What's your favorite serial killer?

[Maddy McCall]

I don't like BTK. It makes me think about BLT, and then I get hungry.

[soleft]

1. I was just reading about BTK

I'm writing a story involving a seriel killer so I've been doing research. I was reading this one book, and every so often I'd just have to skip over some sections because it got so dark. Obviously they've been in the pop culture going on 30 years now, and even tho I've seen Silence of the Lambs and watched TV docs about Dahmer and Son of Sam, it's so hard to believe what humans are capable of doing to other humans.

As for my favorite - maybe Ed Gein, because he was the inspiration for the original Psycho - AND - he only killed a few victims. Most of the skin he used to upholster his living room came from people already deceased.

[undeterred]

5. I know someone whose sister was murdered by a serial killer

named Ralph Andrews, although he never gained much notoriety. I wouldn't exactly call him a "favorite" but there are parts of the story leading to his apprehension that would make an excellent book or movie and no one, to my knowledge, has ever written about him. PM me if you're interested.

[Maddy McCall]

8. Hi, undeterred.

This was a copycat of "What's your favorite cereal?" thread...

I didn't expect it to get any responses...

I don't have a favorite, so to speak, but I do think some serial killer stories are, well--what's the word I'm looking for? Intriguing, maybe?

Just wanted to clear that up. :)

[undeterred]

13. Oops, didn't get that at all.

Although I knew the one about the serial port was a copycat...

[Maddy McCall]

16. It was a lame copycat...

Sorry. :(

But I'm hearing names of serial killers that I've never heard of, so I guess that it's turned out to at least be a little educational for me.

[undeterred]

20. Well anyway

the person who murdered my friends sister was finally caught for killing someone else and put away for that. Then he bragged about some other murders in jail. He knew he would never get out of prison, but he was the kind of prisoner who would "mentor" other prisoners and he was telling people how to get away with murder. So they sent someone in to the prison undercover for 5 months to build a relationship with him and get a full confession on tape, which he did. Now that is pretty amazing. I think it would make an excellent book or movie.

And what dedication for a detective to be willing to do something like that.

[Maddy McCall]

21. Oh my god.

What a story. I'm an historian...I'd love to write about a topic like that! No one's written about it?

When did this happen? No one has written about it? Whoa. The investigator who spent 5 months in prison with the guy would be an AWESOME interview subject.

And I'm very sorry that your friend lost her sister--it must be a tough thing to live with. :(

[undeterred]

25. No one to my knowledge has written about it.

Susan Clarke was murdered by Ralph Andrews on the north side of Chicago in 1977 at age 16. Before DNA evidence was what it is today. He was caught for another murder around 1991 and put in prison. I think he was finally given a life sentence for Susan's murder in 2003, more than 25 years after her death. The killer died in prison about a year ago. Her death got huge coverage when it happened and he was associated with the disappearance with several women in the seventies who have never been found. But to my knowledge, no one has ever put the whole story together into a book, and he died with most of his secrets. Only prosecuted for 2, but suspected in many many more.

[Maddy McCall]

26. What a story...

since it's so recent, there should be an avalanche of sources, including people involved in the case.

Someone should definitely write about it. I can't believe that there's nothing out there--some true-crime author ought to pick it up.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. I've always been interested in the Zodiac.

[Phillycat]

4. Did you see the movie? How was it?

[ghostsofgiants]

9. I haven't seen it yet.

[Maddy McCall]

11. I think I'm going to go see it Friday matinee...

when the theatre will be kinda empty. My kid is begging me to take him with me...but that's a no can do.

[Kerrytravelers]

35. The film was excellent as it was sticking to the actual events and not making up a bunch of shit.

It was really compelling and showed how frustrating it is to not catch the bad guy.

There is one guy on the internet who runs a Zodiac website who goes off on the fact that he has all the police records and that the movie is false and blah blah blah, but really, does it make any sense that one guy possesses all the police info even though the police were very integral in the writing of Graysmith's books? Of course not. The film was written based on the Graysmith book and all the police records over the years. It was extremely compelling.

And let's face it, there is some beautiful eye candy in that film. I'm a Gyllenholic!

[ghostsofgiants]

39. Cool.

I'm a fan of the director, David Fincher, so i was expecting it to be pretty good.

[skygazer]

3. Jack the Ripper

Victorian England, London fog, prostitution and questionable neighborhoods and an unknown killer. What's not to like?

[unpossibles]

14. same here. n/t

[Little Wing]

18. umm, women getting sliced to pieces and having their guts turned into draperies

:shrug:

[skygazer]

33. Well, it was poorly stated, I'll admit

I have no sympathies for serial killers (or killers in general, for that matter) - my comment was in regards to the story itself which is fascinating.

[myrna minx]

22. Saucy Jack has always fascinated me.

http://www.casebook.org/
This is an excellent site for Ripperologists.

[LSK]

6. while I wouldnt use the word "favorite"..

Gacy lived a couple blocks from where my Aunt currently lives.

[Wapsie B]

7. Aileen Wournos story fascinated me

when her story was shown on TV. Never did see the movie about her though. I should rent that.

[Maddy McCall]

10. I saw it. I thought Charlise Theron played her perfectly...

The movie actually made me pity Wuornos. It's a terrible story--she hard a horrible childhood and, really, she never had a chance.

If you have a chance, watch the movie. It's worth the rental fee and the time.

[KitchenWitch]

41. I second the recommendation

Just be aware that you may feel pretty raw for awhile after viewing it.

[LeftyMom]

12. I met Dorthea Puente a few times, as she was an aquaintance of the family.

She's very rare in that there aren't a lot of female serial killers, and definitely locally notable.

Hers is the only case I've ever gone out of my way to read about.

[Maddy McCall]

15. I've never heard of her.

I'll have to check out crimelibrary.com and see if she's there.

Creepy! that she was a family aquaintance.

[LeftyMom]

19. She used to collect her elderly boarders from the bar where my parents worked.

As they sometimes brought me in to work when the sitter would flake, I met her a few times back when I was a toddler. She and my mother would talk about gardening, as they were both enthusiasts, and she'd bring my mother cuttings.

Turns out she was bumping off the boarders and burying them in the yard so she could keep cashing their social security checks.

Nobody really thinks of tiny little old ladies that way.

[Kerrytravelers]

36. OMG! I totally remember her! She is in Northern California, right?

I grew up not far from her.

[LeftyMom]

40. Right here in Sacramento.

[MonkeyFunk]

17. I have a special fondness

for Son of Sam - David Berkowitz.

He was world-class nuts.

[Maddy McCall]

23. Yeah...

didn't he claim that the dog told him to kill, or some such stuff?

Ok...I'm off to buy Borat, on your suggestion. :D

[dr.strangelove]

32. David Berkowitz was just the fall guy

the cult that really did the Son of Sam killings is still out there.

[Maddy McCall]

24. This thread has 23 responses and in the view column, 1.

Now isn't THAT special. :)

[Left Is Write]

27. I am most fascinated by Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz.

[Maddy McCall]

29. Bundy was a handsome, professional-looking guy...

I can see why the girls fell victim to him...he's not the "type" that one would imagine would be a serial killer.

He proves that there is no phenotypical type of serial killer.

[merh]

37. bundy was a republican

and considered running for office, what a shock (not).

[GOPisEvil]

28. John Wayne Gacy.

That's an early memory of mine. We were living in IL at the time, and I just remember the news reports of all the bodies coming out of his crawl space. :(

[Maddy McCall]

30. Thanks to him, I hate clowns.

:scared:

[dr.strangelove]

31. Dayton Leroy Rogers

I was involved as a young lawyer in this case. His fame never extended much beyond the pacific northwest, but he was a terrible killer regardless of his lack of national fame.

[merh]

34. I never thought about it.

:freak:

I'm a pacifist, blood sports aren't my thing. :eyes:

:hi:

[Kerrytravelers]

38. Does George Bush count? I guess he's more of a mass murderer than a serial killer.

Death surrounds him.