10 Worst Criminals That Were Released

10 Worst Criminals That Were Released

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the 10 Worst Criminals That Were Released.

For this list, we’ll be examining the most heinous offenders and lawbreakers who were released from confinement, even if they've since been imprisoned again.

What do you think of these stories? Let us know in the comments below!

Wolfgang Abel & Marco Furlan

The crimes of this serial killer duo spanned multiple years and European countries. From 1977 to 1984, Abel and Furlan – aka Ludwig – allegedly killed between 10 and 28 people across the continent. The two had a penchant for setting fires and were known to leave fascist-themed leaflets at the site of their crimes. Their spree ended in northern Italy when they failed to set fire to a disco. Both were imprisoned, despite reportedly claiming that they were innocent fall guys. Abel and Furlan were given lengthy sentences, but they’ve each since been released and, as of 2023, are free.

Somkid Pumpuang

A Thai serial killer, Somkid Pumpuang murdered five women throughout the first half of 2005. Between January and June of that year, Pumpuang traveled throughout the country and took the lives of café singers and masseuses. He was eventually apprehended in the northeastern town of Chaiyaphum, and later given life in prison. However, his behavior while imprisoned was reportedly very good, and his sentence was commuted to thirteen years, ensuring his release in 2019. He was a free man for about seven months when he killed his girlfriend, Rassamee Mulichan. Pumpuang was again arrested and received a death sentence.

Louis van Schoor

Hailing from South Africa, Louis van Schoor is also known as the Apartheid Killer. Apartheid was a form of racial segregation that occurred in South Africa from the late 1940s to the early ‘90s. This system segregated Black Africans and ensured that the smaller white population held much of the power. Van Schoor worked as a security guard during this time and used his position to kill many Black and mixed race individuals. He was apprehended once Apartheid ended, and imprisoned for two attempted murders and seven deaths. Unfortunately, the true number of fatalities he caused may be around 100. He was in prison for just 12 years, being released in 2004.

Nikolai Dzhumagaliev

Soviet serial killer Nikolai Dzhumagaliev has been in and out of institutions. He was working as a firefighter in what is now Kazakhstan when he committed his first crime, before continuing to take people's’ lives throughout 1979. One of these incidents had him placed in Russia’s Serbsky Center, a psychiatric hospital where he received a schizophrenia diagnosis. He was there for under a year, eventually being released as a free man. However, he ended up continuing to kill. Dzhumagaliev was arrested in December of 1980 and again placed in a psychiatric facility, but he proceeded to escape in 1989. He was caught once more in 1991 and has remained at a mental health hospital ever since.

David McGreavy

Known by names like the Monster of Worcester and the Real Friday the 13th Killer, David McGreavy committed a heinous crime on April 13, 1973. About one year before this, he started staying with his friend Clive Ralph and Ralph’s family. McGreavy often babysat the couple’s children as they worked. On the night of April 13, he took the lives of Paul, Dawn, and Samantha Ralph when their parents were out of the house. He was sentenced to life in prison and spent roughly 45 years inside. Despite being mistreated by fellow inmates, McGreavy was said to be a model prisoner and had reportedly changed his behavior. As such, he was released on parole in 2018.

Karla Homolka

This is one of the most notorious names in Canadian history. On two separate occasions in the early ‘90s, Karla Homolka and her then-husband Paul Bernardo took girls off the streets of Ontario and killed them. The victims’ names were Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French. Prior to this, Homolka and Bernardo had severely mistreated and indirectly killed Homolka’s younger sister, Tammy. After they were caught, Homolka downplayed her involvement in the murders, claiming that she was a victim of coercion and abuse. However, evidence reportedly proved she was lying. Nevertheless, she was given a lenient sentence, and testified against Bernardo. She was charged with manslaughter and spent twelve years in prison before being released in 2005.

Lainz Angels of Death

We're referring to four nurse’s aides who worked with vulnerable patients in Vienna. Waltraud Wagner, Maria Gruber, and Irene Leidolf were all rather young, their ages spanning from 19 to 23. The fourth member was Stephanija Meyer, who was 43. It started when Wenger took a patient’s life, and, liking the way it made her feel, got the others to join her in continuing. They would fatally harm an undetermined number of victims throughout much of the 1980s. They admitted to 49 killings, though the true count is possibly much higher. Wagner and Leidolf were given life sentences, Meyer twenty years, and Gruber fifteen. The latter two got out first, and both Wagner and Leidolf were later freed on “good behavior.”

Charlene Gallego

A couple from California, Gerald and Charlene Gallego caused severe harm in the general Sacramento area between 1978 and 1980. Gerald had a bad history. His father was executed for taking a cop’s life, and he himself had built quite a criminal record by the time he started killing with Charlene. Dubbed the Love Slave Killers, the couple took ten lives and were known to exploit their victims. Charlene, however, was given a lesser sentence in exchange for testifying against her partner. She did so and received just under seventeen years in prison, getting out in 1997. Gerald was given a death sentence, but ultimately passed away due to illness.

Arnfinn Nesset

Norwegian nurse Arnfinn Nesset was hired to manage a long-term care home in the municipality of Orkdal. Some time after his tenure began, many patients started dying under mysterious circumstances. It was enough to draw the attention of the police, who proceeded to look into Nesset. They found their man - he admitted to killing 27 patients using a paralytic medication called suxamethonium chloride. As with many cases on this list, there may have actually been far more fatalities. Despite retracting his confession, he was found guilty and given a 21-year prison sentence, though he was only incarcerated for twelve of them. Rumor has it he’s now living anonymously.

Pedro López

Also known as the Monster of the Andes, Pedro López is one of the worst criminals in history. 110 victims have been officially attributed to him, but the real number may be well over 300. He was eventually apprehended after a failed kidnapping in 1980, and when questioned about his motive, he essentially professed that he wanted to steal childhood innocence. The highest penalty for homicide in Ecuador back then was sixteen years, so this is what López received. He was eventually freed and deported to Colombia. There, he spent further time in a psychiatric care facility, but was let out in 1998. Authorities are now after López for a different murder. As of 2023, he remains uncaptured.