I watch a lot of scary movies. Vampires, werewolves, zombies… they’ve got nothing on one other group when it comes to scaring me — serial killers. Even when they’re just fictional characters, I find serial killers to be terrifying not because I expect to come across one any more than a movie monster, but because they represent something
real.
These awful excuses for human beings do exist, and they pose a real threat to society. They come in all shapes and sizes, colors, and races. Today we’ll take a quick look at 25 serial killers from around the world. There will be some of the more well-known U.S. and other serial killers, but we’ll also have some from places like Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, China, and more. They aren’t all the most famous serial killers. You’ve probably never heard of some of them. And some of your “favorites” won’t be included here. This list is a little different.
Rather than focusing solely on well-known serial killers (although some will be included), we’re looking at a more diverse group — both men and women, different races and nationalities, etc. Even more importantly, I wanted to take a look at some of the world’s recent and distant serial killers with some of the most disturbing motives or stories.
Keep in mind…. I’m not claiming these are THE most disturbing serial killers. There have been too many for me to ever know about them all, and that would be subjective. These are just some examples of particularly disturbing individuals that caught my attention or made me cringe. If other serial killers top your own personal list, feel free to leave a comment below to tell us about them.
25 Disturbing Serial Killers from Around the World
The serial killers profiled below are listed in alphabetical order (by first names) — not in any order based on how “disturbing” I might find them, by race, nationality, etc. Also, understand that the definition of “serial killer” is heavily debated. For example some definitions simply state there must be a break between killings to separate serial killers from mass-murderers. Other definitions give a specific length that break must be in order to qualify as a serial killer rather than a spree killer. We’re not going split hairs about that here.
Note: Where legal images were available for re-publication, I’ve included them below. You can run a Google image search to view other serial killers from the list if you’re interested — but having them appear in image search results doesn’t give us the right to publish them here for you directly. I did, however, try to link to one page with an image where possible when one wasn’t available for republication.
Now, let’s get to the list.
1. Ahmad Suradji
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The idea of ritualistic serial killers on one hand baffles me and on the other hand fascinates me. They’re a reminder that the world is full of different cultures where different practices are considered acceptable than here in the West.
But Ahmad Suradji doesn’t seem to be following any kind of cultural norm. Instead he just sounds deranged. At the same time, I have to admit it’s one of the more “interesting” excuses or motives I’ve ever seen. Here’s more on Indonesian serial killer, Ahmad Suradji.
Victims: Suradji murdered 42 females between the ages of 11 and 30. The killings took place over 11 years.
Kill Zone: Medan, Indonesia
Methods: Suradji buried his victims up to their waists and strangled them with a cable.
Motives: Suradji conducted ritual killings. He claimed to be told by his father’s ghost in a dream that by killing these women and drinking their saliva, he would become a mystic healer.
Outcome: Ahmad Suradji was found guilty on April 27, 1998 of his crimes and was executed by firing squad on July 10, 2008.
Additional Information: One of Suradji’s three wives (Tumini) was tried as an accomplice. Often Suradji’s victims were women who came to him seeking his services as a healer.
2. Aileen Wuornos
Credit: Robot Nine via Picasa Web Albums
On one hand, I can understand that traumatic experiences can lead to disturbing behavior. Still…. Call me crazy, but I just can’t see trauma caused by someone else as justification for murdering others. Then again, that’s probably because I’m
not crazy. Aileen Wuornos is the first female serial killer on our list here, and she’s an example of someone who was (or who claimed to be) traumatized, leading to the murders of several men.
Victims: Wuornos killed 7 men between the ages of 40 and 65.
Kill Zone: Florida, United States
Methods: The murders were committed with multiple gun shots.
Motives: Wuornos
claimed that the men she killed had raped her (or tried to) while she was working as a prostitute.
Outcome: Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002.
Additional Information: Aileen Wuornos’ story was the basis for the movie
Monster. She had a child when she was a young teen, claiming she was raped by an unknown man. However, it’s suspected by some that her brother actually fathered the child.
3. Alexander Pichushkin
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Alexander Pichushkin is a Russian serial killer known as “The Chessboard Killer.” Unlike some killers who have almost understandable motives (such as being abused or tortured themselves in some way — not that it excuses anything), Pichushkin is a whole different level of crazy. He killed for the competition of it.
Victims: Pichushkin has 48 verified victims. While not all, most of them were elderly homeless men.
Kill Zone: Moscow, Russia
Methods: Most of Alexander Pichushkin’s victims were killed with hammer blows to the head. He preferred to strike them from behind supposedly to avoid spilling blood on himself. He then threw some of his victims into the sewers.
Motives: It is believed Pichushkin considered himself to be in competition with another serial killer — Andrei Chikatilo. At one point he mentioned that his “goal” was to kill 64 victims — enough to fill the squares on a chessboard, hence his nickname.
Outcome: Pichushkin was convicted on October 24, 2007 to life in prison, including 15 years of solitary confinement.
Additional Information: Pichushkin has been quoted as saying “For me, life without killing is like life without food for you…. I felt like the father of all these people, since it was I who opened the door for them to another world.”
He was kept in a glass cage during his trial.
4. Andrei Chikatilo
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You’ve already seen the name Andrei Chikatilo mentioned, because he was at least partially the inspiration for another Russian serial killer — Alexander Pichushkin. Chikatilo was known by two nicknames — “The Red Ripper” and “The Rostov Ripper.”
Victims: Chikatilo killed 53 women and children (of both genders).
Kill Zone: Rostov Oblast, Russia
Methods: Chikatilo didn’t kill all of his victims in the same way. Most were stabbed, but a few were strangled or battered to death. All were mutilated.
Motives: Chikatilo killed for sexual satisfaction — he could only become aroused by committing violent acts against women.
Outcome: Andrei Chikatilo was shot and executed on February 14, 1994.
Additional Information: Chikatilo was impotent due to a childhood illness, yet had two children of his own. His son Yuri was charged with the attempted murder of a man.
5. Carl Eugene Watts
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One thing I find particularly disturbing is when killers start young and no one “notices” or stops them before they can escalate. According to Watts, he was one of those kinds of killers.
Victims: Watts killed females between the ages of 14 and 44. Twelve victims are confirmed, but it’s expected that there were more — possibly dozens.
Kill Zone: Texas and Michigan, United States
Methods: Watts wasn’t faithful to any particular method of killing his victims. He use strangulation, stabbing, drowning, and beatings.
Motives: While his motives aren’t believed to be sexual in nature (as with many serial killers), they aren’t known.
Outcome: Watts died of cancer on September 21, 2007 shortly after being sentenced to life in prison. Prior to this, he had been serving time in Texas.
Additional Information: Watts is believed to have had an IQ of just 68, and he may have killed his first victim at the young age of 15.
6. Carlton Gary
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I won’t say that I do or don’t believe Carlton Gary is guilty of being “The Stocking Strangler.” But for all that we know, that’s who he is. Others disagree, and believe it’s a case of poor evidence. What do you think?
Victims: Carlton Gary is believed to have killed 7 elderly women.
Kill Zone: Georgia, United States
Methods: Victims were beaten, raped, and then strangled to death.
Outcome: Gary was convicted of murder on August 26, 1986 and then sentenced to death. He is still on death row. He was supposed to be executed on December 16, 2009 but the Georgia Supreme Court stopped his execution the day it was supposed to happen to allow for a hearing on the DNA evidence.
7. Dana Sue Gray
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Have you ever seen an “outfit to die for?” Apparently serial killer / shopaholic Dana Sue Gray has. This has
got to be one of the most screwed up motives for murder I’ve seen. But really, greed is one of the oldest I guess.
Victims: Gray killed 3 elderly women age 57 – 87, and a fourth victim survived.
Kill Zone: California, United States
Methods: Two of the victims were strangled with telephone cords (the survivor was one of them), one was beaten, and one was stabbed.
Motives: Gray’s motives were financial. She said she killed her victims to support her overwhelming need to shop. She stole cash and credit cards from her victims to help support her lifestyle.
Outcome: Gray was convicted and sentenced to life without parole on October 16, 1998.