America's Most Notorious Serial Killers

From creepy killers to the truly wierd and shocking, FOX Fan got investigates the most notorious summer murderers. Check 'em out!

Son of Sam

Eighteen-year-old Donna Lauria was sitting in her car chatting with a friend when a strange man approached and shot her to death. Hers was the first in a series of murders that haunted New York City from July of 1976 to August of 1977. The killer, who preyed mostly on young women, became known as the "Son of Sam" in the media after referring to himself as such in a letter left at the scene of one of the crimes. The "Son of Sam" went on to murder six people, and seriously wound seven others, before being caught. David Berkowitz was arrested on August 10, 1977 and quickly confessed to being the serial killer tormenting the city. According to Berkowitz, the "Sam" he mentioned was his neighbor Sam Carr. Berkowitz believed that Sam's Labrador Retriever, Harvey, had been possessed by a demon who ordered him to commit the murders.

Ted Bundy

To unsuspecting eyes, Ted Bundy was an upstanding citizen ... an ambitious honors student interested in pursing a law degree. In reality, he was a cold-blooded serial killer. To this day, the total number of Bundy's victims is unknown. It is estimated that in the mid-1970s he killed close to 40 women across multiple states. Some suggest that Bundy began his rampage after his first serious girlfriend broke his heart, setting out to kill women who bore some resemblance to her. Whatever the reason for it, his murderous rampage was one for the record books. As evidence against him mounted in 3 states, Bundy was apprehended in Utah in August 1975. Bundy was able to escape from prison on two occasions. After breaking out of a cell in Colorado, Bundy made it all the way to Tallahassee, Florida. It was there that he let loose his pent up desire to kill…attacking 4 sleeping coeds at Florida State University's Chi Omega House. Less than a month later, on February 9, 1978, 12-year-old Kimberly Leach would be the last of Bundy's victims. He was apprehended, tried for multiple murders, and executed on January 24, 1989.

Aileen Wuornos

Wuornos gained notoriety for killing seven men between December of 1989 and November of 1990. Wuornos, and her girlfriend Tyria Moore, were barely surviving on the money Aileen made as a prostitute, so Wuornos devised a plan in which she would rob her johns, and then shoot them in order to avoid discovery. Finger prints and witnesses led to Wuornos' arrest in 1991. Police also caught up with Moore, who agreed to work with authorities to get a confession out of Wuornos in exchange for prosecutorial immunity. The plan worked. Wuornos confessed, was tried, and convicted. On October 9, 2002, she became the tenth woman executed in the United States since the capitol punishment ban was lifted in 1977.

Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker)

His victims ranged in age from 6 to 83. He stalked them in the dark of night, breaking into their Los Angeles homes as they slept. He focused on torturing women. If men happened to be in the home, he usually killed them abruptly while their wives watched. Then, he would typically rape, and sodomize the women, sometimes leaving them alive. Richard Ramirez was known as the "Night Stalker" and he tormented Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Finally apprehended when attempting to steal a car, he was charged with 14 counts of murder and 31 other felonies in Los Angeles County. On November 7, 1989, he was sentenced to death.

Jeffrey Dahmer

Some call Jeffrey Dahmer "The Monster". His horrific crimes began in the summer of '78, with his first murder. While still living in his family's house, Dahmer picked up a hitchhiker named Steve Hicks. He offered Hicks a beer in his backyard. When he declined, Dahmer beat and strangled him to death with a barbell. Later, he would lure men and boys to his home, drug, rape, and kill them. He would dismember his victims, keeping skulls as souvenirs, storing various body parts in vats and potentially engaging in cannibalism. Shortly before his arrest, Dahmer was able to fool the police. On the night of May 27, 1991 in Milwaukee, a 14-year-old managed to escape Dahmer’s home and wandered into the streets with his killer in pursuit. When the cops started asking questions, Dahmer convinced them that it was merely a lovers' quarrel. The police conclusion: "Intoxicated Asian, naked male. Was returned to his sober boyfriend." Following his arrest on July 22, 1991, Dahmer was sentenced to nearly a thousand years in jail. He was killed by a fellow inmate in November 1994.

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