out mostly African-American men at gay bars, malls, and bus stops. He would then lure them back to his apartment. He was convicted of 15 out of the 16 murders he had committed in Wisconsin. He was sentenced to 15 life terms on February 15h, 1992. He was later sentenced to a 16th life term for an additional homicide committed in Ohio in 1978. On November 28th, 1994 Dahmer was beaten to death by Christopher Scarver, a fellow inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution. Dahmer's murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia, and cannibalism.
Albert Fish also known as the "Werewolf of Wysteria" and "The Boogey Man". Fish was a sadist and pedophile who cannibalized several children. He has 3 known victims. Francis X McDonnell age 8, Billy Gaffney age 4, and Grace Budd age 10. He is suspected in the deaths of Emma Richardson age 5, Yetta Abramowitz age 12, Robin Jane Lui age 6, Mary Ellen O'Connor age 16, and Benjamin Collings age 17. He also claimed to have molested 100 children. Fish believed that sacrificing a boy would be penance for his own sins and that even if the act itself was wrong, angels would prevent iit if God did not approve. Fish arrived at prison in March of 1935 and was executed on January 6th, 1936 in the electric chair at the Sing Sing Prison.
John Wayne Gacy "the killer clown" is one who personally terrifies me. I hate clowns. Gacy killed at least 33 men and boys and buried the majority of his victims in the crawl space of his Chicago home. He sexually assaulted and tortured his victims. Convicted of the 33 murders, Gacy was sentenced to death on March 13th, 1980 for 12 of those killings. He spent 14 years on death row before finally being executed by lethal injection at the Stateville Correctional Center on May 10th, 1994. He became known as the killer clown because of his charitable services at fundraising events, parades, and children's parties where he would dress as "Pogo the Clown", a character he devised himself.
Charles Manson is a former cult leader and was convicted of murder and conspiracy to murder of 9 people in Los Angeles. Now Manson had several followers known as the Manson Family. A quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960's. Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August of 1969. In 1971 Manson was found guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, all of which were carried out by members of his group at his instruction. Manson also received first degree murder convictions for two other deaths. He is currently serving a life sentence at California State Prison in Corcoran. Mason's family who carried out the murders was made up of Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, and Bobby Beausoleil. Their victims were actress Sharon Tate who was eight months pregnant when she was killed, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Stephan Parent, Leno LaBianca , Rosemary LaBiance, and Gary Hinman.
Finally I want to mention Richard Ramirez also know as the Night Stalker. Ramirez was a killer, rapist, and burglar. His home invasion crime spree terrorized the residents of the greater Los Angeles area, and then later in San Francisco. He used a wide variety of weapons, including handguns, knives, a machete, a tire iron, and a hammer. Ramirez was an avowed Satanist and never expressed any remorse for his crimes. The judge who upheld his 13 death sentences remarked that Ramirez's deeds exhibited "cruelty, callousness, and viciousness beyond any human understanding. Ramirez died of complication from B-Cell lymphoma while awaiting execution on California's death row. The night stalker's first victim was 9 year old Mei Leung. She was found dead in a hotel basement where Ramirez was living at the time. His DNA was later matched to this crime. 79 year old Jennie Vincow was found dead in her apartment. She had been stabbed and her throat was slashed so severely she was almost decapitated. 22 year old Angela Barrious was attacked outside of her home. He shot her before entering her home. Inside was Dayle Okazaki age 34 whom Ramirez immediately shot and killed. Barrios survived. The bullet richocheted of the keys she was holding in her hands, as she lifted them to protect herself. Within an hour of killing Okazaki, Ramirez attacked 30 year old Tsai-Lian Yu. He pulled her out of her car on the road and shot her several times. Ramirez has several more know victims.