10 Disturbing Serial Killer Rituals
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Holly Hoyt
These serial killer rituals will deeply disturb you. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most frightening patterns of behavior we've seen in serial killers. Our countdown of disturbing serial killer rituals includes Israel Keyes' Extensive Preparation, Karl Denke's Dark Cravings, Ed Gein's "Crafts", and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at the most frightening patterns of behavior weve seen in serial killers.
Israel Keyes[a]' Extensive Preparation
This homeschooled boy from Utah grew up to be a notoriously structured and methodical killer. Prior to his 2012 arrest, Keyes terrorized random citizens around the country, committing atrocities such as arson, robbery, and assault. In addition to a number of unconfirmed victims, Keyes is confirmed to have murdered on two separate occasions. First, he used a pre-prepared murder kit full of deadly paraphernalia to butcher a couple in Vermont. The following year, he killed an 18-year-old girl in Alaska and left her body in a shed for a week while he went on a cruise. When he returned, he put makeup on her corpse and posed it for ransom photos. It doesnt get much more cold-blooded than that.
The Boston Strangler's Stockings
The case of this string of homicides, which bedeviled Boston in the early 1960s, has yet to be officially solved. The perpetrator is widely thought to be a man named Albert DeSalvo, but others believe that multiple people were behind the gruesome events. Whoever did commit the murders had some bizarre preoccupations namely, with womens hosiery. After gaining entry into their homes, the Strangler asphyxiated his targets with their own stockings (as well as scarves, pillowcases, and other items) before tying the ligatures into an elaborate bow around their necks. This grotesque signature served as a chilling and decorative calling card.
Andrei Chikatilo's Teaching Career
Before becoming the so-called Butcher of Rostov," Chikatilo was a teacher in his native Soviet Union. He was eventually fired from the position after he assaulted multiple girls. As if this behavior wasnt despicable enough, Chikatilo went on to develop a double life as a serial murderer, with his first kill taking place in 1978. Chikatilos modus operandi involved luring children and susceptible women to isolated locations, like forests or train stations, with the promise of money, chewing gum, or other prizes. After he killed his victims, he often mutilated parts of their bodies, even sometimes using his teeth. It was a particularly disturbing calling card.
Alexander Pichushkin[b]'s Hospitality
The "Chessboard Killer" was responsible for the deaths of at least forty-nine people between 1992 and 2006. As the moniker suggests, Pichushkin had a passion for chess, but not just for playing the game; he apparently wanted to kill sixty-four people, as if to fill all the spaces on a chessboard. To reach this twisted objective, he would invite visitors of Bitsa Park in Moscow to take a stroll and share a drink. From there, Pichushkin would strike them in the head with a blunt object, frequently leaving his mark by shoving sticks or vodka bottles into their skulls. Although Pichushkin didnt meet his quota, he certainly made a name for himself as one of Russias most heartless criminals.
Karl Denke[c]'s Dark Cravings
Denke took the term predator to new extremes. He was well-liked in his small Prussian community, where he worked as a church organist and operated a shop that sold meat and leather. But little did his neighbors suspect the true origin of his wares. Beginning in 1903, Denke (or Papa, as the townsfolk called him) bludgeoned at least thirty people to death before processing the flesh into preserved meats, as well as belts, shoelaces, and more. Hes frequently called The Forgotten Cannibal due to the fact that he received very little media attention. Were not sure why he isnt better-known, but perhaps its because the story of a butcher selling human remains is one most would rather not remember.
Keith Hunter Jesperson[d]'s Happy Faces
This Canadian-born truck driver not only killed at least eight American women, but managed to sully one of the most wholesome images ever created while doing it. Jesperson went after vulnerable individuals like sex workers or transients, securing them in his vehicle before strangling and, in many cases, assaulting them. He later wrote a confession on a truck stop bathroom wall, as well as various letters detailing the nature of his crimes. He signed all of these with the popular smiley icon. Jespersons use of the happy face became a sinister trademark, revealing his pleasure in his bloodshed and his desire for attention.
Ted Bundy's Deceit
Bundy is often thought of as the quintessential serial killer. And this isnt just due to the brutality of his carnage; its also because of his ability to lie seamlessly and gain young womens trust. Bundy would use his charm and good looks to appear friendly, frequently feigning injury by wearing a sling or cast and or pretending to need help. Hed exploit his preys empathy to lure them into his car, where hed proceed to savagely take their lives. Often, Bundy would revisit the crime scenes to lets say interact with the decomposing bodies. This master manipulator planned and calculated every step of his crimes, causing many to consider him the most organized killer in history.
Jeffrey Dahmer's "Memorials"
Dahmer is a name even the most casual true crime fans have heard, and its clear why: few killers have matched his level of sociopathy. He would strangle those he caught in his trap and meticulously dismember their bodies. But as callous as Dahmer was, he actually held his victims in a strangely high regard like a hunter and his trophies. He preserved skulls, bones, and other body parts, often bleaching or painting them, and arranged them in his apartment as a way to relive his crimes. His ultimate goal was to create an altar of skulls: a shrine to his macabre desires.
Ed Gein's "Crafts"
This lonely grave robber had an interesting way of expressing his creativity. Also known as the Butcher of Plainfield and the Plainfield Ghoul, Gein murdered two middle-aged women and exhumed various corpses, creating dark trinkets out of their remains. When police arrived at the scene of Geins crimes, they found some truly nightmarish things from lampshades made of human skin to decorations made of skulls. Geins obsession with his mother adds another layer of horrifying to his story. His gruesome deeds have inspired several fictional villains, including Norman Bates from Psycho and Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.
Jack the Ripper's M.O.
Its likely that this Victorian-era case will remain a mystery for years to come. But the Rippers obsession with mutilation links at least five victims together. In each of these cases, those murdered all of whom were impoverished sex workers were savagely butchered, with their organs missing or haphazardly strewn about the scene. Investigators received four cryptic, taunting letters from someone claiming to be the killer. One of these notes came with a severed ear, and another with a human kidney. Saucy Jackys visceral murders, as well as his talent for evading capture, cement him as one the most diabolical real-life villains in history.
Which of these rituals do you find the most bizarre? Lets discuss in the comments.
Israel Keyes[a]' Extensive Preparation
This homeschooled boy from Utah grew up to be a notoriously structured and methodical killer. Prior to his 2012 arrest, Keyes terrorized random citizens around the country, committing atrocities such as arson, robbery, and assault. In addition to a number of unconfirmed victims, Keyes is confirmed to have murdered on two separate occasions. First, he used a pre-prepared murder kit full of deadly paraphernalia to butcher a couple in Vermont. The following year, he killed an 18-year-old girl in Alaska and left her body in a shed for a week while he went on a cruise. When he returned, he put makeup on her corpse and posed it for ransom photos. It doesnt get much more cold-blooded than that.
The Boston Strangler's Stockings
The case of this string of homicides, which bedeviled Boston in the early 1960s, has yet to be officially solved. The perpetrator is widely thought to be a man named Albert DeSalvo, but others believe that multiple people were behind the gruesome events. Whoever did commit the murders had some bizarre preoccupations namely, with womens hosiery. After gaining entry into their homes, the Strangler asphyxiated his targets with their own stockings (as well as scarves, pillowcases, and other items) before tying the ligatures into an elaborate bow around their necks. This grotesque signature served as a chilling and decorative calling card.
Andrei Chikatilo's Teaching Career
Before becoming the so-called Butcher of Rostov," Chikatilo was a teacher in his native Soviet Union. He was eventually fired from the position after he assaulted multiple girls. As if this behavior wasnt despicable enough, Chikatilo went on to develop a double life as a serial murderer, with his first kill taking place in 1978. Chikatilos modus operandi involved luring children and susceptible women to isolated locations, like forests or train stations, with the promise of money, chewing gum, or other prizes. After he killed his victims, he often mutilated parts of their bodies, even sometimes using his teeth. It was a particularly disturbing calling card.
Alexander Pichushkin[b]'s Hospitality
The "Chessboard Killer" was responsible for the deaths of at least forty-nine people between 1992 and 2006. As the moniker suggests, Pichushkin had a passion for chess, but not just for playing the game; he apparently wanted to kill sixty-four people, as if to fill all the spaces on a chessboard. To reach this twisted objective, he would invite visitors of Bitsa Park in Moscow to take a stroll and share a drink. From there, Pichushkin would strike them in the head with a blunt object, frequently leaving his mark by shoving sticks or vodka bottles into their skulls. Although Pichushkin didnt meet his quota, he certainly made a name for himself as one of Russias most heartless criminals.
Karl Denke[c]'s Dark Cravings
Denke took the term predator to new extremes. He was well-liked in his small Prussian community, where he worked as a church organist and operated a shop that sold meat and leather. But little did his neighbors suspect the true origin of his wares. Beginning in 1903, Denke (or Papa, as the townsfolk called him) bludgeoned at least thirty people to death before processing the flesh into preserved meats, as well as belts, shoelaces, and more. Hes frequently called The Forgotten Cannibal due to the fact that he received very little media attention. Were not sure why he isnt better-known, but perhaps its because the story of a butcher selling human remains is one most would rather not remember.
Keith Hunter Jesperson[d]'s Happy Faces
This Canadian-born truck driver not only killed at least eight American women, but managed to sully one of the most wholesome images ever created while doing it. Jesperson went after vulnerable individuals like sex workers or transients, securing them in his vehicle before strangling and, in many cases, assaulting them. He later wrote a confession on a truck stop bathroom wall, as well as various letters detailing the nature of his crimes. He signed all of these with the popular smiley icon. Jespersons use of the happy face became a sinister trademark, revealing his pleasure in his bloodshed and his desire for attention.
Ted Bundy's Deceit
Bundy is often thought of as the quintessential serial killer. And this isnt just due to the brutality of his carnage; its also because of his ability to lie seamlessly and gain young womens trust. Bundy would use his charm and good looks to appear friendly, frequently feigning injury by wearing a sling or cast and or pretending to need help. Hed exploit his preys empathy to lure them into his car, where hed proceed to savagely take their lives. Often, Bundy would revisit the crime scenes to lets say interact with the decomposing bodies. This master manipulator planned and calculated every step of his crimes, causing many to consider him the most organized killer in history.
Jeffrey Dahmer's "Memorials"
Dahmer is a name even the most casual true crime fans have heard, and its clear why: few killers have matched his level of sociopathy. He would strangle those he caught in his trap and meticulously dismember their bodies. But as callous as Dahmer was, he actually held his victims in a strangely high regard like a hunter and his trophies. He preserved skulls, bones, and other body parts, often bleaching or painting them, and arranged them in his apartment as a way to relive his crimes. His ultimate goal was to create an altar of skulls: a shrine to his macabre desires.
Ed Gein's "Crafts"
This lonely grave robber had an interesting way of expressing his creativity. Also known as the Butcher of Plainfield and the Plainfield Ghoul, Gein murdered two middle-aged women and exhumed various corpses, creating dark trinkets out of their remains. When police arrived at the scene of Geins crimes, they found some truly nightmarish things from lampshades made of human skin to decorations made of skulls. Geins obsession with his mother adds another layer of horrifying to his story. His gruesome deeds have inspired several fictional villains, including Norman Bates from Psycho and Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.
Jack the Ripper's M.O.
Its likely that this Victorian-era case will remain a mystery for years to come. But the Rippers obsession with mutilation links at least five victims together. In each of these cases, those murdered all of whom were impoverished sex workers were savagely butchered, with their organs missing or haphazardly strewn about the scene. Investigators received four cryptic, taunting letters from someone claiming to be the killer. One of these notes came with a severed ear, and another with a human kidney. Saucy Jackys visceral murders, as well as his talent for evading capture, cement him as one the most diabolical real-life villains in history.
Which of these rituals do you find the most bizarre? Lets discuss in the comments.
