10 Serial Killers Who Hunted Sex Workers

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today well be discussing some of the horrific true crime cases where the victims were singled out due to their working in the sex trade.

The New Bedford Highway Killer

Criminologists and other experts have come up with varying hypotheses regarding exactly why those in the sex trade are often targeted by serial killers. Some claim the demonization of this oldest profession as one reason, while others point to either laissez-faire police procedure or the victims ease of access and anonymity. No one at the time of this writing has been brought to justice for the highway killings that shocked areas near New Bedford, Massachusetts back in the late eighties. Ten official victims have been attributed to the New Bedford Highway Killer, women who all either worked in the sex industry or battled substance use disorder.

The Butcher Baker

Its unclear as to why so many news outlets and members of the media choose to attach monikers such as The Butcher Baker to killers like Robert Hansen. The mans otherwise unassuming name doesnt exactly bring to mind the shocking brutality of his crimes. Yet Hansen was allegedly responsible for attacking at least seventeen women in the area of Anchorage, Alaska during a ten-plus year rampage. Many of his victims were involved in sex work. His nickname of The Butcher Baker was connected to a family confectionery business, but Hansens methods of execution were anything but sweet. He would often drag out the process, taking his victims to remote locations, before releasing them into the wildwhere they would be hunted by Hansen.

Dr. No

There should be no confusing the very real-life case of this notorious Ohio serial killer to the fictional James Bond villain of the same name. Theres also some additional confusion with regards to whether or not Samuel Leggs 2019 arrest on unrelated murder charges might just connect the latter to Ohios unsolved Dr. No murders from the 1980s. These killings focused upon runaways, hitchhikers and truck stop sex workers, professionals that would then be abducted and strangled off-site. Legg was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial in 2023, and it remains to be seen whether or not any closure will be brought to these cold cases.

The Sunset Strip Killers

The grisly details that can be taken away from The Sunset Strip Murder read like something out of a horror or exploitation movie. Doug Clark and his lover Carol Mary Bundy let their own sexual fantasies evolve into real-world thrill killings. These were usually at the expense of sex workers, whose remains would often be defiled and debased by both Clark and Bundy. Moreover, some of the victims had their heads removed and stored by the couple in their home. They even applied makeup to the head of one victim, Exxie Wilson, before bringing it home as a part of the pairs sick and twisted crimes.

David Smith

It was the Criminal Justice Act of 2003 that allowed British killer David Smith to be retried in 2023 for the 1993 murder of a sex worker named Sarah Crump. This second time proved to be the charm with regards to achieving a guilty verdict, but it tragically was NOT the only time Smith would be convicted of killing other workers in this industry. Smith was found guilty in 1999 for a similarly brutal and brazen murder, specifically that of Amanda Walker. Hes currently incarcerated and serving a life sentence, although the possibility of parole does come up after twenty-seven years have been served.

The Yorkshire Ripper

He was born Peter Sutcliffe but is perhaps better known by his moniker of The Yorkshire Ripper. This was a prolific British serial killer who targeted women and young girls. Some, but not all, of his victims worked in the sex trade, and Sutcliffe was allegedly said to have heard voices that led him to commit these crimes. The Yorkshire Ripper prowled both Manchester and West Yorkshire during the mid and late 1970s, terrorizing the surrounding area for over five years. Sutcliffe was violent, unpredictable and extremely dangerousbut he wasnt unstoppable. The Yorkshire Ripper was caught in 1981, and sentenced to life imprisonment with twenty concurrent sentences, eventually dying in custody on November 13th, 2020.

The Grim Sleeper

Its unusual for the activities of a serial killer such as Lonnie Franklin to be so sparse and spread out over time. Yet the 14-year gap during which he was inactive led the press to dub Franklin The Grim Sleeper. Including that gap, his spree stretched from 1981 to 2007. A Los Angeles police investigation into early 80s sex worker slayings would eventually arrive at Franklin as a suspect. He was accused of being responsible for some, but not all, of the murders. Franklins was convicted on all counts, and The Grim Sleeper was officially sentenced to death. However, his lifeless body would be found in his cell before this sentence could be carried out. The cause of death remains unreleased.

The Green River Killer

He was one of the most prolific serial murderers in United States history. The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, was also perhaps one of the most unrepentant of his kind, an opportunist that preyed upon those in states of desperation and destitution. Ridgway possessed an obsession with sex workers that vacillated between disgust for their profession and a lust for their services. Yet The Green River Killer also allegedly held fast to his religious beliefs, resulting in an internal battle that seemed to rage constantly within him. Ridgways methodology was anything but swift, killing runaways and hitchhikers in a manner that helped draft The Green River Killer into the annals of sick serial killer infamy.

Jeffrey Dahmer

The victims of Jeffrey Dahmer all retained a certain body type that seemed to attract the Milwaukee-based serial killer. Some of Dahmers victims also worked in the sex industry, although this wasnt specifically what drew the killer to stalk his prey. The backstories of Dahmers victims did allegedly influence the police investigation, however, a combination of ethnicity, sexuality and occupation that resulted in a lot of clues slipping through the cracks. Jeffrey Dahmer was given no less than sixteen life sentences for his actions, but the killer barely served three years before he was murdered by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, on November 28th, 1994.

Jack the Ripper

The complete lack of solid answers continues to haunt historians who have studied the case of Jack the Ripper. This killers true identity might not ever be known, but what is known is that he seemed to actively seek out victims from the sex trade. Jack the Rippers methodology was clinically precise but callous and deranged. He also sent taunting letters to investigators, missives with a perverse sense of pride about The Rippers brutality. This ghost of eternal evil unfortunately lives on within the minds of many true crime enthusiasts. But perhaps we should focus more upon those that were victimized by Jack the Ripper, rather than mythologizing a ruthless killer.

What are your thoughts about our collective true crime obsession? How does it affect us and what does it say about us as consumers of media? Let us know in the comments!