Jeffrey Dahmer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 21, 1960. Through his early childhood he grew up in a normal and loving household, however it wasn’t always that way. Jeffrey’s father was often moving as a result of his career opportunities therefore the entire family moved often which wasn’t something Jeffrey looked forward to. With a difference of schools and communities he wasn’t comfortable with anyone and didn’t have many friends. At this time he was a teenager and his insecurities were becoming more prevalent. To make matters worse, his parents got a divorce while the family was in the process of moving from one community to the next. All of these issues only added to all of Jeffrey’s psychological issues and stress.
Jeffrey’s killings started after he had graduated from high school in June of 1978. He picked up his first victim off the side of the road and took him home with him. This began his obsession with kidnapping men and killing and raping the majority of them. It is believed that he did this as a result of his psychological issues that complied after his parents’ divorce and frantically moving all of the time. After only one term at Ohio State Dahmer dropped out of school because of his insane drinking problem. He became a serious alcoholic to the point of no return. At this point he was in and out of jail for disorderly conduct, alcohol problems, and sexual acts such as “masturbating in front of two young boys”. It wasn’t until 1987 where he took his next victim. He met him at a gay bar and took him home and had sex and killed him. From then on Dahmer went on a killing spree for 13 years. All of his targets were men where he killed and had sex with the majority of them; most of them being African American men who met with other gays. He would lure them into his grandmother’s house, where he was living at the time, with alcohol where he would lace them with drugs to make them unaware that Dahmer was going to strangle them.
A turning point in his life was when he had a very close call and a lucky escape. He had an encounter with a 13-year-old African American boy who filed against Dahmer for sexual assault. This didn’t look good for Dahmer’s reputation, however he pleaded guilty which led the jury and judge to think that he had a mental issue instead of being a serial killer who liked African American gay men. In the next 15 months Dahmer killed 12 more men who fit the gay African American profile. It wasn’t until July 22, 1991 when Dahmer finally was caught for his vicious acts. Officers has suspensions to the point of going to Dahmer’s house where they found dismembered bodies all around the house. Although he fought, the officers were able to restrain him and take him into custody. From there he was put on the stand and was charged for murder on all counts. He first pleaded not guilty but soon changed his plea to guilty “by virtue of insanity”. However the jury knew that Dahmer was aware that his acts were wrong. He was found guilty on all counts of murder on February 17, 1992 and was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms, or 957 years in prison. However he didn’t live long in prison. Just two years into his sentence, on November 28, 1994, Dahmer was told to work along side two other prisoners named Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver. Just 20 minutes into their work, Scarver, an African American who was schizophrenic and serving a life sentence crushed Dahmer’s skill and beat Anderson to death.
Jeffrey’s killings started after he had graduated from high school in June of 1978. He picked up his first victim off the side of the road and took him home with him. This began his obsession with kidnapping men and killing and raping the majority of them. It is believed that he did this as a result of his psychological issues that complied after his parents’ divorce and frantically moving all of the time. After only one term at Ohio State Dahmer dropped out of school because of his insane drinking problem. He became a serious alcoholic to the point of no return. At this point he was in and out of jail for disorderly conduct, alcohol problems, and sexual acts such as “masturbating in front of two young boys”. It wasn’t until 1987 where he took his next victim. He met him at a gay bar and took him home and had sex and killed him. From then on Dahmer went on a killing spree for 13 years. All of his targets were men where he killed and had sex with the majority of them; most of them being African American men who met with other gays. He would lure them into his grandmother’s house, where he was living at the time, with alcohol where he would lace them with drugs to make them unaware that Dahmer was going to strangle them.
A turning point in his life was when he had a very close call and a lucky escape. He had an encounter with a 13-year-old African American boy who filed against Dahmer for sexual assault. This didn’t look good for Dahmer’s reputation, however he pleaded guilty which led the jury and judge to think that he had a mental issue instead of being a serial killer who liked African American gay men. In the next 15 months Dahmer killed 12 more men who fit the gay African American profile. It wasn’t until July 22, 1991 when Dahmer finally was caught for his vicious acts. Officers has suspensions to the point of going to Dahmer’s house where they found dismembered bodies all around the house. Although he fought, the officers were able to restrain him and take him into custody. From there he was put on the stand and was charged for murder on all counts. He first pleaded not guilty but soon changed his plea to guilty “by virtue of insanity”. However the jury knew that Dahmer was aware that his acts were wrong. He was found guilty on all counts of murder on February 17, 1992 and was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms, or 957 years in prison. However he didn’t live long in prison. Just two years into his sentence, on November 28, 1994, Dahmer was told to work along side two other prisoners named Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver. Just 20 minutes into their work, Scarver, an African American who was schizophrenic and serving a life sentence crushed Dahmer’s skill and beat Anderson to death.
Jack the Ripper is one of the most infamous serial killers of all time. He is known for committing murders between the months of August and September in 1888. As shown in pictures, Jack the Ripper was never found and really seen. He had a mask on when he did his killings, so no one ever identified him. He is responsible for killing five prostitutes in the city of London during 1888. Although his identity was never proven, he set a norm of how to become a serial killer for centuries to come. Since the murders took place there have been over 100 suspects named by officials, however still to this day no one knows who he really was. At this time in London’s history, prostitution was legal as long as the practice didn’t cause a disturbance to the public.
Since prostitution was at an all time high, women were used for sex instead of being killed. It makes sense that Jack the Ripper would target these women because it would make him stand out. His acts did indeed stand out from other crime of the time because the crime he committed showed that he was more hateful than most other people could even think about. Jack the Ripper brutally mutilated and humiliated women symbolizing the negative attitudes that were attributed to women at that time. As the fall of 1888 came, the murders diminished, however answers never came as to who Jack the Ripper really was. And still to this day he has been talked about and will continue to be covered in our news because he set a standard of serial killing and a hate against women.
Since prostitution was at an all time high, women were used for sex instead of being killed. It makes sense that Jack the Ripper would target these women because it would make him stand out. His acts did indeed stand out from other crime of the time because the crime he committed showed that he was more hateful than most other people could even think about. Jack the Ripper brutally mutilated and humiliated women symbolizing the negative attitudes that were attributed to women at that time. As the fall of 1888 came, the murders diminished, however answers never came as to who Jack the Ripper really was. And still to this day he has been talked about and will continue to be covered in our news because he set a standard of serial killing and a hate against women.
Ted Bundy was born on November 24, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont. He was raised by his grandparents because his mother was born into a religious family and she got pregnant at the age of 22 so her parents didn’t want Bundy to know that his mother was so young, so they told Bundy that his mother was actually his sister. Although a strange situation, Bundy grew up in a stable home with a standard working-class family. Growing up he developed a fascination with knives and by the time he became a teenager his darker side came out when he would peek in people’s windows and stole things frequently.
After high school he went onto college where he met a very pretty girl who he fell in love with. They soon broke up unexpectedly which set Bundy off. From then on each of the young women he killed resembled his college girlfriend. He would often rape his victims and then beat them to death. It is said that his killings began in 1974, however it isn’t known for sure the year or the number of young women he killed. He set a convincing persona because he continued his education in college until he graduated and moved onto law school. But it wasn’t long until women began disappearing near his law school too. Soon after moving to law school Bundy was pulled over by police and his vehicle was searched. The police officers found burglary tools as well as a crowbar, rope, handcuffs, and a facemask. He was arrested and was held while they attempted to connect him to other crimes.
Several more years full of killing continued once he escaped jail. He received two death sentences for murdering two young women. Finally on January 24, 1989, Bundy was put to death around 7 am by the electric chair in the Florida State Prison. Outside you could hear people cheering and setting off fireworks to celebrate Bundy’s execution. Although he admitted to killing thirty-six women, people believe that he could have killed up to one hundred innocent women. Ted Bundy’s story is told through books, trying to illustrate his crimes.
After high school he went onto college where he met a very pretty girl who he fell in love with. They soon broke up unexpectedly which set Bundy off. From then on each of the young women he killed resembled his college girlfriend. He would often rape his victims and then beat them to death. It is said that his killings began in 1974, however it isn’t known for sure the year or the number of young women he killed. He set a convincing persona because he continued his education in college until he graduated and moved onto law school. But it wasn’t long until women began disappearing near his law school too. Soon after moving to law school Bundy was pulled over by police and his vehicle was searched. The police officers found burglary tools as well as a crowbar, rope, handcuffs, and a facemask. He was arrested and was held while they attempted to connect him to other crimes.
Several more years full of killing continued once he escaped jail. He received two death sentences for murdering two young women. Finally on January 24, 1989, Bundy was put to death around 7 am by the electric chair in the Florida State Prison. Outside you could hear people cheering and setting off fireworks to celebrate Bundy’s execution. Although he admitted to killing thirty-six women, people believe that he could have killed up to one hundred innocent women. Ted Bundy’s story is told through books, trying to illustrate his crimes.
Gary Ridgway was born on February 18, 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a student raised in a poor household and was sent to war in Vietnam after high school. Upon returning home, he took up a job painting trucks, which gave him a job for 30 years. Ridgway began his vicious killings in 1982 when he would pick up runaways and prostitutes on state route 99 and then take them home and strangle them. He would then dump their bodies into rivers such as the Green River. A newly developed DNA-testing came into play in 2001, which connected Ridgway to the bodies that were dumped in the river. In December 2001, he was then charged with four counts of aggravated murder. There was a delay in sentencing because he made a deal with investigators that he would tell them where the remainder of the bodies were located in exchange for not being executed. He plead guilty to all counts and was sentenced to life in prison in December 2003. Ridgway is known for committing more murders than any other serial killer in U.S. history. There was another body found in 2011 which added another life sentence to Ridgway’s time.
Provided by: Sabrina Lasley