10 Times Serial Killers Faced Justice

Top 10 Times Serial Killers Faced Justice

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for terrifying serial killers who were eventually caught and faced justice.

#10: Joseph James DeAngelo

For years, two criminals, a serial assaulter and the Original Night Stalker, left people in a state of fear in California. Both criminals sent mocking communications to victims and the police. But by 2001, using DNA technology, it was discovered these two assailants were the same person, and the Golden State Killer moniker was soon created. In 2018, former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested after genetic genealogy tracked the killer’s DNA through a family tree to him. Beginning his horrific spree in 1974 and ending in 1986, DeAngelo is believed to have committed at least 120 burglaries, 51 assaults, and 13 murders. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to several charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

#9: Eric Edgar Cooke

Between 1958 and 1963, people in Perth, Australia, were incredibly worried. On top of a host of robberies, eight people were murdered with a variety of methods. However, authorities believed two of these slayings were solved, with two people sentenced for the crimes. Yet, they were innocent. And in 1963, a rifle linked to some of the killings was discovered in a bush. The police replaced it with a broken one and waited, watching for the owner to return. Eventually, Eric Edgar Cooke arrived and was arrested. Nicknamed the Night Caller, he confessed to the eight murders and 14 other attempts. After failing with an insanity plea, Cooke was found guilty of his spree and was executed in 1964.

#8: John Wayne Gacy

In 1978, teenager Robert Piest's disappearance was reported to the police by his family. This led the cops to investigate the home of John Wayne Gacy in the neighborhood of Norwood Park, Chicago, Illinois, after witnesses saw him with Priest. After surveilling Gacy and searching his house several times, they found human remains in a crawl space. Gacy, who famously worked as a contractor and as a clown at parties, confessed to taking the lives of around 30 men and boys. He had lured people to his home before attacking them. In 1980, the Killer Clown, as he was nicknamed, was sentenced to capital punishment after being found guilty of 33 murder charges. And in 1994, the sentence was carried out.

#7: Lucy Letby

Between 2015 and 2016, something strange was going on at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, England. Babies were becoming suddenly extremely ill, and occasionally, they didn’t recover. On investigation, the demises of the patients were discovered to not be natural. Someone was causing it. And suspicion fell onto nurse Lucy Letby, who was involved in their care or seen nearby when things went wrong. After she was removed from her position, the incidents stopped, and after much unconscionable delay, in 2018, Letby was arrested. In 2023, she was found guilty of causing the demise of 7 patients and 7 charges of attempted murder. She was given the strictest sentence in England with life imprisonment with a whole life order.

#6: Richard Ramirez

In 1984, a spate of terrible crimes began in Southern California. An intruder broke into homes and often toyed with people before slaying them. The criminal was famously handed the moniker of the Night Stalker (not to be confused with the aforementioned Original Night Stalker).. In 1985, the police discovered a fingerprint belonging to Richard Ramirez in an abandoned car used in a crime. The hunt was on to find him, and eventually he was apprehended. In 1989, Ramirez was convicted of a huge 43 charges, including 13 murders and 5 attempts, and received 19 death penalties. Justice was served in court but in 2013, Ramirez passed away from natural causes.

#5: Dennis Rader

Between 1974 and 1991, a serial killer targeted people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas. Calling himself BTK after his M.O., the criminal would send letters to the media and police detailing his horrid crimes. But then, he vanished. By 2004, he began taunting the media again and even planned to restart his fatal attacks. The police tricked the murderer into sending a floppy disk, assuming he couldn’t be traced. But he was. This led them to the Christ Lutheran Church and to Dennis Rader. After a DNA test, they found BTK. In 2005, after changing his plea to guilty and detailing his crimes, Rader was sentenced to a minimum of 175 years in jail after taking the lives of 10 people.

#4: Dennis Nilsen

In 1983, plumbers arrived at a property in London, England, due to blocked pipes after complaints from several tenants. The worker found a strange substance inside, which turned out to be human remains. The cause was traced to the residence of Scottish-born Dennis Nilsen, an army veteran and former police officer. After the cops arrived, Nilsen disclosed he had further remains in the flat and confessed to slaying around 15 people since 1978. Later nicknamed the Muswell Hill Murderer due to committing his crimes in the London district, in 1984, Nilsen was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years for 6 murders and 2 attempts. This was later changed to a whole-life tariff. Nilsen passed away in 2018.

#3: Samuel Little

Falling into crime as a teenager, Samuel Little spent a lot of time in jail for various incidents, including assault, kidnapping, and robbery all over the US. In 2012, after having his DNA taken for a drug charge, he was discovered to have been a match in three murder cases. In 2014, Little was found guilty and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Then, in 2018, he confessed to many, many more slayings. From the 1970s to 2005, Little stated he took the lives of 93 people, 60 of which have been confirmed so far. As such, this would make Little the most prolific serial killer in US history.

#2: Ted Bundy

Charming and good-looking, on the surface, Ted Bundy seemed like a nice fellow. But in reality, he was a monster. Bundy would use his charisma or pretend to be injured to lure women to secluded areas before kidnapping them and later taking their lives. Even when Bundy was captured, on two occasions, he managed to escape and continue his terrible crimes. But eventually, he was caught in 1978 in Florida. Bundy famously ignored his lawyers and represented himself in court. Yet his plan didn’t work as he was sentenced to death multiple times for three murders and three attempts. Bundy later confessed to 30 killings. So far, 20 have been confirmed. In 1989, capital punishment was enacted on Bundy.

#1: Jeffrey Dahmer

In 1991, a partially handcuffed Tracy Edwards got the attention of police officers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He told them he had been held captive and was threatened by someone who had offered him money to model for him. The cops followed Edwards to the apartment, where they found Jeffrey Dahmer within. As the officers investigated, they discovered photographic evidence of horrific crimes and even human remains stashed. Dahmer was quickly arrested and confessed to a litany of crimes as further grim evidence was found. In 1992, the Milwaukee Monster received 16 life imprisonment sentences for taking the lives of 16 people in Wisconsin and Ohio. Then, in 1994, Dahmer and convicted killer Jesse Anderson were fatally attacked by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.

Which killer was the most heinous? Let us know in the comments.