The most well-known serial killers in the US since 1971
With the recent arrest of a man suspected to be the the so-called Golden State Killer, here's a look at some well-known serial murderers in the U.S. since 1971.
Intro
Updated
A former police officer who authorities suspect was an elusive serial killer who committed at least 12 homicides, 45 rapes and dozens of burglaries across California in the 1970s and 1980s has been arrested, authorities said Wednesday. Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, a former police officer, was arrested overnight and charged with first-degree murder in the 1980 killings of a Ventura County couple and was also arrested on suspicion of murder in the slayings of married couple Brian and Katie Maggiore in Sacramento County 1978.
Here's a look at some well-known serial killers in the U.S. since 1971.
Above: Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, left, talks to reporters about the arrest Joesph James DeAngelo, seen in photo, in Sacramento, Calif., on April 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
2014: Darren Deon Vann
Updated
Also known as the "Gary Strangler," Darren Deon Vann was arrested in the killing of a 19-year-old woman at a motel in Indiana and later confessed to the murders of six other women. He was sentenced to seven concurrent life sentences in May 2018.
2007-2009: Anthony Sowell
Updated
Anthony Sowell, known as the "Cleveland Strangler," was convicted of killing 11 women and hiding the remains in and around his home in Cleveland, Ohio. He is on death row in Ohio.
2005-2006: Mark Goudeau
Updated
Mark Goudeau, a former construction worker who was also known as the "Baseline Killer," was convicted of killing eight women and a man in Phoenix, Arizona. He was sentenced to death in 2011 and remains on death row.
2002: Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad
Updated
Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad randomly killed 10 people in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland as they pumped gas and went about their business during a three-week period in 2002. Malvo is serving several life sentences at a Virginia prison; Muhammad was executed in Virginia in 2009.
1997-1999: Ángel Maturino Reséndiz
Updated
Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, nicknamed the "Railroad Killer" (also "The Railway Killer"), was convicted of murdering Claudia Benton, but was linked by confessions and evidence to at least 15 other killings nationwide. He also confessed to killing seven people in Mexico. Reséndiz was executed in 2006.
1975-1998: Robert L. Yates Jr.
Updated
Robert L. Yates Jr. was convicted of 13 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in Spokane County, Washington, as well as two additional murders in Pierce County. The 13 women he killed in Spokane, were sex workers on the city's E. Sprague Avenue.
Yates's original death sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2018 after Washington abolished the death penalty.
1990-1993: Heriberto Seda
Updated
Heriberto Seda, also known as the "New York Zodiac Killer," killed three people and wounded four in New York City. He also sent cryptic messages to police and claimed to kill people based on their zodiac signs.
Seda was caught in 1996 after an unrelated shootout with police and is currently serving a 232-year sentence.
1989-1993: Joel Rifkin
Updated
Joel Rifkin is believed to have killed up to 17 women in New York City and Long Island. He was sentenced to 203 years in prison for the murders of nine women between 1989 and 1993.
His first victim, Heidi "Susie" Balch, was killed in 1989 but went unidentified until 2013. The identities of two of his suspected victims are still unknown.
1989-1990: Aileen Wuornos
Updated
Aileen Wuornos, a rare female serial killer, was convicted of murdering six men while working as a sex worker along highways in central Florida. She claimed the murders were committed in self-defense and that the men either raped or attempted to rape her.
She was executed in 2002.
1985-2007: Lonnie David Franklin Jr.
Updated
Lonnie David Franklin Jr., known as the "Grim Sleeper," was convicted in the deaths of nine women and a teenage girl in Los Angeles. Franklin was linked at trial to 14 slayings, including four women he wasn't charged with killing. Police have said he may have had as many as 25 victims.
He is on death row in California.
1984-1985: Charles Ng and Leonard Lake
Updated
Charles Ng and Leonard Lake are suspected of raping, torturing and murdering between 11 and 25 victims at a cabin in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Ng was convicted of 11 of the murders and is on death row in California. Shortly after his arrest, Lake killed himself with cyanide pills that were sewn into his clothing.
1984-1985: Richard Ramirez
Updated
Richard Ramirez, also known as the "Night Stalker" was convicted of killing 13 people during break-ins in the Los Angeles area. He was also convicted of five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. A fourteenth victim who was also killed in 1984 was connected to Ramirez in 2009.
Ramirez died in prison in 2013.
1983: Henry Lee Lucas
Updated
Henry Lee Lucas was arrested on murder charges and confessed to police that he killed hundreds of people. He later recanted. Lucas was convicted of 11 murders. He was sentenced to at 10 life terms and one death sentence. Then-Gov. George W. Bush commuted that to life in prison, his only commutation as governor.
Lucas died in prison in 2001.
1979-1981: Wayne B. Williams
Updated
Wayne B. Williams was convicted and sentenced to two life terms for killing two men in Atlanta in 1981. Police believed he may have been responsible for the deaths of at least 23 of the 30 children who were murdered in Atlanta between 1979-1981. He was never tried for any of those crimes.
Authorities announced in early 2019 that they would re-test some of the evidence related to the Atlanta Child Murders.
Wayne is currently serving a life sentence at Telfair State Prison.
1978-1995: Theodore Kaczynski
Updated
Theodore Kaczynski, also known as the "Unabomber," carried out a series of mail bombings that killed three people and injured 23. He is serving a life sentence in Colorado.
1978-1992: Jeffrey Dahmer
Updated
Jeffrey Dahmer, also called the "Milwaukee Cannibal" or the "Milwaukee Monster," killed 17 men and boys from 1978-1992. Sixteen of the murders took place in Wisconsin, with one occurring in Ohio.
He was sentenced to 16 consecutive life terms. Dahmer was killed in prison in 1994.
1977-1978: Ted Bundy
Updated
Ted Bundy was convicted of three Florida murders that occured after he had escaped from a Colorado jail. He eventually confessed to more than 30 murders in seven states, but the number of actual victims is unknown.
He was executed in 1989.
1977-1978: Angelo Buono Jr. and Kenneth A. Bianchi
Updated
Cousins Angelo Buono Jr. (pictured) and Kenneth A. Bianchi, known as the "Hillside Stranglers" killed 10 young women in California in the late 70s. Bianchi also killed two other women in Washington state. The pair would often pretend to be undercover police officers to lure their victims into their vehicle.
Buono was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He died in prison in 2002.
Bianchi agreed to testify against Buono in exchange for leniency. He is currently serving life in prison and is also a suspect in three murders in Rochester, New York.
1976-1986: Joseph James DeAngelo
Updated
Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer in Auburn, California, is suspected of being the so-called Golden State Killer. He has been arrested on four murder charges but is suspected of 170 crimes, including a dozen murders and 45 rapes between 1976 and 1986. He cannot be charged for the rape or burglaries due to statute of limitation laws.
1976-1977: David Berkowitz
Updated
David Berkowitz, also known as the "Son of Sam," killed six people and wounded seven others in New York City. He sent several taunting letters to police before he was caught in 1977. Initially, he claimed to be carrying out the orders of a demon that took the form of his neighbor's dog.
Berkowitz is serving six consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences.
1974-1991: Dennis Rader
Updated
Dennis Rader, who called himself BTK for "bind, torture and kill," killed 10 people in Wichita, Kansas from 1974-1991. He sent letters describing his crimes to police and the media, which eventually led to his arrest in 2005.
Rader is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences at a Kansas prison.
1972-1978: John Wayne Gacy
Updated
John Wayne Gacy killed 33 young men and boys in suburban Chicago from 1972-1978. He was known as the "Killer Clown" because he often performed as a clown at fundraisers and children's parties.
Gacy was sentenced to death for 12 of the murders and was executed in 1994.
February-May 1971: Juan Corona
Updated
Juan Corona was convicted of murdering 25 farm workers whose bodies were found buried near Yuba City in northern California. Local authorities believe he may be responsible for several other murders.
Corona died in prison in March 2019.
As featured on
Four people familiar with the matter confirmed the cause of death to The Associated Press but were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
