Random Most Prolific American Serial Killers (41 items)

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  (#1) Samuel Little

  Samuel Little started serving three life sentences in 2014 after being found guilty of murdering three women in Southern California between 1987 and 1989. After his initial conviction, authorities found evidence that suggested he operated in over nine states.

  In November 2018, Little confessed to over 90 murders, some going as far back as the '60s. Little was able to recall significant details about his victims, which authorities believe he picked up in 14 different states. Initially, investigators confirmed roughly 30 cases - seven of which were in Georgia. By October 2019, they were able to verify 50 of Little's confessions, making him the most prolific offender in history. Little died in prison on December 30, 2020, at age 80. 

  In February 2019, Little started to draw his victims for the FBI, who hoped to identify some of the missing women. He drew 16 in total, which you can access online. If you recognize any of the women in the drawings please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
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  (#2) Juan Corona

  • 89

  While Juan Corona was working on a fruit ranch in California, he murdered at least 25 of his fellow migrant workers. The victims were brutally attacked and buried throughout Sutter County fruit ranches. The police believe there may still be some bodies that have been yet to be discovered. In 1971, Corona was sentenced to 25 life sentences. He was denied parole for the sixth time in December 2011. On Monday, March 4, 2019, he died of natural causes while still incarcerated at California State Prison - Corcoran.
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  (#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.
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  (#4) Donald Harvey

  • 71

  Donald Harvey once boasted of killing 87 people, even though the police have only connected 37-57 names to his crimes. While working in a hospital, he acted as a self-professed "Angel of Death" - he killed his victims with painful poisons in order to end their alleged suffering. He was caught in 1987 and sentenced to 28 consecutive life sentences in prison.
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  (#5) John Wayne Gacy

  • Dec. at 52 (1942-1994)

  John Wayne Gacy was best known as "The Killer Clown" because of his career as a professional clown entertainer. However, it was his rape and murder of at least 33 young men that earned him infamy. In Chicago, Gacy strangled his victims and then buried the bodies on or around his property. He was apprehended in 1978, sentenced to death, and executed by lethal injection in 1994.
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  (#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.
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  (#7) Earle Nelson

  • Dec. at 30 (1897-1928)

  In 1926-27, "The Dark Strangler" Earle Nelson murdered at least 22 women, most of whom were his landladies. Nelson would rent a room from a single woman before strangling her to death. Nelson was also a reported necrophiliac. He was caught in 1927 and executed the next year via hanging. 
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  (#8) Ted Bundy

  • Dec. at 42 (1946-1989)

  Ted Bundy killed at least 30 women during his murderous streak in the early 1970s. Bundy kidnapped, killed, and raped his victims in Colorado, California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Florida, and Washington. He was caught in 1978, sentenced to death, and executed in the electric chair in 1989.
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  (#9) Dean Corll

  • Dec. at 33 (1939-1973)

  Dean Corll was never caught in his lifetime for the kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of at least 28 boys in the early 70s. Corll, aka "The Candy Man," was killed in 1973 by an accomplice while committing the rape of his final victim. Only then were his crimes revealed. Since he was killed, his true number of victims is still unknown, although he may have had a connection to many other missing boys.
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  (#10) Wayne Williams

  • 65

  As the main suspect in the Atlanta Child Murders, Wayne Williams is allegedly responsible for the deaths of at least 23 children. Williams, who was arrested for the murder of two adult men, denies his involvement, but he was convicted anyway in 1981. He was sentenced to life in prison, but is currently attempting to clear his name. 
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  (#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.
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  (#12) Patrick Kearney

  • 84

  Patrick Kearney, "The Trash Bag Killer," murdered between 21 and 43 young men. He'd pick his victims up from gay bars or as hitchhikers before raping and murdering them. He killed from 1965 until he was caught in 1977. He was sentenced to life in prison in California. 
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  (#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.
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  (#14) Raymond Martinez Fernandez

  Raymond Fernandez may have killed 20 women while on a crime spree in 1947-1949. He and his accomplice Martha Beck found victims in lonely hearts ads. However, when they were caught in 1949, they were only tried for one murder. Both Fernandez and Beck were sent to the electric chair.
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  (#15) Paul John Knowles

  • Dec. at 28 (1946-1974)

  Although Paul John Knowles has claimed to have killed 35 people, he has only been connected to the death of 18 victims. All of Knowles's victims were killed in 1974, many of them strangled in their own homes. When he was caught that year, the local police attempted to get him to show where he dumped a weapon. During a struggle in the backseat of the police car, Knowles attempted to escape and was shot dead by the police.
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  (#16) Jeffrey Dahmer

  • Dec. at 34 (1960-1994)

  Jeffrey Dahmer has the reputation as one of the most heinous serial killers in U.S. history for his 1978-1991 murders. Dahmer raped, murdered, and dismembered the bodies of at least 17 young male victims. He was arrested in 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. Dahmer was murdered in prison by a fellow inmate in 1995.
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  (#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.   
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  (#18) Randy Steven Kraft

  • 78

  Randy Steven Kraft may have been convicted for the murders and rape of 16 men in 1971-1983, but his true total of victims is likely up to 67 men. Most of the bodies of his victims were found next to the freeways in California, Oregon, and Michigan. He was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to death. He is still on death row. 
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  (#19) Robert Lee Yates

  • 71

  From 1975-1998, Robert Lee Yates murdered 13 female prostitutes in Washington. He was apprehended in 2000, but only convicted of two murders. He is currently on death row. 
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  (#20) Charles Ray Hatcher

  • Dec. at 55 (1929-1984)

  Charles Ray Hatcher killed 16 young boys from 1969 to 1982. He kidnapped, raped, and tortured most of his victims before murdering them. He was sent to mental health facilities multiple times during his crime spree. He was finally apprehended and convicted in 1983. Although he requested the death sentence, the jury gave him life in prison. Four days later, Hatcher hanged himself in his cell.
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  (#21) Leonard Lake

  • Dec. at 39 (1945-1985)

  Leonard Lake was responsible for the deaths of 11-25 people. He brought his victims to the torture dungeon in his cabin to rape, torture, and kill along with his accomplice Charles Ng. Throughout 1983-1985 Lake killed multiple women. But when he was arrested on an unrelated gun charge, he killed himself while in custody. That's when his crimes were finally revealed to the world.
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  (#22) Robert Hansen

  • Dec. at 75 (1939-2014)

  Robert Hansen took the lives of at least 17 (and up to 21) women in 1971-1983. The rapes and murders terrorized the women of Alaska for over a decade. He was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to 461 years in prison. 
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  (#23) Ángel Maturino Reséndiz

  • Dec. at 46 (1959-2006)

  Although Angel Maturino Resendiz was a Mexico native, he committed many of his 15 murders in the United States. He was even featured on the FBI's most wanted fugitives list. His crimes were mostly committed near railways. He was executed in Texas in 2006. 
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  (#24) Richard Ramirez

  • Dec. at 53 (1960-2013)

  Richard Ramirez, better known as "The Night Stalker," killed 14 women in 1984-1985. He terrorized the people of California by robbing and murdering people near and in their homes. He was given the death penalty in 1985, but died of cancer in 2013.
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  (#25) Charles Cullen

  • 41

  As one of the most prolific serial killers in New Jersey history, Charles Cullen killed around 40 people during his time as a nurse. However, he may have actually been responsible for up to 400 murders throughout his nursing career. He poisoned his patients until he was arrested in 2003. He was sentenced to 127 years in prison. 
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  (#26) Orville Lynn Majors

  • 62

  Orville Lynn Majors may have only been convicted of six murders in 1997 after a 2 year crime spree, but the Indiana nurse may have been linked to up to 130 deaths. He was sentenced to 360 years in prison.
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  (#27) Kristen Gilbert

  • 55

  Kristen Gilbert worked as a nurse when she went as a crime spree as an Angel of Death killer. She killed patients she believed to be in pain. Gilbert was only convicted of 4 murders but the number of victims is likely much higher. She was sentenced to life without parole in 1996.
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  (#28) Amy Archer-Gilligan

  • Dec. at 93 (1868-1962)

  As the proprietor of a nursing home, Amy Archer-Gilligan killed between 5 and 50 elderly nursing home residents by poisoning her victims. Archer-Gilligan killed her victims for monetary gain. In 1917 she was sentenced to death for her crimes but two years later she plead insanity and got a life sentence. 
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  (#29) Michael Swango

  • 68

  Michael Swango, a doctor, was likely responsible for about 60 deaths. He was only convicted for four of the poisonings during 1981-1997. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 
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  (#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.
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  (#31) Herbert Mullin

  • 76

  From 1972 to 1973, Herbert Mullins murdered 13 people throughout California. His victims were mostly random, from a homeless man to a bunch of teenagers in the woods, although he did kill an old high school friend as well. Mullins claimed that voices in his head told him to kill to prevent an earthquake. He was sentenced to life in prison.
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  (#32) William Suff

  • 73

  William Suff, from 1974 to 1992, killed at least 12 prostitutes, but his victim count may be closer to 22. He raped, stabbed, and strangled his victims. He had previously been convicted for beating to death his two month old daughter, only serving ten years for the crime. He was sentenced to death for the prostitute murders.
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  (#33) Maury Travis

  • Dec. at 36 (1965-2002)

  Maury Travis murdered at least 17 women in Missouri for two years starting in 2000. When the local news ran a story on one of his victims, Travis sent the paper a letter that claimed he killed 17 women and included a map with directions. Afterwards, Travis was arrested but hanged himself before he could stand trial.    
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  (#34) Kenneth Bianchi

  • 72

  Best known as the Hillside Strangler, Kenneth Bianchi killed at least 12 women in the Washington area. He is also suspected of being the killer in the Alphabet Murders. Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono Jr. sexually abused their victims before strangling them. He is currently serving his life sentence.
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  (#35) Herb Baumeister

  • Dec. at 49 (1947-1996)

  Indianan serial killer Herb Baumeister killed at least 11 gay men throughout the 80s and 90s, with the possibility of 9 other victims to his name. However, Baumeister killed himself before he could be arrested or charged with the crimes.
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  (#36) Benjamin Atkins

  • Dec. at 29 (1968-1997)

  Benjamin Atkins killed 11 women in the early 90s while living in Detroit, Michigan. He raped and strangled his victims, mostly around the Highland Park area. Atkins had a strong hatred for prostitutes ever since he saw his mother as a working girl. Atkins received a life sentence but died of complications related to HIV in 1997.
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  (#37) Nannie Doss

  • Dec. at 59 (1905-1965)

  Nannie Doss became one of the most infamous serial killers when she murdered 4 husbands, 2 sisters, her mother, 2 children, and various other family members for a total of 11 victims. Her crimes took place over decades, beginning in 1927 without too much suspicion. She was finally discovered in 1954 when her 5th husband was murdered. She got a life sentence but died of leukemia ten years later.
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  (#38) Anthony Sowell

  • 64

  From 2007 to 2009, Anthony Sowell kidnapped, raped, and strangled 11 women. The bodies of the women were discovered in his home in 2009. He received the death penalty.
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  (#39) Dennis Rader

  • 78

  Dennis Rader killed 10 people in Kansas. The murders took place during 1974-1991 and earned him the title The BTK Killer because he bound, tortured, and killed. He was discovered in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison.
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  (#40) Henry Louis Wallace

  • 58

  In North Carolina, 10 women were murdered by Henry Louis Wallace. He raped and strangled most of his victims. He was discovered in 1994 and sentenced to death.
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  (#41) Robert Ben Rhoades

  

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