Most Evil Couples in History

The Top Ten

  1. Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu

    Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu were the leading figures of the Communist regime in Romania. Their rule was marked by severe repression and economic decline. The couple was executed in 1989 after a military tribunal found them guilty of crimes against the state.

  2. Fred and Rosemary West

    Fred and Rosemary West are infamous for their series of murders in the United Kingdom. Together, they tortured and killed at least a dozen young women, including family members, during the 1970s and 1980s. Their home at 25 Cromwell Street became known as the House of Horrors after multiple victims' remains were discovered there.

  3. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley

    Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, known as the Moors murderers, were responsible for the abductions and murders of five children in England during the 1960s. Their crimes, with victims buried on Saddleworth Moor, horrified the nation for their cruelty. Brady died in 2017 while serving a life sentence, and Hindley died in prison in 2002.

  4. Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka

    Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka were a Canadian couple who committed multiple sexual assaults and murders in the early 1990s. Their crimes, including the killing of Homolka's younger sister, shocked Canada for their brutality. Bernardo is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years, and he has repeatedly been denied parole. Homolka, after striking a deal with prosecutors, was released after serving 12 years.

  5. Mary I and Philip II

    Mary I of England and Philip II of Spain were married in an attempt to create a powerful Catholic alliance across Europe. Their marriage was unpopular in England and remained childless, which prevented a Habsburg succession to the English throne. Mary's reign is remembered for her efforts to restore Roman Catholicism, which led to the persecution and execution of hundreds of Protestants.

  6. Ilse and Karl-Otto Koch

    Ilse and Karl-Otto Koch were notorious for their roles in the management of Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Ilse, known as the Witch of Buchenwald, was infamous for her cruelty toward prisoners. Karl-Otto was executed for war crimes, while Ilse was sentenced to life imprisonment and later died by suicide.

  7. Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate

    Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate went on a violent crime spree across Nebraska and Wyoming in the late 1950s. Their actions resulted in ten deaths, causing widespread fear throughout the United States. Starkweather was executed in 1959, and Fugate served 17 years in prison before her release.

  8. Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos

    Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, a period characterized by martial law, corruption, and human rights violations. Their regime amassed enormous wealth while the country suffered from economic difficulties. They were ousted from power during the People Power Revolution and lived in exile until Ferdinand's death in 1989. Imelda later returned to the Philippines and reentered politics.

  9. Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici

  10. Joseph and Magda Goebbels

    Joseph and Magda Goebbels were prominent figures in Nazi Germany, with Joseph serving as Minister for Propaganda. They were committed supporters of Adolf Hitler and played a major role in spreading anti-Semitic propaganda. In the final days of World War II, they killed their six children and then took their own lives in Hitler's bunker.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Benjamin and Christina Cotton

  12. ?

    Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz

    13. The Contenders

  13. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

    Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were an infamous American criminal couple during the Great Depression. They gained national attention for their bank robberies and escapes from law enforcement. Their crime spree ended in 1934 when they were ambushed and killed by police in Louisiana.

  14. Mao Zedong and Jiang Qing

  15. Wu Zetian and Tang Gaozong

  16. Phillip and Nancy Garrido

  17. Marc Dutroux and Michelle Martin

  18. Ray and Faye Copeland

  19. Gerald and Charlene Gallego

  20. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb

  21. Mohamed Mahmoud (Islamic militant) and Ahlam al-Nasr

  22. David and Catherine Birnie

  23. John and Elvira Bender

  24. Cameron and Janice Hooker

  25. Roman Podkopaev and Inessa Tarverdiyeva

  26. Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik

  27. Robert and Grace Mugabe

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