So before starting I want to say that what I write about is just my pure interest because in the future I want to become a profilerer or a police officer. Now let's start.
Who are the most famous serial killers?
Modern criminology began to deal with it in a systematic way starting from the 1970s, with the criminal profiling introduced by Johan Douglas and Robert Ressler, a precious work, which allows us today to understand the human psyche like never before.
We must first consider the aspect linked to the nationality of those who ask this question. In fact, the most famous serial killers for an American are probably not the same as those for a Chinese, an African or a Russian.
Then there is the temporal aspect. Does it make sense to compare serial killers who lived before the 20th century with those who acted in the 20th and 21st centuries?
Furthermore, even if the definition of serial killer is known by many and is clear and exhaustive, in a search for the "most famous serial killer" one should perhaps also consider the "perception" of a serial killer by the general public. There are those who think, for example, that the most famous serial killer is Adolf Hitler, not surprisingly a figure admired by numerous serial killers.
Who are the most famous serial killers?
Modern criminology began to deal with it in a systematic way starting from the 1970s, with the criminal profiling introduced by Johan Douglas and Robert Ressler, a precious work, which allows us today to understand the human psyche like never before.
We must first consider the aspect linked to the nationality of those who ask this question. In fact, the most famous serial killers for an American are probably not the same as those for a Chinese, an African or a Russian.
Then there is the temporal aspect. Does it make sense to compare serial killers who lived before the 20th century with those who acted in the 20th and 21st centuries?
Furthermore, even if the definition of serial killer is known by many and is clear and exhaustive, in a search for the "most famous serial killer" one should perhaps also consider the "perception" of a serial killer by the general public. There are those who think, for example, that the most famous serial killer is Adolf Hitler, not surprisingly a figure admired by numerous serial killers.
Last question: how can we measure the "fame" of a serial killer?
From all these considerations it is clear that it is not possible to create a ranking of the most famous serial killers that satisfies everyone and has a "concrete" value.
In creating one we must first of all define the values for the various aspects listed above. In other words, we must arrive at defining a perimeter within which to move and go and make our choices.
For the ranking we have traced the following perimeter. We went to make our choices among the serial killers who really existed, who have killed over the last 100 years, and who have lived in the so-called Western Civilization, or that vast economic-cultural area that includes Europe, the Americas but also countries with similar characteristics such as Australia and New Zealand.
POSITION 10
Theodore Kaczynski
nickname: Unabomber
nationality: USA
victims: 3
period of activity: late 70s, 80s, 90s
POSITION 9
Richard Ramirez
nickname: The Night Stalker
nationality: USA
victims: 13
period of activity: mid-years 1980s
From all these considerations it is clear that it is not possible to create a ranking of the most famous serial killers that satisfies everyone and has a "concrete" value.
In creating one we must first of all define the values for the various aspects listed above. In other words, we must arrive at defining a perimeter within which to move and go and make our choices.
For the ranking we have traced the following perimeter. We went to make our choices among the serial killers who really existed, who have killed over the last 100 years, and who have lived in the so-called Western Civilization, or that vast economic-cultural area that includes Europe, the Americas but also countries with similar characteristics such as Australia and New Zealand.
POSITION 10
Theodore Kaczynski
nickname: Unabomber
nationality: USA
victims: 3
period of activity: late 70s, 80s, 90s
POSITION 9
Richard Ramirez
nickname: The Night Stalker
nationality: USA
victims: 13
period of activity: mid-years 1980s
POSITION 8
Dennis Rader
Nickname: BTK Killer
Nationality: USA
Victims: 10
Period of Operation: 1970s, 1980s, Early 1990s
POSITION 7
Gary Ridgway
nickname: The Green River Killer
nationality: USA
victims: 49
period of activity: 1980s and 1990s
POSITION 6
Aileen Wuornos
nickname: Highway Hooker
nationality: USA
victims: 7
period of activity: late 1980s
Stay tuned till next week for the Top5! I hope that for the people who were interested this was interesting, I hope I didn't traumatize you, so till next week.
Illustrations by Leo