Random Most Prolific American Serial Killers (41 items)

(#17) Joel Rifkin
- 64
Joel Rifkin killed between 9 and 17 women in 1989-1993 in New Jersey. Most of his victims were drug addicts and prostitutes. He was apprehended in 1993 and sentenced to a whopping 203 years in prison.
(#11) Ronald Dominique
- 59
At least 23 men were raped and murdered by Ronald Dominique in 1997-2006. He killed gay men that he thought would have sex for money. After assaulting them, he'd kill them in order to avoid being reported to the police. In 2008, Dominique pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 8 life sentences.
(#6) Jane Toppan
- Dec. at 81 (1857-1938)
Jane Toppan once said that it was her greatest wish that she'd have killed more people than any man or woman who ever existed. While she didn't quite reach her goal, Toppan's 31 murder victims in 1885-1901 earned her a place in serial killer history. She killed patients when she worked as a nurse, poisoned her landlords, and murdered her foster sister.

When she was discovered in 1901, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the rest of her life in an insane asylum in Massachusetts. She died in 1938 at age 81.
(#13) William Bonin
- Dec. at 49 (1947-1996)
William Bonin, aka "The Freeway Killer," kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered at least 21 young men and boys. Bonin dumped many of the bodies on the side of the freeway in Southern California. He was discovered in 1980 after his year-long crime spree and sentenced to death. He died by lethal injection in 1996.
(#3) Gary Ridgway
- 74
Gary Ridgway, better known as "The Green River Killer," was responsible for the deaths of at least 49 proven victims, though he confessed to the murders of at least 71. However, the true number of victims is likely closer to 90 women. Ridgway strangled his victims and dumped the bodies in remote locations from 1982 to 2001. When he was caught in 2001, he was sentenced to life in prison.
(#30) Arthur Shawcross
- Dec. at 63 (1945-2008)
After being paroled for the manslaughter of two children, Arthur Shawcross went on a crime spree that claimed the lives of 12 women, most of whom were prostitutes. Shawcross was also known as "The Genesee River Killer." He was caught in 1990 and sentenced to life in prison. He died of a heart attack in 2008.