13 SERIAL KILLERS WHO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO WORLD FAME. (in no particular order)

By: Casandra Vicario

This time, Casandra Vicario brings us a list of the most famous real and fictional killers, who have been the protagonists of, or have inspired, some of the most terrifying stories and films.

1.- ED GEIN. Better known as the Butcher of Plainfield. He had lived alone since his mother's death in 1945 and made a living doing all kinds of odd jobs for his neighbors. He was proven to have murdered two women, but the most shocking thing was what police found inside his house: human skin covered the lampshades, a woman's suit made of human skin, a belt made of nipples, and a collection of nine human-skin masks with the hair still intact, four of which hung on the wall near his bed.

2.- RICHARD RAMÍREZ. His full name was Richard Leyva Ramírez Muñoz, better known as “the Night Stalker,” he killed 14 people in Los Angeles between 1984 and 1985. He could kill in an organized way without leaving a trace, or kill carelessly, believing himself protected by Satan, drawing satanic symbols on the walls. He was sentenced to the gas chamber in 1989.

3.-HANNIBAL LECTER. He isn't a real killer, but he has certainly become a popular character: ever since Thomas Harris brought him to life in his book “Red Dragon,” Hannibal Lecter has stolen the hearts of many people around the world—perfect for making a good broth, since, as many of you will know, this psychiatrist loves classical music, art, and practices cannibalism.

4.- TED BUNDY. Born in 1946, a law student, in all his crimes he followed the same ritual: he would follow the young victim through the streets, then strangle and beat her in her own home; once she was dead, he would sodomize her with his penis or whatever object was closest at hand while biting her body. He was executed in the electric chair nine years after his sentencing, in January 1989.

5.- GREGORIO CÁRDENAS. “The Strangler of Tacuba.” His modus operandi was to pick up prostitutes, take them to his house in Tacuba, and strangle them with a rope, then bury them in his garden. He spent 34 years in Lecumberri, time he used to study law, play the organ, paint, read about mental disorders, and write “Celda 16” (“Cell 16”), “Pabellón de locos” (“Ward of the Insane”), “Una mente turbulenta” (“A Turbulent Mind”), and “Adiós a Lecumberri” (“Goodbye to Lecumberri”). He was released on September 8, 1976, and received a standing ovation in the Congress of the Union for being an example of social rehabilitation.

6.- JOHN WAYNE GACY. Famous for working as a clown in his free time and for being a kind man to his neighbors and a good husband, what nobody knew was that Mr. Gacy raped and killed 33 young men between 1972 and 1978. Twenty-six of his victims were buried in the crawl space of his own house, three others in different parts of the house, and four more were thrown into a nearby river. He died by lethal injection in 1994.

7.- DAVID BERKOWITZ. David was born on June 1, 1953, an unwanted son of Betty Broder, who abandoned him, and was adopted by Nat and Pearl Berkowitz. He fired his .44 caliber revolver indiscriminately at anyone who crossed his path, regardless of race, sex, or age. When he was finally caught, he claimed to hear the voice of a demon reincarnated in "Sam," his neighbor's dog, which gave him orders to kill. Berkowitz was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, with a 365-year sentence in a maximum-security prison. While in prison, he was attacked by other inmates and had his throat slashed, but survived with a 56-stitch scar on his neck.

8.- HENRY LEE LUCAS. Born in Virginia in August 1936, he was an unwanted child; his mother, a prostitute, raised him through beatings and constant humiliation. He killed alone until he met Ottis O'Toole in Miami. Henry Lee Lucas was linked to about 300 murders, although he himself claimed 900. When they were finally caught, Ottis was sentenced to life in prison and died behind bars, while Henry was sentenced to death.

9.- JEFREY DHAMER. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, better known as “the Butcher of Milwaukee,” was responsible for the murder of 17 men between 1978 and 1991; he also practiced necrophilia and cannibalism. One of his victims managed to escape, which is how he was caught—inside his home, police found several photographs of corpses, human remains, and a head in the freezer. He was taken to prison, where he was killed by one of his fellow inmates.

10.- JACK THE RIPPER. Undoubtedly one of the best-known and most popular serial killers in history; although there are various theories about his identity, the truth is that no one really knows who actually committed the murders of the five women of Whitechapel. He has become the main character in countless films, comics, books, plays, operas, songs, and even video games.

11.- ALBERT DESALVO. Married, with two children, he worked as an employee at a rubber factory. He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. His father regularly beat his wife and children. Between 1962 and 1964, thirteen strangulation murders were committed in the city of Boston; the victims, all women, almost always showed signs of having been repeatedly raped. DeSalvo was considered insane, but was sentenced to life in prison in 1966. He was stabbed to death by a cellmate in 1973. He is known as “the Boston Strangler.”

12.- ELIZABETH BATHORY. Born in 1560 into one of the wealthiest Hungarian families. She felt a special attraction to blood, drinking it and bathing in it in order to keep her skin from aging over the years. When she was finally put on trial, she confessed to having murdered more than 600 young people. Since she was of noble birth, she was walled up in her castle's bedroom, left with a small slit through which she was given scraps of food and a little water. She died after four years in that tomb, in 1614, at the age of 54. She is known as “the Blood Countess.”

13.- AILEEN WUORNOS. Born in Rochester, Michigan, on February 29, 1956, she was the daughter of teenage parents who separated months before her birth; Aileen was left in the care of her mother, Diane, as was her older brother Keith. But the young mother was unable to raise the girl, and in March 1960, she was legally adopted by her maternal grandparents. In January 1991, she was finally arrested in a bar, confessed to six murders, and claimed that they had all been committed in self-defense, since the men had tried to rape her. In 1992, she was sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out in the fall of 2002.