Top 10 Most Evil Serial Killers

Serial killers have long captured the fascination of the public, whether it's their twisted methods, their dark motivations, or the sheer number of victims they leave in their wake. While the term "serial killer" was only coined in the 1970s, these murderers have existed throughout history, leaving a trail of horror and tragedy in their wake. From ancient times to the present day, humanity has been plagued by those who take pleasure in the suffering of others.

From the United States to Europe, from the 19th century to the present day, these killers have caused untold pain and suffering. Some of them preyed on the vulnerable, others targeted the innocent, and all of them left a trail of destruction in their wake.

1. Elizabeth Bathory

   

   Elizabeth Bathory was a Hungarian noblewoman accused of murdering numerous young girls in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was arrested in 1610 after testimonies from servants described the abuse and deaths that occurred in her household. Bathory was confined within her castle until her death in 1614.

   She probably has the highest body count in serial killer history! At least 650 girls died at her hand before she was finally caught.

2. Albert Fish

   

   Albert Fish was an American serial killer and cannibal who is believed to have killed at least five children in the early 20th century. He was known for his perverse sexual preferences and for sending letters to the families of his victims, detailing the gruesome acts he had committed. He was eventually caught, tried, and executed for his crimes.

   How could anyone be worse than a man who wanted to cause unimaginable suffering, eating children and boasting about it?

   He seemed to enjoy his evil more than the others, especially with the sick letter he sent to Grace Budd's family.

   He sent a messed up letter about killing a girl to her family. Read it on Wikipedia. Man, I felt sick.

3. H.H. Holmes

   

   H.H. Holmes was an American criminal active in the late 19th century and is often linked to multiple murders associated with a building he owned in Chicago. He constructed the building with hidden rooms and passages that facilitated concealment of his activities. Holmes was arrested in 1894 and executed in 1896 for murder.

   H.H. Holmes was a twisted mastermind and the only one who was so twisted he built an entire building devoted to making his killings easier. Because he had the ability to plan something so complex and carry out his plan with such precision, I think he holds the number one title for most evil. He wasn't mentally ill. In fact, he was very brilliant. Extremely evil, but brilliant.

4. John Wayne Gacy

   

   John Wayne Gacy, also known as the "Killer Clown," was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 33 young men and boys in the 1970s. He was known for his clown persona, which he used to lure his victims into his grasp. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death, and he was executed by lethal injection in 1994.

   He should be ranked close to Albert Fish. Gacy practically invented coulrophobia and became one of the most common horror movie tropes. He also exploited systemic homophobia to get away with murder.

   Really sadistic, mean-spirited guy who seemed to enjoy causing pain. In addition to being an evil serial killer, the guy was seemingly just a real jerk too.

5. Jack the Ripper

   

   Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who killed at least five women in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. He was known for his brutal and gruesome murders, and the case remains unsolved to this day. His identity and motive for the killings are still the subject of much speculation and debate.

   Should be number one. He never was caught!

6. Gilles de Rais

   

   Gilles de Rais was a French nobleman and military leader who is believed to have killed at least 80 children in the 15th century. He was known for his sadistic tendencies, and it is said that he would torture and kill his victims for his own pleasure. He was eventually caught and executed for his crimes.

   He was notorious for killing children and being summoned as a Caster-class Servant in the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fate/Zero.

7. Jeffrey Dahmer

   

   Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the "Milwaukee Cannibal," was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 17 men and boys in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was known for his gruesome acts of cannibalism and necrophilia, and he often kept body parts as souvenirs. He was eventually caught and sentenced to life imprisonment, but he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994.

8. Pedro Lopez

   

   Pedro Lopez is a Colombian serial killer who claimed responsibility for the murders of hundreds of young girls across Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru during the 1970s and early 1980s. He was apprehended in Ecuador in 1980, where authorities confirmed multiple victims connected to him. Lopez was later released from Ecuadorian custody before being deported to Colombia.

   I bet the number of people he killed is the number of drugs he did!

9. Ted Bundy

   

   Ted Bundy was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 30 young women in the 1970s. He was known for his charming demeanor and good looks, which he used to gain the trust of his victims. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death, and he was executed in 1989.

   He raped and murdered over 30 innocent women, not to mention did messed up stuff to their corpses afterward. Just a twisted, sick individual, and the fact that people fangirl over this guy makes me sick.

   He didn't even look like someone you'd suspect of being a serial killer. That's one thing that worked to his advantage.

   This one is the worst! He did horrible things!

10. Ed Gein

    

    Ed Gein, also known as the "Butcher of Plainfield," was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least two women in the 1950s. He was known for his bizarre behavior and for using the body parts of his victims to create household items, such as furniture and clothing. He was eventually caught and sentenced to life imprisonment.

    He was the inspiration for Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Norman Bates from Psycho.

    He's one of the most sadistic and brutal persons that has stepped on the surface of this earth.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Kenneth Erskine

    

    Kenneth Erskine is a British serial killer responsible for several murders of elderly individuals in London in 1986. He gained entry to victims' homes before assaulting and killing them. Erskine was convicted and received a life sentence with a high-security hospital placement.

12. ?

    Ottis Toole

    

    Ottis Toole was an American serial killer associated with numerous murders committed mainly in the southern United States. He sometimes worked alongside partner Henry Lee Lucas, although the accuracy of some confessions remains disputed. Toole was convicted of several offenses and died in prison in 1996.

The Contenders

13. Richard Ramirez

    

    Richard Ramirez, also known as the "Night Stalker," was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 13 people in the mid-1980s. He was known for his violent crimes, which included rape, burglary, and murder. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death, but he died in prison in 2013 while awaiting execution.

    This guy was totally devoted to Satan and loved killing just as much as the devil himself.

14. Harold Shipman

    

    Harold Shipman, also known as "Dr. Death," was an English doctor who is believed to have killed at least 215 of his patients in the 1970s and 1980s. He was known for his use of lethal injections and for falsifying medical records to cover up his crimes. He was eventually caught and sentenced to life imprisonment, but he committed suicide in prison in 2004.

15. Andrei Chikatilo

    

    Andrei Chikatilo, also known as the "Butcher of Rostov," was a Soviet serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 52 women and children in the 1970s and 1980s. He was known for his brutal acts of violence, which often involved sexual assault and mutilation. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death, and he was executed in 1994.

16. Joachim Kroll

    

    Joachim Kroll, also known as the "Ruhr Cannibal," was a German serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 14 people in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known for his preference for young girls and for his cannibalistic tendencies. He was eventually caught and sentenced to life imprisonment, and he died in prison in 1991.

    How was he not already added? This guy was absolutely sick.

17. Luis Garavito

    

    Luis Garavito, also known as "La Bestia" or "The Beast," is a Colombian serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 138 young boys in the 1990s. He was known for his violent tendencies and his preference for young boys. He was eventually caught and sentenced to 1,853 years in prison, the longest sentence in Colombian history.

    This homosexual, pedophile, and sadistic serial killer killed at least 138 known young boys, which leads to a possible count of 400 murders.

18. Sam Little

    

    Sam Little was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 60 women in the 1970s and 1980s. He was known for his preference for vulnerable women, such as prostitutes and drug addicts, and for his ability to evade law enforcement for decades. He was eventually caught and sentenced to life imprisonment, and he died in prison in 2020.

19. Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins

    

    Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 12 people in the 1970s. He was known for his violent behavior and for his use of torture to extract information from his victims. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death, and he was executed in 1991.

20. Israel Keyes

    

    Israel Keyes was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least three people, with as many as 11 other possible victims. He was known for his meticulous planning and for his practice of burying kill kits in various locations to use in future murders. He was eventually caught and committed suicide in his jail cell in 2012.

21. Zodiac Killer

    

    The Zodiac Killer is an unidentified American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least five people in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for his cryptic letters to the media and police, in which he claimed responsibility for the murders and taunted law enforcement. His identity and motive for the killings remain a mystery.

    Him being dead or alive is a mystery because he was NEVER caught!

22. Thug Behram

    

    Thug Behram was an Indian criminal associated with the Thuggee cult, which operated across India during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was linked by British colonial investigators to a large number of strangulation murders attributed to the group. Behram was arrested in the 1830s and provided information about Thuggee practices during interrogations.

23. Dennis Rader

    

    Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK Killer," was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 10 people between 1974 and 1991. He was known for his taunting letters to the police and media, in which he described his crimes in detail. He was eventually caught and sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

    His matter-of-fact, dead-eyed performance in court plus his rather average Joe looks just make him even more terrifying.

24. Charles Manson

    

    Charles Manson was the leader of a criminal group known as the Manson Family, which carried out several murders in California in 1969. He directed followers to commit the killings, including the widely publicized Tate and LaBianca murders. Manson was convicted of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and remained imprisoned until his death in 2017.

25. Gary Ridgway

    

    Gary Ridgway, also known as the "Green River Killer", was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 49 women in the 1980s and 1990s. He was known for targeting sex workers and dumping their bodies in the Green River in Washington State. He was eventually caught and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

26. Dean Corll

    

    Dean Corll, also known as the "Candy Man", was an American serial killer who is believed to have killed at least 28 teenage boys in the early 1970s. He was known for luring his victims into his van with promises of candy or money, and then torturing and killing them. He was eventually shot and killed by one of his accomplices.

27. Delphine LaLaurie

    

    Delphine LaLaurie was a New Orleans socialite who is believed to have tortured and killed numerous enslaved people in the early 19th century. She was known for her sadistic behavior, and it is said that she tortured people in her attic before disposing of their bodies. She was eventually exposed and forced to flee the city, and her ultimate fate remains unknown.