January 1, 2025 • 54 mins
Our latest episode takes you through a chilling countdown of the top 50 serial killers throughout history, offering insights into their lives, crimes, and the societal failures that allowed them to thrive. It serves as a reflection on the dark side of human nature and encourages conversation about crime, mental illness, and victimhood.
• Discussion of the first serial killer on the list, Karl Denke
• The infamous cases of Larry Hall and Charles Manson
• An exploration of Ted Bundy’s charisma matched with savagery
• A critical look at Eileen Wuornos and her narrative as a female killer
• Insights into Dr. Harold Shipman, a medical professional who abused his position for murder
• Conversations around societal perceptions of violence and male dominance in cases
• Reflection on the lasting societal impacts of serial killer prevalence
If you think the ranking should be different or someone is omitted, let us know.
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Wicked Wanderings is hosted by Hannah & Courtney and it's produced by Rob Fitzpatrick. Music by Sascha Ende.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Courtney (00:00):
All right, let's do this.
Rob (00:03):
So how was everyone's New Year's Eve last night?
Hannah (00:06):
I'm sorry, we can't ask that because it hasn't happened
yet.
That's weird.
Rob (00:10):
What do you mean?
It hasn't happened, it justhappened last night.
Courtney (00:12):
Hannah.
It's literally the first.
We're writing this at 1 am.
Hannah is a liar, guys.
She's a hater.
Hannah (00:20):
I do want to say, though make the whitney houston again
oh, the pink whitney yeah, thewhitney houston is what I called
it the whitney houston.
Courtney (00:28):
Sure, I don't know how I made it, because I'm pretty
sure I was intoxicated when Imade it.
Rob (00:31):
Well, if you go back to the episode we told the recipe, did
I give the recipe?
Hannah (00:37):
in the lobster pot, okay , okay, hi.
I'm Hannah and I'm Courtney.
Join us as we delve into truecrime, paranormal encounters and
all things spooky.
Courtney (01:01):
Grab your flashlight and get ready to wander into the
darkness with us.
Rob (01:17):
This is Wicked Wanderings.
Hey Hannah, hey Rob, heyCourtney, Hi Rob, how are we
doing today?
Courtney (01:26):
We are great, we're excited that you're coming to us
with an episode.
Rob (01:29):
Yes, and I just want to wish everybody a happy new year.
This episode is coming out onthe first, so I hope everyone
was safe last night, got homesafe and sound and you're
listening to this episode allhungover.
Courtney (01:43):
Partied like it was 1999.
Rob (01:46):
So happy 2025.
And here's to another year.
Courtney (01:50):
Cheers.
Rob (01:51):
Cheers.
So we're going to do a specialepisode today.
We are going to do a top 50countdown of serial killers.
So I asked ChatGBT to comprisea list of the top 50 serial
killers and this is what it gaveus.
So we have the name, We'll tellyou where they're from, give
you a little summary, abackground, if they were
(02:13):
captured, the trial and wherethey're at today.
Some key details as well.
Courtney (02:18):
Sounds great.
I'm excited.
Yeah, let's do this.
Rob (02:20):
All right, so we're going to start with number 50.
His name is Karl Denke D-EN-K-E.
Hannah (02:25):
Yeah, I'm going to say Dentke.
Rob (02:26):
Dentke from Germany.
Quick summary is known as thecannibal of Zebeis, dentke
murdered and cannibalized atleast 30 people in the early
20th century.
Courtney (02:38):
Oh, he's starting with a cannibal guys, you know I
hate this.
Rob (02:44):
Some key details he was a respected member of his
community.
Uh danky sold human fleshdisguised as pork oh so this is
a uh damn it.
Hannah (02:55):
I'll say ever scissor hands.
That's a wrong movie.
Rob (02:57):
Yeah, sweet todd, sweet, yes, yes, yes yes, his ledger
contained detailed records ofhis murders, the capture he was
exposed in 1924 after a victimescaped, revealing Denke's
crimes.
Courtney (03:12):
Escaping a cannibal.
Rob (03:14):
Yes, and then some of the trial.
He committed suicide in custodybefore standing trial leaving
behind limited insights into hismotives.
Hannah (03:21):
He sounds interesting.
Courtney (03:23):
Potential episode.
Yeah, if you hear somethingthat you want to hear more about
, send us some mail guys, let usknow.
We'll do a full episode Cousin.
Mom (03:30):
Mark Cousin.
Mark, we got to have you on anepisode Cousin Mark.
We got your message from.
Courtney (03:35):
Rob, you just tell us when you're available.
Rob (03:38):
All right, so number 49, hannah's going to take it.
This is a case we already did.
Hannah (03:41):
Yes, this sounds very familiar Larry Hall, usa.
The summary is Hall issuspected of being a serial
killer responsible for dozens ofmurders across the Midwest,
primarily targeting young women,in the 1980s and 1990s.
The key details presented is aCivil War reenactor, hall lured
victims through his travels andis believed to have killed while
passing through towns forreenactments.
(04:02):
Known for vague confessions anda history of desecrating graves
, his capture was he wasarrested in 1994 for the
kidnapping of Jessica Roach,leading to further suspicions
about his involvement in manyunsolved cases and his trial.
He was convicted of kidnappingand sentenced to life
imprisonment, but his suspectedmurder count remains unconfirmed
(04:23):
.
Haunting.
Rob (04:24):
Yeah, there's a great show on apple tv.
It's called blackbird.
It's a I don't know seven oreight part series it's really
good about.
Courtney (04:30):
I still haven't seen that yet, because I never just
did this episode, me neither.
Okay, number 48, charles manson.
You know, I just say I'msurprised he's at 48.
Yeah, I was a little surprisedtoo, big guy, like I was.
Like, did I read from the wrong?
Um, obviously, uh, charlesmanson, obviously, usa, sorry,
(04:51):
sorry.
What'd you say, mom, before?
Mom (04:53):
I don't think it's the number of people he killed, it's
the notoriety of the people hekilled yeah, definitely that
would make sense.
Courtney (05:01):
Sorry, court, um.
His.
Manson was the leader of theManson family, a cult
responsible for a series ofbrutal murders in 1969,
including actress Sharon Tate.
Key details Manson didn'tcommit the murders personally,
but directed his followers tocarry out the killings as part
of his delusional belief in arace war.
He called Helter Skelter.
He was arrested in 1969 afterthe murder spree.
(05:24):
Details about his trial.
He was arrested in 1969 afterthe murder spree.
Details about his trial.
He was convicted offirst-degree murder and
conspiracy to commit murder in1971.
Originally sentenced to death,his sentence was committed to
life in prison afterCalifornia's death penalty was
briefly abolished.
Manson died in 2017.
Rob (05:40):
Oh, I didn't realize he was dead.
Courtney (05:42):
I didn't realize it was so recent yeah.
Hannah (05:45):
Well, I know.
So one of his followers justgot out of jail this year.
I think it was Also interestingfact Zach Bagan from Ghost
Adventure, her boyfriend Zach.
Bagan, If you're listeningplease send her a DM or
something.
He has, a haunted museum thathe has haunted objects in.
Send her a dm or something hehas, um, like a haunted museum
(06:05):
that he has haunted objects in,and one of them is, I believe,
the television that charlesmanson and his followers had in
their home, and it's just that'skind of cool haunted so I
remember these.
Mom (06:17):
I was very young.
I remember being at the beachwith my dad, always got that
sunday paper again a daily paper.
My dad was a newspaper guy tohave that newspaper right yeah
and I can remember reading aboutthem.
And it was, it was frightening.
It was frightening.
What year was it?
Courtney (06:33):
1969 it was 69, but the murders took place 71, when
he was convicted so this is allthe time we were reading about
the vietnam war.
Mom (06:42):
There's a lot of stuff going on Flower power, yep,
flower children.
And then he had their cult outin California.
It was scary.
Rob (06:54):
All right, we're on to number 47.
Robert Pickton, from Canada,which we actually just covered.
This case we did, so here's abrief summary.
Pickton he was a pig farmermurdered dozens of women in
Vancouver in the 1990s and early2000s.
He was charged with 27 murdersbut believed to have killed
about 49.
And during his trial he wassentenced to life imprisonment
(07:16):
in 2007.
Hannah (07:18):
And usually they were women of the night.
Rob (07:20):
And he actually just committed suicide or he died or
something that was this year.
Oh yeah, that was this year hewas killed.
He was killed in prison.
That's what it was.
Courtney (07:29):
Right around the same time that Hannah did her episode
.
Rob (07:31):
Yes, that's correct.
Courtney (07:32):
We keep having fluky timing like that with people.
Mom (07:35):
Is there a correlation between men with bad hygiene and
being serial killers?
Courtney (07:40):
Maybe I don't know we could probably make one.
I believe you could make acorrelation between anything,
though.
Very true, I mean, how manywould you need to?
Hannah (07:48):
make a correlation.
Courtney (07:50):
There's no definitive number.
That's the thing about it.
That's why I say you could doit for anything.
You could say, oh well, thesethree, and then base it off of
that.
But Ted Bundy was very handsomeand well-spoken, so maybe the
theory doesn't hold water.
Probably depends on theirmotive for doing things.
Rob (08:07):
I would say yeah, all right , number 46.
Hannah (08:09):
Hannah, you want to take this one sure william bonin of
the usa, uh known as the freewaykiller bonin raped, tortured
and murdered at least 21 boys inthe late 1970s.
Uh often worked withaccomplices.
Oh interesting, and he wasexecuted in 1996.
Well, I kind of want to knowhow he was executed.
Courtney (08:28):
Yeah, he's definitely one I would like to learn more
about, because I don't think Iknow anything about him either.
Rob (08:33):
Well, there's a new case to put on the list of cases to do
His birth date's a steak.
Courtney (08:40):
Number 45, patrick Kearney, usa.
He was known as the trash bagkiller.
He preyed on young men inCalifornia during the 1970s.
He killed and dismembered atleast 21 victims, disposing of
them in garbage bags, and hepleaded guilty in 1978 and was
sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hannah (09:01):
All right Interesting.
Rob (09:03):
Number 44 is John Christie from the UK.
Christie murdered at leasteight people in his London home
during the 1940s and 1950s.
Some of the key details helured victims with promises of
medical assistance.
He was captured and apprehendedin 1953.
And during the trial he wasexecuted by hanging the same
(09:26):
year.
Wow.
Hannah (09:29):
He must have had a medical degree of some sort, why
would you offer medicalassistance?
Courtney (09:36):
That's true.
He'd definitely be another oneI would be interested in.
Mom (09:40):
Yeah, remember the healthcare system was very
different back then too.
Courtney (09:43):
In the 50s and he was in the UK, so he wasn't in the
US.
Mom (09:47):
There was no NHS or anything.
I don't think.
Yeah, I would look into it.
Hannah (09:51):
Next one, 43,.
Richard Chase from the USA oh,he was known as the Vampire of
Sacramento Killed six people inthe late 1970s, drinking their
blood and engaging innecrophilia Yum, fun stuff.
His murders were linked tountreated schizophrenia.
Courtney (10:10):
Makes sense.
Hannah (10:11):
Sentenced to death in 1979, but committed suicide in
prison in 1980.
Mom (10:16):
Would they give a death penalty to somebody who's
diagnosed with schizophrenia?
Wouldn't that be?
Courtney (10:22):
something that I don't know.
If they can, I think they can.
Hannah (10:26):
I just think they choose not to I don't think there's
like a you can't the thing is, Ifeel like every murder has a
mental disorder so then in theend 2025 now and everybody's got
some kind of mental illnessgoing on.
Courtney (10:39):
You could make a case for any one of us in this room
if we had done something to sayit was under.
It's the people who say not me,lynn, what was in that quiche,
ma right 42, we have a woman.
It sounds like dorothea puente.
I hope I'm saying that right.
Uh, usa.
She ran a boarding house whereshe killed tenants to steal
(11:01):
their benefits.
Bodies of nine victims werefound in her Sacramento yard in
1988.
She was convicted in 1993 andsentenced to life imprisonment.
Rob (11:12):
And we love a female serial killer out here.
Courtney (11:15):
So she's definitely also going to be on the list.
Mom (11:18):
She was motivated by money, which is almost a little more
understandable than just rage.
That's true, she was motivatedby money.
I mean it's horrible, don't getme wrong, but at least she was
motivated because she wantedthat money At least for a reason
.
Courtney (11:31):
Right, it wasn't just like random killing just because
it feels good.
Mom (11:34):
I think I'm a little bit more concerned about that.
Courtney (11:36):
Yeah, she wasn't motivated by rage or a parent or
something Wasn't in Sacramentoin 1988.
Yeah, exactly.
Rob (11:43):
Wasn't quite alive.
All right, number 41.
Hannah (11:46):
You were no.
Rob (11:46):
In 1980?
Eight oh, 1988.
Okay, yes, I was alive, but Iwas two years old.
Courtney (11:54):
He was too young for benefits.
Sorry, Dorothea.
Rob (11:56):
All right, number 41.
Robert Henson, from the USA.
All right, so a quick summary.
The Butcher Baker abductedwomen and hunted them in the
Alaskan wilderness.
Mom (12:07):
Ooh oh.
Rob (12:08):
Some of the key details are he's responsible for deaths of
at least 17 women in the 1970sand 1980s.
He was arrested in 1983 after avictim escaped it seems like
always, if someone escapes,you're done, you're done, you're
toast yeah and during his trialhe was sentenced to 461 years
in prison.
Hannah (12:28):
Oh, that's a piece of cake.
Courtney (12:30):
Yeah, I mean 17 women that almost seems like not
enough time, in my opinion 17lives equates out to 461 years.
Mom (12:37):
Does it say how he found his victims?
Courtney (12:39):
I mean Alaska's not like it just says he abducted
them and hunted them.
So I'm assuming it was kind oflike what we were thinking about
with Johnny's case, where it'slike taking them to a place and
then being like run victims.
Books on that we do, but it'sdifferent.
Books are fantasy and this isreal life.
Hannah (12:54):
Number 40, beverly Allitt, from the UK.
She was dubbed the Angel ofDeath.
Allitt was a nurse who murderedfour children under her care in
1991.
Oh, not the kids she usedlethal doses, not the kids, not
the pets.
Used lethal doses of insulin orair to kill patients.
She was sentenced to 13 lifesentences in 1993.
Courtney (13:15):
It's interesting how we will put a higher sentence on
people who hurt children thanwe will on like I mean and I
don't say that I disagree,obviously, but it's just
interesting from a legalstandpoint how we can say oh, a
child's life is worth more insentencing time than in adults.
Mom (13:30):
I think because you're hoping that the adult would have
some awareness of what wasgoing on.
Our child is just so vulnerable.
I guess it's the vulnerable.
Rob (13:38):
Yeah.
Mom (13:39):
I guess that's why that's where we are with the pets we
were talking about.
That's true.
Rob (13:42):
Don't hurt the pets yeah.
Mom (13:43):
You know, when the dog gets let go, we're all like a woman
was murdered, but the dog gotlet go.
We're like, oh good, you knowAll the scary movies.
I always say let the dog go,don't bring a pet in All right.
Rob (13:55):
So this kind of sounds like a case that we did over the
summer.
Hannah, do you remember this?
Hannah (14:02):
Kristen Gilbert.
She worked for the VA up inLeeds or Northampton.
Once it said nurse, I thoughtof her the poison.
Rob (14:09):
So didn't they call her the angel of death as well?
Courtney (14:14):
I would have to look at it.
I haven't read the book.
I did put it on my TBR but Ididn't read it.
But I think it might have beensomething along the same lines,
if not the same thing.
Rob (14:26):
She was the one that was killing the vets, right?
Yes, and I believe Jess coveredthat over the summer.
Mom (14:28):
right, yeah, but her motivation is she wanted the.
There was some guy she was inlove with a security guy or
something.
Hers was weird and see her be ahero, saving these people.
Rob (14:36):
Hers was a weird one.
Yeah Well, she enjoyed killingthem.
Courtney (14:39):
Yeah, sicko.
Yes 39, Dennis Nilsen, UnitedKingdom.
He was known as the MuswellHill murderer and killed at
least 12 men in London between1978 and 1983.
He was very busy.
He often kept corpses in hishome for long periods.
Wow, oh gross.
(15:00):
He was arrested after humanremains were found clogging his
drains oh God, I hate when thathappens, messy.
And he was convicted in 1983and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Hannah (15:11):
I will never complain about hair in the drain, ever
again.
Courtney (15:13):
No, Hair, not, you know, skin, teeth and bones.
Rob (15:17):
Yeah, need a good plumber to clear that out.
Mom (15:20):
Oh God, that's it, that's it.
Rob (15:29):
Number 38, Otis.
Courtney (15:30):
To that out.
Oh god, number 38 otis toolfrom the usa tool a partner of
lucas.
Mom (15:34):
Lucas is listed below yes okay, I was like
Courtney (15:35):
who's lucas?
More to come on lucas.
Rob (15:36):
Yes, yes yes, yes, so tool, a partner of number 37 which we
will talk about in a second,committed multiple murders and
was known for arson andcannibalism Courtney's favorite.
I hate cannibalism Confessed tokilling Adam Walsh, even though
the case remains controversial.
He was convicted in 1980s ofmultiple murders and sentenced
(15:59):
to life.
He died in prison in 1996.
So, if you don't know, adamWalsh is the son of john walsh
from america's most wantedinteresting, so don't tell me he
ate his son uh, no.
So this gentleman here tool justconfessed to killing adam walsh
, but it seems like the caseremained controversial.
(16:21):
Like he was just confessingjust to say he didn't.
Hannah (16:24):
They don't know if he actually did my turn yeah, so
his partner number 37 all right,henry lee lucas of the usa.
Uh, lucas confessed to hundredsof murders hundreds, oh god.
But many claim.
But many claims remainunverified.
He is known for his partnershipwith otis tool, listed above.
His confession led to solvingnumerous cold cases, though
(16:45):
their accuracy was questioned.
He was arrested in 1983 forunlawful possession of a firearm
.
That's the reason why.
Courtney (16:52):
Such a silly way to get caught, huh.
Hannah (16:54):
They didn't go to Steve Nagel's.
Rob (16:56):
College of Knowledge.
Hannah (16:58):
And sentenced to life in prison, but died in 2001.
Mom (17:01):
Isn't it unusual for people to team up like that?
You don't see that a lot, youdon't, mama?
Hannah (17:06):
That's a very good point .
Courtney (17:08):
They usually trust no one kind of mindset.
Hannah (17:09):
Yep, because shit.
Well, I guess that wasn't hisfault.
Courtney (17:12):
But All right.
36, pedro Lopez, colombia,ecuador and Peru.
I'm hoping that he committedcrimes in all three, because I
don't love that.
We're just like slash, slash,slash in his location Known as
the monster of the Andes.
Lopez confessed to murderingover 300 girls across Colombia,
(17:32):
ecuador and Peru in the 1970sand 80s.
He targeted young girls, luringthem with promises of gifts
before killing them.
He was arrested in Ecuador in1980 after being caught
attempting to abduct a girl, andhe was convicted of 110.
Arrested in Ecuador in 1980after being caught attempting to
abduct a girl, and he wasconvicted of 110 murders in
Ecuador and released in 1998after serving just 14 years, his
(17:55):
current whereabouts are unknown.
Oh my God.
So if you're going to commit acrime, do it in Ecuador, I guess
.
Wow, that's scary, and keepyour children out of Ecuador.
That's scary, and keep yourchildren out of Ecuador.
That's scary.
They had said in the 70s and80s and I don't have here,
although now I'm interested onwhat his age was at the time
because potentially if he wasolder, right, he could be
deceased- yeah.
But if he was younger at thetime, he could very much still
(18:17):
be alive.
Rob (18:18):
Yeah.
Hannah (18:18):
So let's say like 40.
Yeah, midlife right Like yeah,that's midlife, right Like yeah,
that's scary that one'sconcerning I don't like this
Sorry about that everybody.
Rob (18:29):
I just Googled Pedro Lopez and he's 76 years old.
Courtney (18:32):
And they know where he is.
Rob (18:34):
Nope Currently unknown.
Courtney (18:36):
So he could be dead also, right.
Rob (18:38):
He could be being 76 now.
Courtney (18:40):
Or just being a convicted murderer of many
people.
Hannah (18:43):
I can imagine you have many enemies.
I can't believe he only hadprison for that.
Like what.
Courtney (18:47):
I really want to learn more about that case, just to
know, like, what the prisonsystem's rationale was for like,
hey, four years will do.
Rob (18:53):
Yeah, exactly.
Courtney (18:55):
Sorry about that.
You know what was it I have togo back in A hundred and ten
murderers and was released after14 years.
I'm sorry 14, yes 14.
14 just seems like four in thecomparison.
Rob (19:09):
All right, the next one is number 35.
It's Randy Kraft from the USA,dubbed the scorecard killer.
Kraft is believed to havemurdered at least 16 young men,
though his tally may be muchhigher.
Some of the key details he kepta coded list of his victims and
used strangulation, overdosingor other methods to kill.
(19:30):
He was arrested in 1983 afterpolice discovered a body in his
car.
Hannah (19:34):
Was he stupid?
Rob (19:35):
During his trial.
He was sentenced to death in1989.
And one of the legacies ofKraft is the case remains
notorious for its methodical,chilling nature.
Hannah (19:48):
Very interesting, so they still have his remains.
Rob (19:52):
Sounds like it.
Hannah (19:53):
That reminds me of that.
The guy, god.
So this was way back in the daywhere these two guys were
realizing they can make moneyoff of cadavers for the medical
schools.
Yeah, and then his skeleton isin England, atland, at one of
the museums because it gotdonated to science, all right.
34.
Herbert mullen of the usa.
(20:14):
Mullen killed 13 people incalifornia in the early 1970s,
believing his actions wouldprevent catastrophic earthquakes
.
Mom (20:22):
Oh, wow, talk about mental health disorders uh.
Hannah (20:25):
So he targeted random victims using a gun and knife,
often with no clear pattern.
He was arrested after beingcaught in the act of murder.
He was convicted in 1973 andsentenced to life in prison.
His case is often studied forits ties to schizophrenia and
delusional thinking.
Schizophrenia, mom.
There you go.
Rob (20:42):
There you go.
Courtney (20:43):
Again, 33 is actually a twofer.
So we have leonard lake andcharles nge and it's just ng ng
ng.
Thank you this one's just ng,and I even, like, did some extra
research on top of it andthere's no pronunciation, so I'm
just gonna call him ng uh fromusa.
(21:04):
This duo kidnapped, torturedand murdered at least 11 people
in a remote California cabinduring the 1980s.
So methods were inspired bysurvivalist fantasies.
They targeted families andvideotaped some of their heinous
acts Lake was arrested fortheft and committed suicide.
NG was captured years later inCanada.
(21:24):
He was sentenced to death in1999 for multiple murders, and
their crimes highlight thedangers of extremism and
unchecked violent fantasies as alegacy interesting jinx.
Rob (21:37):
You owe me a coke by your own all right number 32 ronnell
akala.
Is that how you would say it,akala?
Yeah ronald akala from thegreat country of the usa.
Uh, he was dubbed the datinggame killer, which I believe we
just talked about this recentlybecause there's a new uh show on
(21:59):
netflix netflix yep so he wasdubbed the dating game killer
after appearing on the tv showthe Dating Game during his
killing spree.
Mccullough was a photographerwho lured victims into deadly
traps.
He used his charm to lurevictims, often taking
photographs before killing them.
He was convicted in 1980 formultiple murders, though
(22:21):
investigators believe he killedmany, many more.
He was sentenced to death anddied of natural causes in 2021.
His crimes shed light on themisuse of trust and charm in
predatory behavior.
So I have not seen that showyet.
I did start watching it, me too, but I think I only got like
(22:42):
maybe 20 minutes into it andfell asleep, and then I never
turned it back on.
Courtney (22:45):
I feel bad because I found it one day when I was
looking for something to getinto and I ended up just
changing it to something else.
I just sometimes I feel likewhen they use too big of an
actor actress, I have a hardtime getting into that.
This actually happened.
I have a really hard time with,like, the fiction version of
nonfiction things and they usedone of the actresses from glee
(23:08):
is in there and I was like I, Ithe acting was anacondra.
It was, yeah, the acting wasjust so cheery for what the
production was about that I hada really hard time getting into
it personally all right.
Hannah (23:21):
31, carl pans ram of the usa.
He was a self-confessed serialkiller.
Panzram claimed to havemurdered 21 people and committed
hundreds of crimes across theUnited States and abroad.
Panzram's crimes includedmurder, arson and assault, often
driven by deep-seated hatredfor humanity.
He was arrested for burglary.
He confessed to his broadercrimes.
(23:42):
He was executed in 1930 for themurder of a prison guard.
His memoirs provide chillinginsights into his psyche,
becoming a key resource forunderstanding criminal
psychology.
Rob (23:52):
Interesting.
Courtney (23:54):
Number 30 is one many people are familiar with the
Zodiac Killer from the USA, oneof America's most notorious
unsolved cases.
The Zodiac Killer claimed tohave killed 37 people in
California during the 1960s and1970s.
He targeted young couples andlone individuals, leaving
cryptic letters and ciphers forthe police and media.
(24:14):
Despite extensiveinvestigations, the zodiac
killer was never caught and hisidentity remains a mystery.
His taunting communications andunsolved status have inspired
books, films and and ongoinginvestigations.
Hannah (24:27):
I don't think I realized he wasn't caught.
Rob (24:29):
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Courtney (24:30):
Yeah.
Rob (24:31):
Oh my God, I don't think I realized that he's a whole
rabbit hole.
Courtney (24:33):
I'm actually shocked that he I say only like he made
the list, but I'm shocked he'sonly at 30, just because of how
big his case, their cases, weshould say we say his, but we
don't we don't know right untilyou have a, an actual person
who's convicted in my opinion.
Rob (24:48):
You don't know right, exactly all right.
Number 29 a very popular oneisrael keys.
Usa keys was a methodical andorganized killer who targeted
victims across the us,committing murders without a
consistent pattern.
He used kill kits hidden invarious locations, choosing
victims randomly, using variousmethods to kill.
(25:10):
He was captured and arrested in2012 after using a victim's
credit card.
During the trial, keyesconfessed to 11 murders, but
committed suicide in his jailcell before standing trial, and
the legacy he leaves behind ishis case remains open-ended,
with investigators still linkinghim to additional crimes.
(25:30):
We covered israel keys right wedid.
Hannah (25:33):
Yes, yep, that was a just one early, early on in the
podcast number 28 leonardocianciulli, from italy, the soap
maker of corregio.
Oh my god, my italian's reallybad.
Uh, she untruly murdered womenand turned their bodies into
soap and tea cakes in the 1930sshe lured victims by promising
(25:56):
to help them with their problems, then killed them with an axe.
She boiled their remains to makesoap and baked their blood into
cakes.
Oh my god, she's brutal, yeah.
Relatives of a victim grewsuspicious, which led them to
her arrest.
She was convicted of threemurders, 1946.
She was sentenced to 30 yearsin prison and three years in an
asylum.
Her crimes remain infamous initaly for their grotesque nature
(26:18):
wow, yeah, that's a, that's adoozy 27.
Courtney (26:22):
If you thought hannah, hannah's Italian was bad,
you're going to hear how bad myJapanese is.
Rob (26:26):
Good luck with this one.
Courtney (26:27):
Mayuki Ishikawa.
Rob (26:29):
Oh wow, that was great.
I'm never going to say it again.
From.
Courtney (26:32):
Japan.
She was a Japanese midwife whokilled dozens of infants in the
1940s, claiming she was helpingfamilies who could not afford to
raise children.
Ishikawa neglected or directlykilled infants under her care.
Authorities discovered at least103 bodies, though the true
number could be much higher.
Police stumbled upon the crimewhen two officers discovered
infant remains, which is how shewas captured, and in her trial
(26:55):
she was sentenced to eight yearsin prison.
Her punishment was seen aslenient due to social attitudes
about poverty, and the legacyshe left behind is that it
sparked debates about abortionand child care policies in
post-war Japan.
Wow, I don't love that one atall.
Rob (27:10):
No, not at all that one sits very poorly with me Number
26.
I'm not even sure if I canattempt this.
Hannah (27:16):
How's your Russian Rob my Russian is horrible.
Rob (27:22):
I'm going to need some help Someone I've got Daria
Nikolavin, Lavinia Salty Koba.
Perfect, call her DNS, dns.
There we go.
That's what we're going withDNS, so known as the Salty Chica
.
Courtney (27:38):
Yeah, yeah, that's what it says.
Salty Chica, salty.
Rob (27:41):
Chica DNS was a Russian noblewoman who tortured and
murdered her serfs.
Hannah (27:48):
Yep.
Rob (27:49):
What's a serfs?
Hannah (27:50):
Like her servants.
Rob (27:51):
Oh, her servants, Okay.
Murdered her servants in the18th century, earning her
reputation as one of theRussians' most infamous female
killers.
Some of the key details sheused extreme physical abuse to
kill at least 38 female servants.
Some reports suggest the numbermay have been higher.
Complaints from the villagerseventually reached empress
(28:13):
catherine of the great, whoordered an investigation.
During the trial, she was foundguilty in 1768 dns, was
stripped of her title andimprisoned for life in a
monastery Dungeon.
Ooh, ooh.
That does not sound pleasant,that sounds dark, and the legacy
she leaves behind is her casehighlighted the unchecked power
(28:36):
of the Russian nobility overservants during that era.
Hannah (28:40):
Number 25, Mary Ann Cotton of the UK.
Mary Ann Cotton, Britain'sfirst serial killer, poisoned
over 20 people, including herhusband's husbands.
Courtney (28:48):
Husbands and children.
Hannah (28:50):
And children in the 19th century.
Rob (28:51):
Okay, was she Mormon?
Hannah (28:54):
Well, she must have had multiple husbands, is what I'm
going to say and all of thechildren.
So Cotton used arsenic tomurder her financial gain
cashing in on life insurancepolicies.
The authorities grew suspiciousafter the death of her stepson.
So that's how she was captured,her trial, she was executed in
1873 for the murder of herstepson.
Her case popularized forensictoxicology in murder
(29:14):
investigations.
Rob (29:15):
Oh wow, that's in the 19th century.
Okay, so 1873.
Courtney (29:19):
Number 24 is also in the UK.
Amelia Dyer, One of Britain'smost infamous killerselia dyer
was a baby farmer responsiblefor the deaths of hundreds of
infants in the late 90s.
Why do I keep getting all thebaby killers?
Uh, dyer took in unwantedbabies for money and killed them
to avoid expenses authoritiesdiscovered bodies weighted down
(29:41):
in the thames, executed in 1896for her crimes, and her legacy
led to stricter regulations onadoption and child care in the
UK.
So I guess, at least somethinggood came of all these dying
babies.
That's so sad.
Rob (29:54):
All right, now we're heading down to Mexico for
number 23.
Juana Barraza Did I say that,right?
Sure, sounds good.
The little old lady killer.
Courtney (30:05):
Juana Barraza was a mexican serial killer who
targeted elderly women I washoping she was going to be an
old lady killing people.
Rob (30:13):
The little old lady killer.
Yes uh barraza posted as asocial worker to gain victims
trust before strangling them.
Arrested in 2006 after beingcaught fleeing a crime scene
During the trial, she wassentenced to 759 years in prison
for killing 16 women, and hercase shook Mexico City,
(30:35):
revealing societal neglect ofthe elderly.
Hannah (30:38):
Jane Topin of the USA.
A nurse-turned-killer, janeTopin, known as Jolly Jane,
confessed to killing at least 31patients in Massachusetts in
the late 19th century.
Topin poisoned patients withmorphine and atrophin, taking
pleasure in their suffering.
Suspicion arose after multiple,multiple deaths in her care.
She was declared insane andcommitted to an asylum for life.
(30:58):
Her case raised awareness aboutunchecked power and medical
professions again.
Rob (31:04):
I mean this.
This sounds exactly likekristen gilbert.
Yeah, it does.
And it's so much closer too,because it's in massachusetts.
Courtney (31:11):
I'm gonna look into that one because that one has my
interest peaked girl, you can'tlook at all of them.
Hannah (31:15):
I want to look at them.
Courtney (31:16):
Well, just offer uh for 21.
I'm gonna go back to japan hereagain.
Sutomiya miyazaki yeah, greatno, no is.
The Ataku Killer abducted andmurdered four young girls in
Japan during the late 1980s.
Miyazaki's crimes involvedabduction, murder and acts of
necrophilia oh geez, he alsosent taunting letters to
(31:38):
victims' families.
What a jerk.
He was arrested after beingcaught attempting to assault
another child At trial.
He was executed in 2008 for hiscrimes.
His case highlighted concernsabout Japan's subculture of
extreme media consumption.
Rob (31:52):
All right, number 20, charles Subaraj.
Why am I getting all the hardones too?
They're all getting hard.
Courtney (32:00):
I was going to make a joke at first, like wow, you
guys realize how quickly it wentback USA, usa, usa.
Rob (32:08):
And now I'm like phewhew, we're not the most f-ed up.
There's lots of other countriesin here.
Now, all right for number 20,charles sabaraj from india,
nepal and thailand it's all inthat same little area.
Nicknamed the serpent for hisslippery escapes, sabaraj was a
conman and serial killer whopreyed on western tourists
across asia in the 1970s.
Sabaraj used his charm tobefriend victims after poisoning
(32:30):
them before robbing or killingthem.
After evading authorities formany, many years, he was finally
arrested in nepal in 2003.
Why are you laughing?
Courtney (32:41):
it says for years.
And he's like many, many, many,many, many, many, many years,
lots of many years.
Hannah (32:47):
You've been adding words Like it was Catherine the Great
, catherine of the Great, he'sgetting tired Leave Rob alone.
Courtney (32:54):
You laughed with me.
I'm allowed to laugh.
I'm Switzerland.
Hannah (32:58):
You leave my husband out of this.
Honey, I love you bunches and Ilove that you're doing this
with us.
Rob (33:02):
After evading authorities for many, many years, he was
finally arrested in Nepal in2003 and sentenced to life in
prison.
His life-inspired books and aNetflix series cementing his
reputation as a mastermanipulator.
I wonder what that Netflixseries is called?
Hannah (33:18):
All right, 19.
Joachim Kroll from Germany.
Kroll is known as the RrrrCannibal Killed at least 14
people, including children, overtwo decades, from the 1950s to
the 1970s.
Kroll strangled his victims andsometimes engaged in
cannibalism, using party partsfor meals.
Rob (33:36):
Disgusting.
Hannah (33:37):
He was arrested after a plumbing issue in his building.
Courtney (33:41):
What are they going to learn?
Hannah (33:42):
Stop flushing the pieces Revealed human remains in the
pipes.
He was convicted of eightmurders in 1982.
Kroll was sentenced to lifeimprisonment.
He died in prison in 1991.
Kroll's crimes exposed the lackof communication between police
agencies and investigatingdisappearances.
Huh, interesting.
Courtney (34:01):
Very interesting.
Oh, Fritz 18.
Fritz Harman of Germany, knownas the Butcher of Hanover.
Fritz Harman was a Germanserial killer who murdered at
least 24 young men and boysbetween 1918 and 1924.
Harman lured victims, oftenrunaways or drifters, and killed
them by biting through theirthroats oh God, Earning him the
(34:22):
nickname the Vampire of Hanover.
He dismembered the bodies,disposing of them in rivers.
Authorities linked him tomissing persons when body parts
were found in Hanover'swaterways.
He was convicted of 24 murders.
Harmon was executed byguillotine in 1925.
His gruesome crimes inspiredcultural references, including
characters in literature andfilm.
Rob (34:43):
So did he have two nicknames the Butcher of Hanover
or was he the Vampire ofHanover?
Courtney (34:49):
I think we should ask the person who researched our
episode today.
Rob (34:53):
Chat GPT.
So it looks like it's both,because, according to Wikipedia,
he was a German serial rapistand serial killer known as the
Butcher of Hanover, the Vampireof Hanover and the Wolfman, who
committed the sexual assaults,murders, mutilation and
dismemberment of at least 24young men and boys in the city
(35:15):
of Hanover between 1918 and 1924.
Yeah, so he had a bunch ofdifferent names, Because even in
his name up at the top it hasquotations around Fritz.
Courtney (35:25):
Oh, how do we catch these people when we don't even
know their name?
Rob (35:27):
exactly all right.
Moving on number 17, we'reheading to pakistan with jave
iqbal.
Jave iqbal was a pakistaniserial killer who confessed to
killing 100 boys in lahore in1998 and 1999.
His crime shocked the nationdue to their scale and his
methodical documentation.
(35:48):
Iqbal lured street children tohis home where he strangled them
, dismembered their bodies anddissolved them in acid to hide
evidence.
Nice he left writingconfessions and photos of his
victims.
He surrendered to authorities.
After his confession waspublicized, he was found guilty
of 100 murders and he wassentenced to be executed in the
(36:09):
same manner as his victims.
Ooh Yikes, so he was executedin the same manner as his
victims.
Courtney (36:15):
I mean an eye for an eye.
Mentality makes sense whenyou're talking about Pakistan.
Rob (36:19):
So they dismembered his body and dissolved them in acid
to hide the evidence.
Yeah to hell with the ethics.
However, he was found dead inhis cell in 2001 under
suspicious circumstances.
His case highlighted issueswith child exploitation and
homelessness in Pakistan,prompting demands for better
(36:40):
children protection measures.
Courtney (36:41):
Yeah, I know that whole case was just a doozy and
there was a lot of craphappening there.
Hannah (36:45):
Number 16, louis Garavito, from Colombia.
Louis Garavito, known as LaBestia or the Beast, is one of
the most prolific serial killersin history, responsible for the
murder and torture of anestimated 138 to over 300 young
boys in Colombia during the1990s.
Wow, garavito targetedimpoverished children, luring
(37:06):
them with promise of gifts ormoney.
He would torture, rape and killthem in secluded areas what a
douche can do?
In 1999, authorities connectedgaravito to the crimes using dna
evidence from a pair of glassesfound at a crime scene.
Garavito confessed 138 murdersand was sentenced to 1853 years
in prison, although colombianlaw caps sentences at 40 years.
His case exposed systemicfailures in protecting
(37:29):
vulnerable children in Colombiaand led to reforms in law
enforcement.
I know, court, you're going tolook into law down in South
America, so that's interesting.
Courtney (37:37):
They capped at 40.
I also think it's interestingthat, going into this list, I
expected to see a lot of girlsand young women to be the
victims of most of these killers, and I feel like we're hearing
boys.
Hannah (37:46):
We are.
Courtney (37:47):
Boys, men, boys Like we're hearing a lot more.
I feel like the media alwaysmakes it seem like serial
killers are going after womenand we're hearing a lot more
about male victims as well,which is surprising.
Number 15, Dennis Rader, USA.
Dennis was the BTK killer.
Buy and torture, kill,terrorized Kansas for decades,
(38:07):
killing 10 people between 1974and 1991.
Raider stalked and strangledhis victims, often leaving
cryptic messages for police andthe media.
A floppy disk he had sent tothe police in 2004 led to his
arrest.
He confessed to all murders andwas sentenced to 10 consecutive
life terms in 2005.
Raiders case highlights thedangers of narcissism and serial
(38:30):
killers.
That's a nice way to put thathighlights the dangers.
More like the correlation btkwhat does that stand for?
we've done a lot of bonusepisodes for people who are not
subscribers.
Bonus episodes come out forsubscribers only.
Hannah and I have done a lot ofum when we do like serial
killer trivia and things.
Btk comes up a lot because wereally the two of us we were
(38:53):
like we don't really know toomuch about him and then we ended
up having to look up we want todo an episode on him but I'm
surprised he's not further downthe list too all right number 14
bella Bella Guinness from theUSA.
Rob (39:17):
Bella, known as the Black Widow of La Porte, was a
Norwegian immigrant who luredmen to her Indiana farm under
the guise of marriage, only tokill them for financial gain.
She poisoned or bludgeoned hervictims, burying their bodies on
her farm.
After a suspicious fire in 1908, authorities unearthed over 40
bodies on her farm.
After a suspicious fire in 1908, authorities unearthed over 40
bodies on her property.
She's believed to have fakedher death in the fire and her
ultimate fate remains unknown.
She is considered one ofAmerica's earliest and deadliest
(39:39):
female serial killers.
Courtney (39:40):
There you go.
Hannah, you said you want toresearch some.
I know you love a good femaleserial killer.
Okay, Belle, I see you.
Hannah (39:48):
Oh, number 13, Jeffrey Dahmer.
Jeffrey Dahmer, the Milwaukeecannibal, is infamous for his
gruesome killings of 17 youngmen between 1978 and 1991.
His case shocked the world dueto his acts of necrophilia and
cannibalism.
Dahmer drugged, strangled anddismembered his victims, often
keeping body parts as trophies.
He was arrested in 1991 when avictim escaped of course and
(40:10):
alerted police.
They found human remains in hisapartment.
Sentenced to life in prison,dahmer was killed by a fellow
inmate in 1994.
His story has been the subjectof extensive media coverage,
including films and series.
So many cannibals on this list.
I have one true crime, ick, andit's always cannibals on this
list.
Courtney (40:24):
Can I just say I have one true crime ick, and it's
always cannibals.
Number 12, richard Ramirez, usa.
Known as the Night Stalker,richard Ramirez terrorized
California in the 1980s with aseries of brutal home invasions,
murders and sexual assaults.
Ramirez's crimes included a mixof stabbing, shooting and
bludgeoning.
He also performed satanicrituals at some crime scenes.
(40:45):
He was identified through afingerprint left at a crime
scene.
A group of citizens recognizedand subdued him before the
police arrived.
He was convicted of 13 murders.
Ramirez was sentenced to deathin 1989.
He died of cancer in 2013.
While on death row, thecultural impact of his case
became one of the mostsensationalized in true crime
(41:05):
history, leading todocumentaries and books.
Side note I've never heard ofhim.
Rob (41:10):
I've never heard of him either.
Courtney (41:11):
Which is interesting for being USA, and the fact that
we're all into true crime as weare and haven't heard of him.
Mom (41:18):
Yeah.
Courtney (41:19):
Definitely another one to dig into All right.
Rob (41:22):
Number 11, Albert Fish, USA .
Dig into All right.
Number 11, Albert Fish, USA.
Albert Fish, also known as thegray man or the Brooklyn vampire
yeah, Hannah, you ever heard ofthis one?
He was a sadistic child killerand cannibal Active in the early
20th century.
His crimes are considered someof the most grotesque in
(41:42):
American history.
Courtney (41:43):
Fuck the cannibals.
Rob (41:45):
Fish targeted children, often luring them with promises
of work or gifts, or maybecookies, because he had a little
white van.
He confessed to molesting over400 children and murdering
several.
His killing of Grace Budd in1928 shook the nation when he
sent a letter to her familydetailing the crime.
He was arrested in 1934,convicted and executed in the
(42:08):
electric chair in 1936.
That's a quick turnaround.
Fish remains a symbol ofextreme criminal depravity.
Courtney (42:14):
Only so fitting, hannah.
Really Well, before we get tothat, let's take a quick break
and criminal depravity.
Only so fitting.
Rob (42:17):
Hannah, really Well, before we get to that, let's take a
quick break and hear from oursponsors.
All right, and we're back forthe top 10.
We are on the final top 10.
Are you girls ready?
I am ready.
Excellent.
All right, Hannah, why don'tyou take this one?
Because, one, it's your turnand, two, it's one of your
favorite people.
Hannah (42:37):
Okay, besides the, two of us.
He's not my favorite person.
I just find him fascinating.
Courtney (42:41):
Oh, here she goes.
I don't condone what he did, Ijust think he's interesting from
a behavioral standpoint.
Fast forward, go ahead.
Hannah (42:48):
All right, hannah here you go.
Free t-shirt for whoever can.
Ted bundy.
Ted bundy is one of america'smost infamous serial killers,
known for his charm andintelligence.
He confessed to killing 30women in the 1970s, though the
true number may be higher.
Bundy often lured victims byfeigning injury or pertaining
any help.
He would then abduct, assaultand kill them.
(43:08):
Bundy escaped custody twice,committing more murders during
his brief periods of freedom.
His trial was one of the firstto be nationally televised, with
Bundy serving as his own lawyer.
He was executed in 1989.
Bundy's case has been studiedextensively, inspiring film,
books and documentaries.
Courtney (43:25):
I don't even think we need to discuss number 10, right
, because we've done it so manytimes.
Rob (43:28):
We did three episodes on Bundy.
I think it might have been four.
Okay, moving on.
Courtney (43:32):
Number nine, ed Guy, usa.
Fun fact, I did a project onhim in high school.
Mom (43:38):
Oh wow, A history project.
Courtney (43:39):
Okay, it's kind of weird how everything falls
together.
It is kind of weird Ed Gein,known as the Butcher of
Plainfield inspired severalfictional villains, including
Norman Bates in Psycho andLeatherface in the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre.
Though only convicted of twomurders, Gein's gruesome actions
horrified the nation.
Guyon exhumed corpses fromcemeteries and created items
(44:00):
from their remains, includinglampshades and clothing.
He was diagnosed withschizophrenia.
Guyon was deemed unfit fortrial initially and later
confined to a mental institution.
His crimes cemented his placein popular culture as a symbol
of horror.
Hannah (44:14):
I've been fascinated by that one, yeah.
Courtney (44:15):
It's something about the, the like he wasn't really
hurting.
I mean, for me it's like amoral thing where, like he
wasn't killing people, he wasjust like digging up their
bodies and using them for stuff,which I guess is a little bit
better.
He didn't really want to dealwith all the blood and gore and
stuff I guess he just wanted thebody parts.
I don't know all right.
Rob (44:32):
Number eight john way Wayne Gacy from the USA.
John Wayne Gacy, known as theKiller Clown, was convicted of
murdering 33 young men and boysin Illinois during the 1970s.
Gacy lured his victims withpromise of work or entertainment
, often dressed as a clownpersona.
Pogo Grace sexually assaultedand strangled his victims before
(44:55):
burying most of them in a crawlspace in his home.
A missing persons investigationled police to Gacy, where they
discovered remains in his home.
Gacy was executed by lethalinjection in 1994, and his clown
persona was influencedcountless horror stories and
films.
Courtney (45:15):
I hate a clown.
I'm not a fan of cannibals andclowns are my two like horror,
oddity things and I'm likeabsolutely not.
At least he didn't eat peopledressed like a clown, I guess hh
holmes oh, this is a good one.
Hannah (45:32):
Hh holmes, often dubbed america's first serial killer,
operated in the late 19thcentury.
He is is infamous for hisMurder Castle, a building he
designed with hidden rooms andtraps to kill victims.
During the 1893 Chicago World'sFair, holmes lured victims to
his hotel where they weresubjected to torture or murder.
Initially arrested forinsurance fraud, authorities
uncovered evidence of multiplemurders.
Holmes confessed to 27 murders,though the exact number of
(45:55):
victims remains unknown.
He was executed in 1896.
His story has inspired booksand films, including the Devil
and the White City we're reallygetting down here now.
Courtney (46:05):
Number 6 Harold Shipman, uk.
Dr Harold Shipman, also knownas Dr Death, is one of the most
prolific serial killers inhistory.
Shipman, a respected generalpractitioner in England,
murdered an estimated 250patients over two decades.
Not a good doctor to be going to.
Shipman injected his mostlyelderly victims with lethal
(46:27):
doses of diamorphine.
The unusually high death rateamong his patients raised
suspicions leading toinvestigations.
A forged will intended tobenefit shipman expose his
actions.
Shipman was convicted of 15murders in 2000 and sentenced to
life imprisonment.
He hanged himself in prison in2004.
Wow, his crimes promptedsignificant changes in medical
(46:49):
oversight in the uk.
One should really hope.
Hannah (46:53):
Oh, this is a good one, Rob.
Rob (46:56):
Number five Elizabeth Bathory from Hungary.
Elizabeth Bathory, the bloodcountess, is considered one of
history's most prolific femalekillers, accused of torturing
and killing hundreds of youngwomen.
In the 16th century, bathory'scrimes became infamous for their
alleged brutality.
Now here's something new Mythsversus reality.
Legends claims she bathed inblood of virgins to retain her
(47:19):
youth, though historians debatethe accuracy of these tales.
During the trial, evidence fromover 300 witnesses led to her
being walled up in her castlewhere she died in 1614.
And the legacy that she left.
Bathory's story inspired gothichorror tales and remains a
symbol of excessive cruelty.
Hannah (47:39):
Andrei Chikatilo from Russia.
Number four Known as the RostovRipper.
Andrei was convicted ofmurdering 52 people between 1978
and 1990 in the Soviet Union.
His victims ranged fromchildren to young adults and he
often lured them with promisesof money or gifts.
Always some money and giftsAlways.
His crimes involved sexualassault, stabbing and mutilation
(47:59):
.
Andre claimed to derive sexualgratification from the act of
murder.
His capture flawedinvestigations in Soviet
bureaucracy delayed his captureuntil DNA evidence linked him to
the crimes.
Andre was executed in 1994after a high-profile trial.
Wow.
Courtney (48:16):
Down to the final three, the final three.
Number three Eileen Wernos, usa.
Eileen, a rare example of afemale serial killer, murdered
seven men in Florida between1989 and 1990.
She claimed the killings werein self-defense, stating her
victims had attempted to assaulther during her time as a sex
worker.
Eileen shot her victims atclose range and often stole
(48:39):
their belongings.
Her confession and a lack ofevidence supporting her
self-defense claim led to herconviction and eventual
execution in 2002.
Werner's life story inspiredthe 2003 film monster.
Earning charlie's theron anacademy award yeah, burning
Charlize Theron an Academy Award.
Yeah, I've seen that movie.
I didn't know about thatInteresting.
Rob (49:00):
All right.
So number two and we'vementioned her many times on this
list already and she's a localfor us, kristen Gilbert.
She is an American serialkiller and a former nurse who
was convicted of four murdersand two attempted murders of
patients admitted into theVeteran Affairs Medical Center,
va in Northampton Massachusetts.
(49:21):
She induced cardiac arrest inpatients by injecting their IV
bags with lethal doses ofepinephrine, commonly known as
adrenaline, which is anuntraceable heart stimulant.
She would then respond to thecoded emergency, often
resuscitating the patientsherself.
Prosecutors said Gilbert was onduty for about half of the 350
deaths that occurred in thehospital from when she started
(49:44):
working there in 1989, and thatthe odds of this is merely being
a coincidence were one in 100million.
However, her only confirmedvictims were Stanley Yagodosky.
Her only confirmed victims wereStanley Jagodowski, henry
Hooten, kenneth Cudden andEdward Skewer.
Hannah (50:00):
But probably more.
Rob (50:01):
Sorry if I mispronounce any of those, but she was convicted
of life sentence without paroleplus 20 years.
She is still currentlyincarcerated and she was dubbed
the Angel of Death.
So I was right on that.
Yeah, good memory of death.
So I was right on that.
Yeah, good memory.
All right.
So we have come down from 50 tonumber two on this list of
(50:22):
serial killers across the world.
Miss hannah, would you like totake number one?
I would love to.
All right, and number one isjack the ripper.
Hannah (50:30):
All right, which is fitting, very fitting so.
Jack the ripper terrorizedlondon's white chapel district
in 1888.
The killer targeted women,primarily sex workers,
mutilating their bodies withsurgical precision Very fitting
so.
Jack the Ripper terrorizedLondon's Whitechapel District in
1888.
The killer targeted women,primarily sex workers,
mutilating their bodies withsurgical precision.
Five victims Mary Ann Nichols,annie Chapman, elizabeth Stride,
catherine Eddowes and Mary JaneKelly are attributed to him,
though some believe the truenumber may be higher.
(50:51):
Victims were found with theirthroats slashed and bodies
mutilated post-mortem,suggesting a knowledge of
anatomy.
His crimes generated widespreadmedia coverage and instilled
fear, but the identity of Jackthe Ripper remains one of
history's greatest mysteries.
The case led to advancements inforensic science and police
procedures, though no suspectwas conclusively identified.
(51:11):
Wow, this was fun.
Courtney (51:14):
That was a really good list.
Yes, Thank you, Rob for comingup with this episode idea.
Yes, thank you.
Rob (51:19):
And thank you, chatgbt, for compiling that number.
We might have switched itaround a little bit, but yeah,
overall pretty good.
If you think it needs to be ina different order, or if you
would add someone different ortaking someone off, let us know.
You can send us a text.
The link is down in the shownotes.
Courtney (51:37):
Thank you Wonders, thanks Wonders.
Rob (51:39):
Thank you, happy New Year.
We'll see you next week.
Hannah (51:43):
Bye.
Thanks for listening today.
Wicked Wanderings is hosted byme Hannah and co-hosted by me
Courtney.
Rob (51:50):
And it's produced by Rob Fitzpatrick.
Hannah (51:54):
Music by Sasha N.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to leave a rating
and review and be sure to followon all socials.
You can find the links down inthe show notes.
If you're looking for somereally cozy t-shirts or hoodies,
head over to the merch store.
Thank you for being a part ofthe Wicked Wanderings community.
We appreciate every one of you.
Stay curious, keep exploringand always remember to keep on
(52:14):
wandering.
All right, let's do this.
Rob (00:03):
So how was everyone's New Year's Eve last night?
Hannah (00:06):
I'm sorry, we can't ask that because it hasn't happened
yet.
That's weird.
Rob (00:10):
What do you mean?
It hasn't happened, it justhappened last night.
Courtney (00:12):
Hannah.
It's literally the first.
We're writing this at 1 am.
Hannah is a liar, guys.
She's a hater.
Hannah (00:20):
I do want to say, though make the whitney houston again
oh, the pink whitney yeah, thewhitney houston is what I called
it the whitney houston.
Courtney (00:28):
Sure, I don't know how I made it, because I'm pretty
sure I was intoxicated when Imade it.
Rob (00:31):
Well, if you go back to the episode we told the recipe, did
I give the recipe?
Hannah (00:37):
in the lobster pot, okay , okay, hi.
I'm Hannah and I'm Courtney.
Join us as we delve into truecrime, paranormal encounters and
all things spooky.
Courtney (01:01):
Grab your flashlight and get ready to wander into the
darkness with us.
Rob (01:17):
This is Wicked Wanderings.
Hey Hannah, hey Rob, heyCourtney, Hi Rob, how are we
doing today?
Courtney (01:26):
We are great, we're excited that you're coming to us
with an episode.
Rob (01:29):
Yes, and I just want to wish everybody a happy new year.
This episode is coming out onthe first, so I hope everyone
was safe last night, got homesafe and sound and you're
listening to this episode allhungover.
Courtney (01:43):
Partied like it was 1999.
Rob (01:46):
So happy 2025.
And here's to another year.
Courtney (01:50):
Cheers.
Rob (01:51):
Cheers.
So we're going to do a specialepisode today.
We are going to do a top 50countdown of serial killers.
So I asked ChatGBT to comprisea list of the top 50 serial
killers and this is what it gaveus.
So we have the name, We'll tellyou where they're from, give
you a little summary, abackground, if they were
(02:13):
captured, the trial and wherethey're at today.
Some key details as well.
Courtney (02:18):
Sounds great.
I'm excited.
Yeah, let's do this.
Rob (02:20):
All right, so we're going to start with number 50.
His name is Karl Denke D-EN-K-E.
Hannah (02:25):
Yeah, I'm going to say Dentke.
Rob (02:26):
Dentke from Germany.
Quick summary is known as thecannibal of Zebeis, dentke
murdered and cannibalized atleast 30 people in the early
20th century.
Courtney (02:38):
Oh, he's starting with a cannibal guys, you know I
hate this.
Rob (02:44):
Some key details he was a respected member of his
community.
Uh danky sold human fleshdisguised as pork oh so this is
a uh damn it.
Hannah (02:55):
I'll say ever scissor hands.
That's a wrong movie.
Rob (02:57):
Yeah, sweet todd, sweet, yes, yes, yes yes, his ledger
contained detailed records ofhis murders, the capture he was
exposed in 1924 after a victimescaped, revealing Denke's
crimes.
Courtney (03:12):
Escaping a cannibal.
Rob (03:14):
Yes, and then some of the trial.
He committed suicide in custodybefore standing trial leaving
behind limited insights into hismotives.
Hannah (03:21):
He sounds interesting.
Courtney (03:23):
Potential episode.
Yeah, if you hear somethingthat you want to hear more about
, send us some mail guys, let usknow.
We'll do a full episode Cousin.
Mom (03:30):
Mark Cousin.
Mark, we got to have you on anepisode Cousin Mark.
We got your message from.
Courtney (03:35):
Rob, you just tell us when you're available.
Rob (03:38):
All right, so number 49, hannah's going to take it.
This is a case we already did.
Hannah (03:41):
Yes, this sounds very familiar Larry Hall, usa.
The summary is Hall issuspected of being a serial
killer responsible for dozens ofmurders across the Midwest,
primarily targeting young women,in the 1980s and 1990s.
The key details presented is aCivil War reenactor, hall lured
victims through his travels andis believed to have killed while
passing through towns forreenactments.
(04:02):
Known for vague confessions anda history of desecrating graves
, his capture was he wasarrested in 1994 for the
kidnapping of Jessica Roach,leading to further suspicions
about his involvement in manyunsolved cases and his trial.
He was convicted of kidnappingand sentenced to life
imprisonment, but his suspectedmurder count remains unconfirmed
(04:23):
.
Haunting.
Rob (04:24):
Yeah, there's a great show on apple tv.
It's called blackbird.
It's a I don't know seven oreight part series it's really
good about.
Courtney (04:30):
I still haven't seen that yet, because I never just
did this episode, me neither.
Okay, number 48, charles manson.
You know, I just say I'msurprised he's at 48.
Yeah, I was a little surprisedtoo, big guy, like I was.
Like, did I read from the wrong?
Um, obviously, uh, charlesmanson, obviously, usa, sorry,
(04:51):
sorry.
What'd you say, mom, before?
Mom (04:53):
I don't think it's the number of people he killed, it's
the notoriety of the people hekilled yeah, definitely that
would make sense.
Courtney (05:01):
Sorry, court, um.
His.
Manson was the leader of theManson family, a cult
responsible for a series ofbrutal murders in 1969,
including actress Sharon Tate.
Key details Manson didn'tcommit the murders personally,
but directed his followers tocarry out the killings as part
of his delusional belief in arace war.
He called Helter Skelter.
He was arrested in 1969 afterthe murder spree.
(05:24):
Details about his trial.
He was arrested in 1969 afterthe murder spree.
Details about his trial.
He was convicted offirst-degree murder and
conspiracy to commit murder in1971.
Originally sentenced to death,his sentence was committed to
life in prison afterCalifornia's death penalty was
briefly abolished.
Manson died in 2017.
Rob (05:40):
Oh, I didn't realize he was dead.
Courtney (05:42):
I didn't realize it was so recent yeah.
Hannah (05:45):
Well, I know.
So one of his followers justgot out of jail this year.
I think it was Also interestingfact Zach Bagan from Ghost
Adventure, her boyfriend Zach.
Bagan, If you're listeningplease send her a DM or
something.
He has, a haunted museum thathe has haunted objects in.
Send her a dm or something hehas, um, like a haunted museum
(06:05):
that he has haunted objects in,and one of them is, I believe,
the television that charlesmanson and his followers had in
their home, and it's just that'skind of cool haunted so I
remember these.
Mom (06:17):
I was very young.
I remember being at the beachwith my dad, always got that
sunday paper again a daily paper.
My dad was a newspaper guy tohave that newspaper right yeah
and I can remember reading aboutthem.
And it was, it was frightening.
It was frightening.
What year was it?
Courtney (06:33):
1969 it was 69, but the murders took place 71, when
he was convicted so this is allthe time we were reading about
the vietnam war.
Mom (06:42):
There's a lot of stuff going on Flower power, yep,
flower children.
And then he had their cult outin California.
It was scary.
Rob (06:54):
All right, we're on to number 47.
Robert Pickton, from Canada,which we actually just covered.
This case we did, so here's abrief summary.
Pickton he was a pig farmermurdered dozens of women in
Vancouver in the 1990s and early2000s.
He was charged with 27 murdersbut believed to have killed
about 49.
And during his trial he wassentenced to life imprisonment
(07:16):
in 2007.
Hannah (07:18):
And usually they were women of the night.
Rob (07:20):
And he actually just committed suicide or he died or
something that was this year.
Oh yeah, that was this year hewas killed.
He was killed in prison.
That's what it was.
Courtney (07:29):
Right around the same time that Hannah did her episode
.
Rob (07:31):
Yes, that's correct.
Courtney (07:32):
We keep having fluky timing like that with people.
Mom (07:35):
Is there a correlation between men with bad hygiene and
being serial killers?
Courtney (07:40):
Maybe I don't know we could probably make one.
I believe you could make acorrelation between anything,
though.
Very true, I mean, how manywould you need to?
Hannah (07:48):
make a correlation.
Courtney (07:50):
There's no definitive number.
That's the thing about it.
That's why I say you could doit for anything.
You could say, oh well, thesethree, and then base it off of
that.
But Ted Bundy was very handsomeand well-spoken, so maybe the
theory doesn't hold water.
Probably depends on theirmotive for doing things.
Rob (08:07):
I would say yeah, all right , number 46.
Hannah (08:09):
Hannah, you want to take this one sure william bonin of
the usa, uh known as the freewaykiller bonin raped, tortured
and murdered at least 21 boys inthe late 1970s.
Uh often worked withaccomplices.
Oh interesting, and he wasexecuted in 1996.
Well, I kind of want to knowhow he was executed.
Courtney (08:28):
Yeah, he's definitely one I would like to learn more
about, because I don't think Iknow anything about him either.
Rob (08:33):
Well, there's a new case to put on the list of cases to do
His birth date's a steak.
Courtney (08:40):
Number 45, patrick Kearney, usa.
He was known as the trash bagkiller.
He preyed on young men inCalifornia during the 1970s.
He killed and dismembered atleast 21 victims, disposing of
them in garbage bags, and hepleaded guilty in 1978 and was
sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hannah (09:01):
All right Interesting.
Rob (09:03):
Number 44 is John Christie from the UK.
Christie murdered at leasteight people in his London home
during the 1940s and 1950s.
Some of the key details helured victims with promises of
medical assistance.
He was captured and apprehendedin 1953.
And during the trial he wasexecuted by hanging the same
(09:26):
year.
Wow.
Hannah (09:29):
He must have had a medical degree of some sort, why
would you offer medicalassistance?
Courtney (09:36):
That's true.
He'd definitely be another oneI would be interested in.
Mom (09:40):
Yeah, remember the healthcare system was very
different back then too.
Courtney (09:43):
In the 50s and he was in the UK, so he wasn't in the
US.
Mom (09:47):
There was no NHS or anything.
I don't think.
Yeah, I would look into it.
Hannah (09:51):
Next one, 43,.
Richard Chase from the USA oh,he was known as the Vampire of
Sacramento Killed six people inthe late 1970s, drinking their
blood and engaging innecrophilia Yum, fun stuff.
His murders were linked tountreated schizophrenia.
Courtney (10:10):
Makes sense.
Hannah (10:11):
Sentenced to death in 1979, but committed suicide in
prison in 1980.
Mom (10:16):
Would they give a death penalty to somebody who's
diagnosed with schizophrenia?
Wouldn't that be?
Courtney (10:22):
something that I don't know.
If they can, I think they can.
Hannah (10:26):
I just think they choose not to I don't think there's
like a you can't the thing is, Ifeel like every murder has a
mental disorder so then in theend 2025 now and everybody's got
some kind of mental illnessgoing on.
Courtney (10:39):
You could make a case for any one of us in this room
if we had done something to sayit was under.
It's the people who say not me,lynn, what was in that quiche,
ma right 42, we have a woman.
It sounds like dorothea puente.
I hope I'm saying that right.
Uh, usa.
She ran a boarding house whereshe killed tenants to steal
(11:01):
their benefits.
Bodies of nine victims werefound in her Sacramento yard in
1988.
She was convicted in 1993 andsentenced to life imprisonment.
Rob (11:12):
And we love a female serial killer out here.
Courtney (11:15):
So she's definitely also going to be on the list.
Mom (11:18):
She was motivated by money, which is almost a little more
understandable than just rage.
That's true, she was motivatedby money.
I mean it's horrible, don't getme wrong, but at least she was
motivated because she wantedthat money At least for a reason
.
Courtney (11:31):
Right, it wasn't just like random killing just because
it feels good.
Mom (11:34):
I think I'm a little bit more concerned about that.
Courtney (11:36):
Yeah, she wasn't motivated by rage or a parent or
something Wasn't in Sacramentoin 1988.
Yeah, exactly.
Rob (11:43):
Wasn't quite alive.
All right, number 41.
Hannah (11:46):
You were no.
Rob (11:46):
In 1980?
Eight oh, 1988.
Okay, yes, I was alive, but Iwas two years old.
Courtney (11:54):
He was too young for benefits.
Sorry, Dorothea.
Rob (11:56):
All right, number 41.
Robert Henson, from the USA.
All right, so a quick summary.
The Butcher Baker abductedwomen and hunted them in the
Alaskan wilderness.
Mom (12:07):
Ooh oh.
Rob (12:08):
Some of the key details are he's responsible for deaths of
at least 17 women in the 1970sand 1980s.
He was arrested in 1983 after avictim escaped it seems like
always, if someone escapes,you're done, you're done, you're
toast yeah and during his trialhe was sentenced to 461 years
in prison.
Hannah (12:28):
Oh, that's a piece of cake.
Courtney (12:30):
Yeah, I mean 17 women that almost seems like not
enough time, in my opinion 17lives equates out to 461 years.
Mom (12:37):
Does it say how he found his victims?
Courtney (12:39):
I mean Alaska's not like it just says he abducted
them and hunted them.
So I'm assuming it was kind oflike what we were thinking about
with Johnny's case, where it'slike taking them to a place and
then being like run victims.
Books on that we do, but it'sdifferent.
Books are fantasy and this isreal life.
Hannah (12:54):
Number 40, beverly Allitt, from the UK.
She was dubbed the Angel ofDeath.
Allitt was a nurse who murderedfour children under her care in
1991.
Oh, not the kids she usedlethal doses, not the kids, not
the pets.
Used lethal doses of insulin orair to kill patients.
She was sentenced to 13 lifesentences in 1993.
Courtney (13:15):
It's interesting how we will put a higher sentence on
people who hurt children thanwe will on like I mean and I
don't say that I disagree,obviously, but it's just
interesting from a legalstandpoint how we can say oh, a
child's life is worth more insentencing time than in adults.
Mom (13:30):
I think because you're hoping that the adult would have
some awareness of what wasgoing on.
Our child is just so vulnerable.
I guess it's the vulnerable.
Rob (13:38):
Yeah.
Mom (13:39):
I guess that's why that's where we are with the pets we
were talking about.
That's true.
Rob (13:42):
Don't hurt the pets yeah.
Mom (13:43):
You know, when the dog gets let go, we're all like a woman
was murdered, but the dog gotlet go.
We're like, oh good, you knowAll the scary movies.
I always say let the dog go,don't bring a pet in All right.
Rob (13:55):
So this kind of sounds like a case that we did over the
summer.
Hannah, do you remember this?
Hannah (14:02):
Kristen Gilbert.
She worked for the VA up inLeeds or Northampton.
Once it said nurse, I thoughtof her the poison.
Rob (14:09):
So didn't they call her the angel of death as well?
Courtney (14:14):
I would have to look at it.
I haven't read the book.
I did put it on my TBR but Ididn't read it.
But I think it might have beensomething along the same lines,
if not the same thing.
Rob (14:26):
She was the one that was killing the vets, right?
Yes, and I believe Jess coveredthat over the summer.
Mom (14:28):
right, yeah, but her motivation is she wanted the.
There was some guy she was inlove with a security guy or
something.
Hers was weird and see her be ahero, saving these people.
Rob (14:36):
Hers was a weird one.
Yeah Well, she enjoyed killingthem.
Courtney (14:39):
Yeah, sicko.
Yes 39, Dennis Nilsen, UnitedKingdom.
He was known as the MuswellHill murderer and killed at
least 12 men in London between1978 and 1983.
He was very busy.
He often kept corpses in hishome for long periods.
Wow, oh gross.
(15:00):
He was arrested after humanremains were found clogging his
drains oh God, I hate when thathappens, messy.
And he was convicted in 1983and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Hannah (15:11):
I will never complain about hair in the drain, ever
again.
Courtney (15:13):
No, Hair, not, you know, skin, teeth and bones.
Rob (15:17):
Yeah, need a good plumber to clear that out.
Mom (15:20):
Oh God, that's it, that's it.
Rob (15:29):
Number 38, Otis.
Courtney (15:30):
To that out.
Oh god, number 38 otis toolfrom the usa tool a partner of
lucas.
Mom (15:34):
Lucas is listed below yes okay, I was like
Courtney (15:35):
who's lucas?
More to come on lucas.
Rob (15:36):
Yes, yes yes, yes, so tool, a partner of number 37 which we
will talk about in a second,committed multiple murders and
was known for arson andcannibalism Courtney's favorite.
I hate cannibalism Confessed tokilling Adam Walsh, even though
the case remains controversial.
He was convicted in 1980s ofmultiple murders and sentenced
(15:59):
to life.
He died in prison in 1996.
So, if you don't know, adamWalsh is the son of john walsh
from america's most wantedinteresting, so don't tell me he
ate his son uh, no.
So this gentleman here tool justconfessed to killing adam walsh
, but it seems like the caseremained controversial.
(16:21):
Like he was just confessingjust to say he didn't.
Hannah (16:24):
They don't know if he actually did my turn yeah, so
his partner number 37 all right,henry lee lucas of the usa.
Uh, lucas confessed to hundredsof murders hundreds, oh god.
But many claim.
But many claims remainunverified.
He is known for his partnershipwith otis tool, listed above.
His confession led to solvingnumerous cold cases, though
(16:45):
their accuracy was questioned.
He was arrested in 1983 forunlawful possession of a firearm
.
That's the reason why.
Courtney (16:52):
Such a silly way to get caught, huh.
Hannah (16:54):
They didn't go to Steve Nagel's.
Rob (16:56):
College of Knowledge.
Hannah (16:58):
And sentenced to life in prison, but died in 2001.
Mom (17:01):
Isn't it unusual for people to team up like that?
You don't see that a lot, youdon't, mama?
Hannah (17:06):
That's a very good point .
Courtney (17:08):
They usually trust no one kind of mindset.
Hannah (17:09):
Yep, because shit.
Well, I guess that wasn't hisfault.
Courtney (17:12):
But All right.
36, pedro Lopez, colombia,ecuador and Peru.
I'm hoping that he committedcrimes in all three, because I
don't love that.
We're just like slash, slash,slash in his location Known as
the monster of the Andes.
Lopez confessed to murderingover 300 girls across Colombia,
(17:32):
ecuador and Peru in the 1970sand 80s.
He targeted young girls, luringthem with promises of gifts
before killing them.
He was arrested in Ecuador in1980 after being caught
attempting to abduct a girl, andhe was convicted of 110.
Arrested in Ecuador in 1980after being caught attempting to
abduct a girl, and he wasconvicted of 110 murders in
Ecuador and released in 1998after serving just 14 years, his
(17:55):
current whereabouts are unknown.
Oh my God.
So if you're going to commit acrime, do it in Ecuador, I guess
.
Wow, that's scary, and keepyour children out of Ecuador.
That's scary, and keep yourchildren out of Ecuador.
That's scary.
They had said in the 70s and80s and I don't have here,
although now I'm interested onwhat his age was at the time
because potentially if he wasolder, right, he could be
deceased- yeah.
But if he was younger at thetime, he could very much still
(18:17):
be alive.
Rob (18:18):
Yeah.
Hannah (18:18):
So let's say like 40.
Yeah, midlife right Like yeah,that's midlife, right Like yeah,
that's scary that one'sconcerning I don't like this
Sorry about that everybody.
Rob (18:29):
I just Googled Pedro Lopez and he's 76 years old.
Courtney (18:32):
And they know where he is.
Rob (18:34):
Nope Currently unknown.
Courtney (18:36):
So he could be dead also, right.
Rob (18:38):
He could be being 76 now.
Courtney (18:40):
Or just being a convicted murderer of many
people.
Hannah (18:43):
I can imagine you have many enemies.
I can't believe he only hadprison for that.
Like what.
Courtney (18:47):
I really want to learn more about that case, just to
know, like, what the prisonsystem's rationale was for like,
hey, four years will do.
Rob (18:53):
Yeah, exactly.
Courtney (18:55):
Sorry about that.
You know what was it I have togo back in A hundred and ten
murderers and was released after14 years.
I'm sorry 14, yes 14.
14 just seems like four in thecomparison.
Rob (19:09):
All right, the next one is number 35.
It's Randy Kraft from the USA,dubbed the scorecard killer.
Kraft is believed to havemurdered at least 16 young men,
though his tally may be muchhigher.
Some of the key details he kepta coded list of his victims and
used strangulation, overdosingor other methods to kill.
(19:30):
He was arrested in 1983 afterpolice discovered a body in his
car.
Hannah (19:34):
Was he stupid?
Rob (19:35):
During his trial.
He was sentenced to death in1989.
And one of the legacies ofKraft is the case remains
notorious for its methodical,chilling nature.
Hannah (19:48):
Very interesting, so they still have his remains.
Rob (19:52):
Sounds like it.
Hannah (19:53):
That reminds me of that.
The guy, god.
So this was way back in the daywhere these two guys were
realizing they can make moneyoff of cadavers for the medical
schools.
Yeah, and then his skeleton isin England, atland, at one of
the museums because it gotdonated to science, all right.
34.
Herbert mullen of the usa.
(20:14):
Mullen killed 13 people incalifornia in the early 1970s,
believing his actions wouldprevent catastrophic earthquakes
.
Mom (20:22):
Oh, wow, talk about mental health disorders uh.
Hannah (20:25):
So he targeted random victims using a gun and knife,
often with no clear pattern.
He was arrested after beingcaught in the act of murder.
He was convicted in 1973 andsentenced to life in prison.
His case is often studied forits ties to schizophrenia and
delusional thinking.
Schizophrenia, mom.
There you go.
Rob (20:42):
There you go.
Courtney (20:43):
Again, 33 is actually a twofer.
So we have leonard lake andcharles nge and it's just ng ng
ng.
Thank you this one's just ng,and I even, like, did some extra
research on top of it andthere's no pronunciation, so I'm
just gonna call him ng uh fromusa.
(21:04):
This duo kidnapped, torturedand murdered at least 11 people
in a remote California cabinduring the 1980s.
So methods were inspired bysurvivalist fantasies.
They targeted families andvideotaped some of their heinous
acts Lake was arrested fortheft and committed suicide.
NG was captured years later inCanada.
(21:24):
He was sentenced to death in1999 for multiple murders, and
their crimes highlight thedangers of extremism and
unchecked violent fantasies as alegacy interesting jinx.
Rob (21:37):
You owe me a coke by your own all right number 32 ronnell
akala.
Is that how you would say it,akala?
Yeah ronald akala from thegreat country of the usa.
Uh, he was dubbed the datinggame killer, which I believe we
just talked about this recentlybecause there's a new uh show on
(21:59):
netflix netflix yep so he wasdubbed the dating game killer
after appearing on the tv showthe Dating Game during his
killing spree.
Mccullough was a photographerwho lured victims into deadly
traps.
He used his charm to lurevictims, often taking
photographs before killing them.
He was convicted in 1980 formultiple murders, though
(22:21):
investigators believe he killedmany, many more.
He was sentenced to death anddied of natural causes in 2021.
His crimes shed light on themisuse of trust and charm in
predatory behavior.
So I have not seen that showyet.
I did start watching it, me too, but I think I only got like
(22:42):
maybe 20 minutes into it andfell asleep, and then I never
turned it back on.
Courtney (22:45):
I feel bad because I found it one day when I was
looking for something to getinto and I ended up just
changing it to something else.
I just sometimes I feel likewhen they use too big of an
actor actress, I have a hardtime getting into that.
This actually happened.
I have a really hard time with,like, the fiction version of
nonfiction things and they usedone of the actresses from glee
(23:08):
is in there and I was like I, Ithe acting was anacondra.
It was, yeah, the acting wasjust so cheery for what the
production was about that I hada really hard time getting into
it personally all right.
Hannah (23:21):
31, carl pans ram of the usa.
He was a self-confessed serialkiller.
Panzram claimed to havemurdered 21 people and committed
hundreds of crimes across theUnited States and abroad.
Panzram's crimes includedmurder, arson and assault, often
driven by deep-seated hatredfor humanity.
He was arrested for burglary.
He confessed to his broadercrimes.
(23:42):
He was executed in 1930 for themurder of a prison guard.
His memoirs provide chillinginsights into his psyche,
becoming a key resource forunderstanding criminal
psychology.
Rob (23:52):
Interesting.
Courtney (23:54):
Number 30 is one many people are familiar with the
Zodiac Killer from the USA, oneof America's most notorious
unsolved cases.
The Zodiac Killer claimed tohave killed 37 people in
California during the 1960s and1970s.
He targeted young couples andlone individuals, leaving
cryptic letters and ciphers forthe police and media.
(24:14):
Despite extensiveinvestigations, the zodiac
killer was never caught and hisidentity remains a mystery.
His taunting communications andunsolved status have inspired
books, films and and ongoinginvestigations.
Hannah (24:27):
I don't think I realized he wasn't caught.
Rob (24:29):
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Courtney (24:30):
Yeah.
Rob (24:31):
Oh my God, I don't think I realized that he's a whole
rabbit hole.
Courtney (24:33):
I'm actually shocked that he I say only like he made
the list, but I'm shocked he'sonly at 30, just because of how
big his case, their cases, weshould say we say his, but we
don't we don't know right untilyou have a, an actual person
who's convicted in my opinion.
Rob (24:48):
You don't know right, exactly all right.
Number 29 a very popular oneisrael keys.
Usa keys was a methodical andorganized killer who targeted
victims across the us,committing murders without a
consistent pattern.
He used kill kits hidden invarious locations, choosing
victims randomly, using variousmethods to kill.
(25:10):
He was captured and arrested in2012 after using a victim's
credit card.
During the trial, keyesconfessed to 11 murders, but
committed suicide in his jailcell before standing trial, and
the legacy he leaves behind ishis case remains open-ended,
with investigators still linkinghim to additional crimes.
(25:30):
We covered israel keys right wedid.
Hannah (25:33):
Yes, yep, that was a just one early, early on in the
podcast number 28 leonardocianciulli, from italy, the soap
maker of corregio.
Oh my god, my italian's reallybad.
Uh, she untruly murdered womenand turned their bodies into
soap and tea cakes in the 1930sshe lured victims by promising
(25:56):
to help them with their problems, then killed them with an axe.
She boiled their remains to makesoap and baked their blood into
cakes.
Oh my god, she's brutal, yeah.
Relatives of a victim grewsuspicious, which led them to
her arrest.
She was convicted of threemurders, 1946.
She was sentenced to 30 yearsin prison and three years in an
asylum.
Her crimes remain infamous initaly for their grotesque nature
(26:18):
wow, yeah, that's a, that's adoozy 27.
Courtney (26:22):
If you thought hannah, hannah's Italian was bad,
you're going to hear how bad myJapanese is.
Rob (26:26):
Good luck with this one.
Courtney (26:27):
Mayuki Ishikawa.
Rob (26:29):
Oh wow, that was great.
I'm never going to say it again.
From.
Courtney (26:32):
Japan.
She was a Japanese midwife whokilled dozens of infants in the
1940s, claiming she was helpingfamilies who could not afford to
raise children.
Ishikawa neglected or directlykilled infants under her care.
Authorities discovered at least103 bodies, though the true
number could be much higher.
Police stumbled upon the crimewhen two officers discovered
infant remains, which is how shewas captured, and in her trial
(26:55):
she was sentenced to eight yearsin prison.
Her punishment was seen aslenient due to social attitudes
about poverty, and the legacyshe left behind is that it
sparked debates about abortionand child care policies in
post-war Japan.
Wow, I don't love that one atall.
Rob (27:10):
No, not at all that one sits very poorly with me Number
26.
I'm not even sure if I canattempt this.
Hannah (27:16):
How's your Russian Rob my Russian is horrible.
Rob (27:22):
I'm going to need some help Someone I've got Daria
Nikolavin, Lavinia Salty Koba.
Perfect, call her DNS, dns.
There we go.
That's what we're going withDNS, so known as the Salty Chica
.
Courtney (27:38):
Yeah, yeah, that's what it says.
Salty Chica, salty.
Rob (27:41):
Chica DNS was a Russian noblewoman who tortured and
murdered her serfs.
Hannah (27:48):
Yep.
Rob (27:49):
What's a serfs?
Hannah (27:50):
Like her servants.
Rob (27:51):
Oh, her servants, Okay.
Murdered her servants in the18th century, earning her
reputation as one of theRussians' most infamous female
killers.
Some of the key details sheused extreme physical abuse to
kill at least 38 female servants.
Some reports suggest the numbermay have been higher.
Complaints from the villagerseventually reached empress
(28:13):
catherine of the great, whoordered an investigation.
During the trial, she was foundguilty in 1768 dns, was
stripped of her title andimprisoned for life in a
monastery Dungeon.
Ooh, ooh.
That does not sound pleasant,that sounds dark, and the legacy
she leaves behind is her casehighlighted the unchecked power
(28:36):
of the Russian nobility overservants during that era.
Hannah (28:40):
Number 25, Mary Ann Cotton of the UK.
Mary Ann Cotton, Britain'sfirst serial killer, poisoned
over 20 people, including herhusband's husbands.
Courtney (28:48):
Husbands and children.
Hannah (28:50):
And children in the 19th century.
Rob (28:51):
Okay, was she Mormon?
Hannah (28:54):
Well, she must have had multiple husbands, is what I'm
going to say and all of thechildren.
So Cotton used arsenic tomurder her financial gain
cashing in on life insurancepolicies.
The authorities grew suspiciousafter the death of her stepson.
So that's how she was captured,her trial, she was executed in
1873 for the murder of herstepson.
Her case popularized forensictoxicology in murder
(29:14):
investigations.
Rob (29:15):
Oh wow, that's in the 19th century.
Okay, so 1873.
Courtney (29:19):
Number 24 is also in the UK.
Amelia Dyer, One of Britain'smost infamous killerselia dyer
was a baby farmer responsiblefor the deaths of hundreds of
infants in the late 90s.
Why do I keep getting all thebaby killers?
Uh, dyer took in unwantedbabies for money and killed them
to avoid expenses authoritiesdiscovered bodies weighted down
(29:41):
in the thames, executed in 1896for her crimes, and her legacy
led to stricter regulations onadoption and child care in the
UK.
So I guess, at least somethinggood came of all these dying
babies.
That's so sad.
Rob (29:54):
All right, now we're heading down to Mexico for
number 23.
Juana Barraza Did I say that,right?
Sure, sounds good.
The little old lady killer.
Courtney (30:05):
Juana Barraza was a mexican serial killer who
targeted elderly women I washoping she was going to be an
old lady killing people.
Rob (30:13):
The little old lady killer.
Yes uh barraza posted as asocial worker to gain victims
trust before strangling them.
Arrested in 2006 after beingcaught fleeing a crime scene
During the trial, she wassentenced to 759 years in prison
for killing 16 women, and hercase shook Mexico City,
(30:35):
revealing societal neglect ofthe elderly.
Hannah (30:38):
Jane Topin of the USA.
A nurse-turned-killer, janeTopin, known as Jolly Jane,
confessed to killing at least 31patients in Massachusetts in
the late 19th century.
Topin poisoned patients withmorphine and atrophin, taking
pleasure in their suffering.
Suspicion arose after multiple,multiple deaths in her care.
She was declared insane andcommitted to an asylum for life.
(30:58):
Her case raised awareness aboutunchecked power and medical
professions again.
Rob (31:04):
I mean this.
This sounds exactly likekristen gilbert.
Yeah, it does.
And it's so much closer too,because it's in massachusetts.
Courtney (31:11):
I'm gonna look into that one because that one has my
interest peaked girl, you can'tlook at all of them.
Hannah (31:15):
I want to look at them.
Courtney (31:16):
Well, just offer uh for 21.
I'm gonna go back to japan hereagain.
Sutomiya miyazaki yeah, greatno, no is.
The Ataku Killer abducted andmurdered four young girls in
Japan during the late 1980s.
Miyazaki's crimes involvedabduction, murder and acts of
necrophilia oh geez, he alsosent taunting letters to
(31:38):
victims' families.
What a jerk.
He was arrested after beingcaught attempting to assault
another child At trial.
He was executed in 2008 for hiscrimes.
His case highlighted concernsabout Japan's subculture of
extreme media consumption.
Rob (31:52):
All right, number 20, charles Subaraj.
Why am I getting all the hardones too?
They're all getting hard.
Courtney (32:00):
I was going to make a joke at first, like wow, you
guys realize how quickly it wentback USA, usa, usa.
Rob (32:08):
And now I'm like phewhew, we're not the most f-ed up.
There's lots of other countriesin here.
Now, all right for number 20,charles sabaraj from india,
nepal and thailand it's all inthat same little area.
Nicknamed the serpent for hisslippery escapes, sabaraj was a
conman and serial killer whopreyed on western tourists
across asia in the 1970s.
Sabaraj used his charm tobefriend victims after poisoning
(32:30):
them before robbing or killingthem.
After evading authorities formany, many years, he was finally
arrested in nepal in 2003.
Why are you laughing?
Courtney (32:41):
it says for years.
And he's like many, many, many,many, many, many, many years,
lots of many years.
Hannah (32:47):
You've been adding words Like it was Catherine the Great
, catherine of the Great, he'sgetting tired Leave Rob alone.
Courtney (32:54):
You laughed with me.
I'm allowed to laugh.
I'm Switzerland.
Hannah (32:58):
You leave my husband out of this.
Honey, I love you bunches and Ilove that you're doing this
with us.
Rob (33:02):
After evading authorities for many, many years, he was
finally arrested in Nepal in2003 and sentenced to life in
prison.
His life-inspired books and aNetflix series cementing his
reputation as a mastermanipulator.
I wonder what that Netflixseries is called?
Hannah (33:18):
All right, 19.
Joachim Kroll from Germany.
Kroll is known as the RrrrCannibal Killed at least 14
people, including children, overtwo decades, from the 1950s to
the 1970s.
Kroll strangled his victims andsometimes engaged in
cannibalism, using party partsfor meals.
Rob (33:36):
Disgusting.
Hannah (33:37):
He was arrested after a plumbing issue in his building.
Courtney (33:41):
What are they going to learn?
Hannah (33:42):
Stop flushing the pieces Revealed human remains in the
pipes.
He was convicted of eightmurders in 1982.
Kroll was sentenced to lifeimprisonment.
He died in prison in 1991.
Kroll's crimes exposed the lackof communication between police
agencies and investigatingdisappearances.
Huh, interesting.
Courtney (34:01):
Very interesting.
Oh, Fritz 18.
Fritz Harman of Germany, knownas the Butcher of Hanover.
Fritz Harman was a Germanserial killer who murdered at
least 24 young men and boysbetween 1918 and 1924.
Harman lured victims, oftenrunaways or drifters, and killed
them by biting through theirthroats oh God, Earning him the
(34:22):
nickname the Vampire of Hanover.
He dismembered the bodies,disposing of them in rivers.
Authorities linked him tomissing persons when body parts
were found in Hanover'swaterways.
He was convicted of 24 murders.
Harmon was executed byguillotine in 1925.
His gruesome crimes inspiredcultural references, including
characters in literature andfilm.
Rob (34:43):
So did he have two nicknames the Butcher of Hanover
or was he the Vampire ofHanover?
Courtney (34:49):
I think we should ask the person who researched our
episode today.
Rob (34:53):
Chat GPT.
So it looks like it's both,because, according to Wikipedia,
he was a German serial rapistand serial killer known as the
Butcher of Hanover, the Vampireof Hanover and the Wolfman, who
committed the sexual assaults,murders, mutilation and
dismemberment of at least 24young men and boys in the city
(35:15):
of Hanover between 1918 and 1924.
Yeah, so he had a bunch ofdifferent names, Because even in
his name up at the top it hasquotations around Fritz.
Courtney (35:25):
Oh, how do we catch these people when we don't even
know their name?
Rob (35:27):
exactly all right.
Moving on number 17, we'reheading to pakistan with jave
iqbal.
Jave iqbal was a pakistaniserial killer who confessed to
killing 100 boys in lahore in1998 and 1999.
His crime shocked the nationdue to their scale and his
methodical documentation.
(35:48):
Iqbal lured street children tohis home where he strangled them
, dismembered their bodies anddissolved them in acid to hide
evidence.
Nice he left writingconfessions and photos of his
victims.
He surrendered to authorities.
After his confession waspublicized, he was found guilty
of 100 murders and he wassentenced to be executed in the
(36:09):
same manner as his victims.
Ooh Yikes, so he was executedin the same manner as his
victims.
Courtney (36:15):
I mean an eye for an eye.
Mentality makes sense whenyou're talking about Pakistan.
Rob (36:19):
So they dismembered his body and dissolved them in acid
to hide the evidence.
Yeah to hell with the ethics.
However, he was found dead inhis cell in 2001 under
suspicious circumstances.
His case highlighted issueswith child exploitation and
homelessness in Pakistan,prompting demands for better
(36:40):
children protection measures.
Courtney (36:41):
Yeah, I know that whole case was just a doozy and
there was a lot of craphappening there.
Hannah (36:45):
Number 16, louis Garavito, from Colombia.
Louis Garavito, known as LaBestia or the Beast, is one of
the most prolific serial killersin history, responsible for the
murder and torture of anestimated 138 to over 300 young
boys in Colombia during the1990s.
Wow, garavito targetedimpoverished children, luring
(37:06):
them with promise of gifts ormoney.
He would torture, rape and killthem in secluded areas what a
douche can do?
In 1999, authorities connectedgaravito to the crimes using dna
evidence from a pair of glassesfound at a crime scene.
Garavito confessed 138 murdersand was sentenced to 1853 years
in prison, although colombianlaw caps sentences at 40 years.
His case exposed systemicfailures in protecting
(37:29):
vulnerable children in Colombiaand led to reforms in law
enforcement.
I know, court, you're going tolook into law down in South
America, so that's interesting.
Courtney (37:37):
They capped at 40.
I also think it's interestingthat, going into this list, I
expected to see a lot of girlsand young women to be the
victims of most of these killers, and I feel like we're hearing
boys.
Hannah (37:46):
We are.
Courtney (37:47):
Boys, men, boys Like we're hearing a lot more.
I feel like the media alwaysmakes it seem like serial
killers are going after womenand we're hearing a lot more
about male victims as well,which is surprising.
Number 15, Dennis Rader, USA.
Dennis was the BTK killer.
Buy and torture, kill,terrorized Kansas for decades,
(38:07):
killing 10 people between 1974and 1991.
Raider stalked and strangledhis victims, often leaving
cryptic messages for police andthe media.
A floppy disk he had sent tothe police in 2004 led to his
arrest.
He confessed to all murders andwas sentenced to 10 consecutive
life terms in 2005.
Raiders case highlights thedangers of narcissism and serial
(38:30):
killers.
That's a nice way to put thathighlights the dangers.
More like the correlation btkwhat does that stand for?
we've done a lot of bonusepisodes for people who are not
subscribers.
Bonus episodes come out forsubscribers only.
Hannah and I have done a lot ofum when we do like serial
killer trivia and things.
Btk comes up a lot because wereally the two of us we were
(38:53):
like we don't really know toomuch about him and then we ended
up having to look up we want todo an episode on him but I'm
surprised he's not further downthe list too all right number 14
bella Bella Guinness from theUSA.
Rob (39:17):
Bella, known as the Black Widow of La Porte, was a
Norwegian immigrant who luredmen to her Indiana farm under
the guise of marriage, only tokill them for financial gain.
She poisoned or bludgeoned hervictims, burying their bodies on
her farm.
After a suspicious fire in 1908, authorities unearthed over 40
bodies on her farm.
After a suspicious fire in 1908, authorities unearthed over 40
bodies on her property.
She's believed to have fakedher death in the fire and her
ultimate fate remains unknown.
She is considered one ofAmerica's earliest and deadliest
(39:39):
female serial killers.
Courtney (39:40):
There you go.
Hannah, you said you want toresearch some.
I know you love a good femaleserial killer.
Okay, Belle, I see you.
Hannah (39:48):
Oh, number 13, Jeffrey Dahmer.
Jeffrey Dahmer, the Milwaukeecannibal, is infamous for his
gruesome killings of 17 youngmen between 1978 and 1991.
His case shocked the world dueto his acts of necrophilia and
cannibalism.
Dahmer drugged, strangled anddismembered his victims, often
keeping body parts as trophies.
He was arrested in 1991 when avictim escaped of course and
(40:10):
alerted police.
They found human remains in hisapartment.
Sentenced to life in prison,dahmer was killed by a fellow
inmate in 1994.
His story has been the subjectof extensive media coverage,
including films and series.
So many cannibals on this list.
I have one true crime, ick, andit's always cannibals on this
list.
Courtney (40:24):
Can I just say I have one true crime ick, and it's
always cannibals.
Number 12, richard Ramirez, usa.
Known as the Night Stalker,richard Ramirez terrorized
California in the 1980s with aseries of brutal home invasions,
murders and sexual assaults.
Ramirez's crimes included a mixof stabbing, shooting and
bludgeoning.
He also performed satanicrituals at some crime scenes.
(40:45):
He was identified through afingerprint left at a crime
scene.
A group of citizens recognizedand subdued him before the
police arrived.
He was convicted of 13 murders.
Ramirez was sentenced to deathin 1989.
He died of cancer in 2013.
While on death row, thecultural impact of his case
became one of the mostsensationalized in true crime
(41:05):
history, leading todocumentaries and books.
Side note I've never heard ofhim.
Rob (41:10):
I've never heard of him either.
Courtney (41:11):
Which is interesting for being USA, and the fact that
we're all into true crime as weare and haven't heard of him.
Mom (41:18):
Yeah.
Courtney (41:19):
Definitely another one to dig into All right.
Rob (41:22):
Number 11, Albert Fish, USA .
Dig into All right.
Number 11, Albert Fish, USA.
Albert Fish, also known as thegray man or the Brooklyn vampire
yeah, Hannah, you ever heard ofthis one?
He was a sadistic child killerand cannibal Active in the early
20th century.
His crimes are considered someof the most grotesque in
(41:42):
American history.
Courtney (41:43):
Fuck the cannibals.
Rob (41:45):
Fish targeted children, often luring them with promises
of work or gifts, or maybecookies, because he had a little
white van.
He confessed to molesting over400 children and murdering
several.
His killing of Grace Budd in1928 shook the nation when he
sent a letter to her familydetailing the crime.
He was arrested in 1934,convicted and executed in the
(42:08):
electric chair in 1936.
That's a quick turnaround.
Fish remains a symbol ofextreme criminal depravity.
Courtney (42:14):
Only so fitting, hannah.
Really Well, before we get tothat, let's take a quick break
and criminal depravity.
Only so fitting.
Rob (42:17):
Hannah, really Well, before we get to that, let's take a
quick break and hear from oursponsors.
All right, and we're back forthe top 10.
We are on the final top 10.
Are you girls ready?
I am ready.
Excellent.
All right, Hannah, why don'tyou take this one?
Because, one, it's your turnand, two, it's one of your
favorite people.
Hannah (42:37):
Okay, besides the, two of us.
He's not my favorite person.
I just find him fascinating.
Courtney (42:41):
Oh, here she goes.
I don't condone what he did, Ijust think he's interesting from
a behavioral standpoint.
Fast forward, go ahead.
Hannah (42:48):
All right, hannah here you go.
Free t-shirt for whoever can.
Ted bundy.
Ted bundy is one of america'smost infamous serial killers,
known for his charm andintelligence.
He confessed to killing 30women in the 1970s, though the
true number may be higher.
Bundy often lured victims byfeigning injury or pertaining
any help.
He would then abduct, assaultand kill them.
(43:08):
Bundy escaped custody twice,committing more murders during
his brief periods of freedom.
His trial was one of the firstto be nationally televised, with
Bundy serving as his own lawyer.
He was executed in 1989.
Bundy's case has been studiedextensively, inspiring film,
books and documentaries.
Courtney (43:25):
I don't even think we need to discuss number 10, right
, because we've done it so manytimes.
Rob (43:28):
We did three episodes on Bundy.
I think it might have been four.
Okay, moving on.
Courtney (43:32):
Number nine, ed Guy, usa.
Fun fact, I did a project onhim in high school.
Mom (43:38):
Oh wow, A history project.
Courtney (43:39):
Okay, it's kind of weird how everything falls
together.
It is kind of weird Ed Gein,known as the Butcher of
Plainfield inspired severalfictional villains, including
Norman Bates in Psycho andLeatherface in the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre.
Though only convicted of twomurders, Gein's gruesome actions
horrified the nation.
Guyon exhumed corpses fromcemeteries and created items
(44:00):
from their remains, includinglampshades and clothing.
He was diagnosed withschizophrenia.
Guyon was deemed unfit fortrial initially and later
confined to a mental institution.
His crimes cemented his placein popular culture as a symbol
of horror.
Hannah (44:14):
I've been fascinated by that one, yeah.
Courtney (44:15):
It's something about the, the like he wasn't really
hurting.
I mean, for me it's like amoral thing where, like he
wasn't killing people, he wasjust like digging up their
bodies and using them for stuff,which I guess is a little bit
better.
He didn't really want to dealwith all the blood and gore and
stuff I guess he just wanted thebody parts.
I don't know all right.
Rob (44:32):
Number eight john way Wayne Gacy from the USA.
John Wayne Gacy, known as theKiller Clown, was convicted of
murdering 33 young men and boysin Illinois during the 1970s.
Gacy lured his victims withpromise of work or entertainment
, often dressed as a clownpersona.
Pogo Grace sexually assaultedand strangled his victims before
(44:55):
burying most of them in a crawlspace in his home.
A missing persons investigationled police to Gacy, where they
discovered remains in his home.
Gacy was executed by lethalinjection in 1994, and his clown
persona was influencedcountless horror stories and
films.
Courtney (45:15):
I hate a clown.
I'm not a fan of cannibals andclowns are my two like horror,
oddity things and I'm likeabsolutely not.
At least he didn't eat peopledressed like a clown, I guess hh
holmes oh, this is a good one.
Hannah (45:32):
Hh holmes, often dubbed america's first serial killer,
operated in the late 19thcentury.
He is is infamous for hisMurder Castle, a building he
designed with hidden rooms andtraps to kill victims.
During the 1893 Chicago World'sFair, holmes lured victims to
his hotel where they weresubjected to torture or murder.
Initially arrested forinsurance fraud, authorities
uncovered evidence of multiplemurders.
Holmes confessed to 27 murders,though the exact number of
(45:55):
victims remains unknown.
He was executed in 1896.
His story has inspired booksand films, including the Devil
and the White City we're reallygetting down here now.
Courtney (46:05):
Number 6 Harold Shipman, uk.
Dr Harold Shipman, also knownas Dr Death, is one of the most
prolific serial killers inhistory.
Shipman, a respected generalpractitioner in England,
murdered an estimated 250patients over two decades.
Not a good doctor to be going to.
Shipman injected his mostlyelderly victims with lethal
(46:27):
doses of diamorphine.
The unusually high death rateamong his patients raised
suspicions leading toinvestigations.
A forged will intended tobenefit shipman expose his
actions.
Shipman was convicted of 15murders in 2000 and sentenced to
life imprisonment.
He hanged himself in prison in2004.
Wow, his crimes promptedsignificant changes in medical
(46:49):
oversight in the uk.
One should really hope.
Hannah (46:53):
Oh, this is a good one, Rob.
Rob (46:56):
Number five Elizabeth Bathory from Hungary.
Elizabeth Bathory, the bloodcountess, is considered one of
history's most prolific femalekillers, accused of torturing
and killing hundreds of youngwomen.
In the 16th century, bathory'scrimes became infamous for their
alleged brutality.
Now here's something new Mythsversus reality.
Legends claims she bathed inblood of virgins to retain her
(47:19):
youth, though historians debatethe accuracy of these tales.
During the trial, evidence fromover 300 witnesses led to her
being walled up in her castlewhere she died in 1614.
And the legacy that she left.
Bathory's story inspired gothichorror tales and remains a
symbol of excessive cruelty.
Hannah (47:39):
Andrei Chikatilo from Russia.
Number four Known as the RostovRipper.
Andrei was convicted ofmurdering 52 people between 1978
and 1990 in the Soviet Union.
His victims ranged fromchildren to young adults and he
often lured them with promisesof money or gifts.
Always some money and giftsAlways.
His crimes involved sexualassault, stabbing and mutilation
(47:59):
.
Andre claimed to derive sexualgratification from the act of
murder.
His capture flawedinvestigations in Soviet
bureaucracy delayed his captureuntil DNA evidence linked him to
the crimes.
Andre was executed in 1994after a high-profile trial.
Wow.
Courtney (48:16):
Down to the final three, the final three.
Number three Eileen Wernos, usa.
Eileen, a rare example of afemale serial killer, murdered
seven men in Florida between1989 and 1990.
She claimed the killings werein self-defense, stating her
victims had attempted to assaulther during her time as a sex
worker.
Eileen shot her victims atclose range and often stole
(48:39):
their belongings.
Her confession and a lack ofevidence supporting her
self-defense claim led to herconviction and eventual
execution in 2002.
Werner's life story inspiredthe 2003 film monster.
Earning charlie's theron anacademy award yeah, burning
Charlize Theron an Academy Award.
Yeah, I've seen that movie.
I didn't know about thatInteresting.
Rob (49:00):
All right.
So number two and we'vementioned her many times on this
list already and she's a localfor us, kristen Gilbert.
She is an American serialkiller and a former nurse who
was convicted of four murdersand two attempted murders of
patients admitted into theVeteran Affairs Medical Center,
va in Northampton Massachusetts.
(49:21):
She induced cardiac arrest inpatients by injecting their IV
bags with lethal doses ofepinephrine, commonly known as
adrenaline, which is anuntraceable heart stimulant.
She would then respond to thecoded emergency, often
resuscitating the patientsherself.
Prosecutors said Gilbert was onduty for about half of the 350
deaths that occurred in thehospital from when she started
(49:44):
working there in 1989, and thatthe odds of this is merely being
a coincidence were one in 100million.
However, her only confirmedvictims were Stanley Yagodosky.
Her only confirmed victims wereStanley Jagodowski, henry
Hooten, kenneth Cudden andEdward Skewer.
Hannah (50:00):
But probably more.
Rob (50:01):
Sorry if I mispronounce any of those, but she was convicted
of life sentence without paroleplus 20 years.
She is still currentlyincarcerated and she was dubbed
the Angel of Death.
So I was right on that.
Yeah, good memory of death.
So I was right on that.
Yeah, good memory.
All right.
So we have come down from 50 tonumber two on this list of
(50:22):
serial killers across the world.
Miss hannah, would you like totake number one?
I would love to.
All right, and number one isjack the ripper.
Hannah (50:30):
All right, which is fitting, very fitting so.
Jack the ripper terrorizedlondon's white chapel district
in 1888.
The killer targeted women,primarily sex workers,
mutilating their bodies withsurgical precision Very fitting
so.
Jack the Ripper terrorizedLondon's Whitechapel District in
1888.
The killer targeted women,primarily sex workers,
mutilating their bodies withsurgical precision.
Five victims Mary Ann Nichols,annie Chapman, elizabeth Stride,
catherine Eddowes and Mary JaneKelly are attributed to him,
though some believe the truenumber may be higher.
(50:51):
Victims were found with theirthroats slashed and bodies
mutilated post-mortem,suggesting a knowledge of
anatomy.
His crimes generated widespreadmedia coverage and instilled
fear, but the identity of Jackthe Ripper remains one of
history's greatest mysteries.
The case led to advancements inforensic science and police
procedures, though no suspectwas conclusively identified.
(51:11):
Wow, this was fun.
Courtney (51:14):
That was a really good list.
Yes, Thank you, Rob for comingup with this episode idea.
Yes, thank you.
Rob (51:19):
And thank you, chatgbt, for compiling that number.
We might have switched itaround a little bit, but yeah,
overall pretty good.
If you think it needs to be ina different order, or if you
would add someone different ortaking someone off, let us know.
You can send us a text.
The link is down in the shownotes.
Courtney (51:37):
Thank you Wonders, thanks Wonders.
Rob (51:39):
Thank you, happy New Year.
We'll see you next week.
Hannah (51:43):
Bye.
Thanks for listening today.
Wicked Wanderings is hosted byme Hannah and co-hosted by me
Courtney.
Rob (51:50):
And it's produced by Rob Fitzpatrick.
Hannah (51:54):
Music by Sasha N.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to leave a rating
and review and be sure to followon all socials.
You can find the links down inthe show notes.
If you're looking for somereally cozy t-shirts or hoodies,
head over to the merch store.
Thank you for being a part ofthe Wicked Wanderings community.
We appreciate every one of you.
Stay curious, keep exploringand always remember to keep on
(52:14):
wandering.
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