Every country has its share of criminals. There have been many serial killers in the United States. Some of these serial killers have been much more brutal than others. Here is a list of the five worst serial killers in modern US history.
1. Ed Gein
One of the five worst serial killers in modern US history who has inspired horror movies is Ed Gein. While he was only ever convicted of two murders, it is believed that Gein killed many more. Items that were found during an investigation of Ed Gein’s house included human skulls that were placed as bed corner posts and various items, such as lamp shades socks made from human flesh. Some of the fictionalized characters that Ed Gein inspired include Norman Bates from Psycho, Jame Gumb from The Silence of the Lambs, and Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
2. Ted Bundy
Theodore Bundy created a spree of mass murders between 1974 and 1978. While the number of people that he murdered cannot be confirmed, Bundy did admit to more than thirty murders. The way that Ted Bundy killed his female victims was by clubbing them and then strangling them to death. In addition to murder, Ted Bundy also raped and was one of the US serial killers who took part in necrophilia, or a sexual attraction to corpses. In 1989, Ted Bundy was executed in the state of Florida.
3. Dennis Rader “BTK Killer”
Often referred to as the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader is known to be one of the worst in US history. Between 1974 and 1991, he murdered ten people near Wichita, Kansas. “BTK” stands for his method of murder, which was bind, torture, and kill. He sent letters to the police about the murders that he committed. Though he did not get caught in the 1990’s when he wrote these letters, Dennis Rader was caught, arrested, and convicted in 2005.
4. David Berkowitz “Son of Sam” and “.44 Caliber Killer”
This New York City serial killer admitted to murdering six people between the years of 1976 and 1977. He also admitted to wounding eight people in shootings in NYC. As you can probably guess, he was referred to as the .44 caliber killer because this is the weapon that he used to kill his victims. David Berkowitz, who is still alive and in prison, plans to write a memoir one day.
5. Jeffrey Dahmer
Many consider Jeffrey Dahmer to be one of the most terrible serial killers in modern US history. His murders involved rape, torture, necrophilia, and even cannibalism. Dahmer murdered at least seventeen males. Through investigations, a human heart was found in the freezer, as well as human skulls in the closet. Corpses were also found in acid. He was imprisoned and eventually beaten to death by an inmate in 1994.
These are just five of the worst serial killers in modern US history. Although there are many others which have been convicted as serial killers, these are the most well known and are generally considered to be the most brutal.
