50 Serial Killers in 50 States of America | Part 2

50 Serial Killers in 50 States (Part 2)

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re exploring the second part of our series on the most notorious serial killers for each US state. For this video, we’ll be focusing on killers who committed their crimes within the state’s borders.

Montana: Ted Kaczynski

From 1978 to 1995, no one was safe in the US as the Unabomber was sending explosive packages across the country. During that time, 23 people were injured, and three were killed. In 1995, the Unabomber contacted the media to make a deal. If the companies published their manifesto, which focused on anti-industrialization, they would stop their reign of terror. The media agreed. However, this led David Kaczynski to realize his brother, Ted, was responsible. The FBI was soon tipped off and found him in a remote Montana cabin where he’d isolated himself from society for years. In 1998, after pleading guilty, Ted was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2023, he took his own life in jail after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

Nebraska: Keith Hunter Jesperson

After moving from Canada to the US, Jesperson became a truck driver. However, in 1990, he took his first life in Oregon. Afterwards, Jesperson signed a confession in a truck shop with a smiley face, earning him the nickname of the “Smiley Face Killer.” Altogether, from 1990 to 1995, he took the lives of eight known victims across several states, including Angela Subrize, whose body was found in Nebraska. However, Jesperson did once claim to have taken around 160 lives. Believing he was set to be arrested following questioning for a murder in Washington, Jesperson handed himself in to the police in 1995. Over the years, Jesperson has been sentenced for multiple murders, earning him several life sentences.

Nevada: Gerald & Charlene Gallego

Using the Interstate 80 freeway as a hunting ground, killer couple Gerald and Charlene Gallego took at least ten lives across California, Nevada, and Oregon between 1978 and 1980. Typically, Charlene would approach potential victims and lure them to the couple’s vehicle, where they’d be attacked by Gerald. In 1980, several weeks after being spotted abducting Mary Sowers and Craig Miller in California and going on the run, the Gallegos were arrested. Shortly after giving birth to their child, due to a plea bargain, Charlene confessed and testified against her husband. While she was sentenced to sixteen years and eight months in prison, Gerald was handed multiple death sentences in California and Nevada. However, before that could be enacted, Gerald passed away in 2002.

New Hampshire: Terry Peder Rasmussen

In 1985, two bodies were found in Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. In 2000, two more bodies were located nearby. For a long time, the authorities were unable to confirm their identities. However, starting in 2014, DNA testing would solve the mystery. The investigation then connected Denise Beaudin’s 1981 disappearance from New Hampshire to the Bear Brook murders. Beaudin had vanished after leaving the state with her partner, Bob Evans. However, that was a pseudonym, as Evans was actually Rasmussen. He’d been convicted of a 2002 murder in California and had passed away in jail in 2010. Due to using fake names and travelling across the country, Rasmussen’s exact number of victims is unknown. However, it's speculated that it’s upwards of six.

New Jersey: Richard Cottingham

In 1980, staff at the Quality Inn in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, called the police after hearing a woman screaming from one of the rooms. When the officers arrived, they found Cottingham tormenting a victim. Following this, the cops investigated his home. Inside a secret room was a collection of items belonging to many victims. Known as the “Times Square Ripper,” since at least 1967, Cottingham had been taking lives in New York and New Jersey. Through a series of trials in the ‘80s, he was convicted of killing two in New Jersey and three in New York, earning several life sentences. However, Cottingham has confessed to further murders, taking his count to at least 16. Yet there’s speculation it could be much, much higher.

New Mexico: David Parker Ray

In 1999, after being abducted and tormented for days, Cynthia Vigil escaped from Ray’s trailer in Elephant Butte, New Mexico, and contacted the police. The investigation soon discovered other victims. They stated that Ray, with the occasional help of accomplices, such as his daughter or partner, would take them to his “Toy Box,” a soundproof trailer, and abuse them for days before releasing them. In 2001, after agreeing to a plea bargain, Ray was sentenced to 224 years. However, allegations emerged that Ray had also been taking lives, as evidenced by the large collection of mementoes he kept and claims from his daughter’s partner, Dennis Yancy, that he'd helped him. Yet before he could speak to the police, Ray died from natural causes in 2002.

New York: David Berkowitz

From 1975 to 1977, a series of murders and attacks had been plaguing New York City. As the police struggled to find the person responsible, they received a letter from the killer. Identifying himself as the “Son of Sam,” he promised to take more lives, and, sadly, he did. Not long after, a survivor’s story led the police to Berkowitz. The officers were especially interested to discover his neighbor was called Sam. Berkowitz confessed to taking six lives but claimed he was forced to do so by Sam’s demonic pet dog. However, deemed fit to stand trial, in 1978, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Later, Berkowitz admitted the demonic dog claim was a hoax.

North Carolina: Larry Gene Bell

From 1984 to 1985, multiple families had a member vanish in North and South Carolina. Shortly after, they began receiving phone calls and letters from the apparent killer, who taunted them and then gave them directions to find their bodies. However, this contact provided the police with evidence that led to Bell’s door. During the trial and aftermath, Bell made bizarre statements, such as claiming he was Jesus Christ, and smearing his bodily waste on himself, which led to speculation that he was faking mental health issues to get a lenient sentence. Regardless, Bell was convicted of two murders in South Carolina and was executed in 1996. In 2025, North Carolina police concluded he’d also killed Sandee Cornett in 1984.

North Dakota: Eugene Butler

In 1906, Butler, a reclusive resident in Niagara, North Dakota, began to show troubling behavior to his neighbors. During the night, he would ride his horse around his farm screaming, earning the nickname of the "Midnight Rider." This resulted in Butler being committed to a psychiatric hospital, where he remained until passing away in 1913. In 1915, Butler’s farm was being renovated after being inherited by relatives. This led to the discovery of a trapdoor near the property’s foundations that contained the bones of multiple bodies. It’s speculated that the victims were farmhands working for Butler. However, none of the bodies have been identified, which became even less likely when some of the bones were stolen shortly after being found, likely by souvenir hunters.

Ohio: Jeffrey Dahmer

In 1978, weeks after graduating high school in Ohio, Dahmer began his descent into infamy. After he’d been to a rock concert at Chippewa Lake Park, Steven Hicks was hitchhiking, resulting in Dahmer pulling over to pick him up. On the promise of having drinks, he drove Hicks to his childhood home. However, hours later, Dahmer took his life. He went further by scattering the remains around the property. Nine years later, in Wisconsin, Dahmer killed a second victim. After his arrest in 1991, he confessed to the police of taking more than 15 lives altogether in Ohio and Wisconsin. In 1994, while in jail after receiving 16 life sentences, Dahmer was murdered by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver.

Oklahoma: Sean Sellers

In 1986, Sellers, a juvenile in Oklahoma, got into an argument with his mom. After failing to poison her, Sellers used a firearm to take her life and his stepfather’s. It then emerged, according to his best friend Richard Howard, that Sellers had also murdered store clerk Robert Bower the year before. During the trial, Sellers spoke about his passion for Satanism. This led to the jury handing him the death penalty. During his stint in jail, Sellers converted to Christianity. In 1999, he claimed during his appeal that he had dissociative identity disorder. Regardless, the execution was set to go ahead. This, plus his age during the crimes, caused human rights groups to criticize the decision. Later that year, Sellers’s punishment was enacted.

Oregon: Gary Ridgway

From 1982 to at least 1998, the Green River Killer was prowling Washington and Oregon, taking the lives of many, many vulnerable women. From the start, the police suspected Ridgway of being responsible. However, they couldn’t prove it, especially as he passed a controversial polygraph test. In 2001, thanks to the advancement in technology, Ridgway’s DNA was matched to evidence from several bodies. During interrogation, he confessed to taking up to 71 lives. In 2003, after a plea deal, the killer was connected to various killings, earning him 48 consecutive life sentences. In 2011, Ridgway admitted to taking Rebecca Marrero’s life in 1982, bringing his count to 49 and turning him one of the US’s most prolific serial killers of all time.

Pennsylvania: Joseph Kallinger

Having already spent time in jail for being violent towards his family, earning him a diagnosis of schizophrenia, Kallinger took his juvenile son, Michael, on a crime spree through several states. In 1975, after taking a family in New Jersey hostage, Kallinger killed Maria Fasching. In 1976, he was sentenced to life. In 1983, after collaborating with Flora Rheta Schreiber, his book “The Shoemaker,” a nod to his past profession, was released. Within it, Kallinger, as well as admitting to Fasching’s murder, confessed to killing his other son, Joseph Jr., and a neighbor, Jose Collazo, who were found in abandoned buildings in Pennsylvania during 1974. As a result, Kallinger received two more life sentences before passing away in 1996.

Rhode Island: Craig Price

From 1987 to 1989, a series of terrifying robberies took place in Rhode Island. The culprit had brutally taken the lives of four, snapping the handles off the knives used in the process. Yet what made this even more shocking was the fact that these crimes were committed by a juvenile, Price. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Price was remorseless in what he’d done following his conviction. Tried as a minor, he stated he’d make “history” upon his release, which was scheduled to happen when he turned 21. This led to citizens' groups protesting against Price getting out. However, due to the violence he did inside, that didn’t happen. In 2019, Price was sentenced to 25 years to life after stabbing an inmate.

South Carolina: Henry Louis Wallace

Born and raised in South Carolina, Wallace would begin his descent into killing in his home state in 1990. Targeting Black women, he would rob, assault, and murder his victims. Wallace would then move to North Carolina and continue his rampage. Upon his arrest in 1994, he confessed to having taken just over 10 lives. According to allegations later, including from former officers, race played a role in the police paying less attention to the murder spree, leading to Wallace getting away for years. However, others have disputed this. In 1997, Wallace was found guilty of murder, earning him nine death sentences. Wallace has recanted his confessions and appealed his conviction, which has been rejected.

South Dakota: Michael Swango

In 1985, the prospective doctor was sentenced for non-fatally poisoning a colleague. After his release, Swango forged documents to secure himself work as a physician at a hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Yet his patients began perishing mysteriously. After being fired and continuing to use forged documents to find other medical work, an investigation into Swango started in 1994. However, he fled to Zimbabwe, finding employment there, as mysterious deaths and the police followed. Upon arriving in Chicago, Illinois, for a layover to a job in Saudi Arabia, Swango was arrested in 1997. After receiving a sentence for fraud in 2000, Swango pleaded guilty to four murders over several trials, earning multiple life sentences. However, there’s speculation he took 60 lives during his spree.

Tennessee: Samuel Little

In 2012, Little was arrested at a homeless shelter in Kentucky on substance charges. When his DNA was taken, the police were in for a shock as he began being connected to several murders across many states over decades, starting from at least 1970. While Little would be convicted of eight murders, receiving four life sentences, he’d go on to confess to taking over 90 lives. The FBI managed to confirm that at least 60 of these claims were true, making him possibly the most prolific serial killer in US history. His victims included Zena Marie Jones, who was found in Arkansas in 1990 after vanishing from Tennessee, and Martha Cunningham, whom he killed in 1975 in Tennessee. In 2020, Little passed away in jail.

Texas: Dean Corll

On the surface, Corll seemed like an upstanding citizen. After serving time in the army, he became vice-president of the family’s business, the Corll Candy Company, in Texas. Corll quickly developed a positive reputation as he gave out free treats to children, becoming known as the Candy Man. Yet when he met David Brooks and later Elmer Henley, that positive reputation would soon vanish. From 1970, with the aid of his accomplices, Corll began abducting, assaulting, and killing people. By 1973, it’s believed he took at least 29 lives. That year, after forcing Henley to attack his friends, the accomplice fatally shot Corll. Henley and Brooks would both receive life in jail for their involvement, with the latter passing away in 2020.

Utah: Ted Bundy

With charisma, good looks, and a history of working in politics and aiding people on mental health hotlines, Bundy hid his true, horrible nature until 1974. That year, he began kidnapping, assaulting, and taking the lives of victims across several states. In Utah alone, three people were confirmed to have been killed by Bundy, with eight suspected altogether. Following the escape of Carol DaRonch in Utah, Bundy was arrested in the state. As he faced charges for murder in Colorado, he escaped twice in 1977. Bundy continued his crimes until his arrest in Florida in 1978. While he confessed to taking 30 lives, 20 were confirmed by the authorities, leading to Bundy being sentenced to death, which was enacted in 1989.

Vermont: Israel Keyes

In 2012, Samantha Koenig vanished from Alaska. Days later, the apparent kidnapper requested a ransom. However, while it was paid, the deposits from the account were tracked by the authorities. This led to the arrest of Keyes in Texas, who confessed to killing Koenig. He would go on to admit to further murders, including taking the lives of Bill and Lorraine Currier in Vermont during 2011. Keyes would seemingly target people at random across the US and was known for stashing “murder kits” in locations. Before he could be convicted or the true extent of his crimes could be discovered, Keyes took his own life in 2012. He hinted in his final note that he may have taken over 10 lives during his spree.

Virginia: Elias Abuelazam

Born in Israel, Abuelazam’s family moved to the US when he was a child. In 2008, he began working at a psychiatric hospital in Virginia. The following year, on top of others being attacked, Abuelazam’s neighbor, Jammie Lane, was killed. It wasn’t until 2017 that Abuelazam confessed to this. By 2010, Abuelazam went to Michigan and Ohio, typically targeting Black people. Abuelazam was then arrested in Virginia for an outstanding warrant and released on bond. Within a week, as evidence mounted that he’d been behind a series of attacks, the authorities were notified that he was attempting to fly to Israel from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. While he was convicted of one murder, earning life imprisonment, it’s believed Abuelazam killed five altogether.

Washington: Earle Nelson

With a childhood head injury seemingly causing erratic and criminal behavior, Nelson was released from a California psychiatric hospital in 1925. The following year, he began the spree that made him known as the “Gorilla Man.” He typically targeted middle-aged landladies, whom he’d assault and take their lives, occasionally robbing them, too. Nelson travelled across many states, including Washington, where he took Florence Monks’ life in 1926. The following year, he moved to Canada and continued his crimes by taking two more lives. This led to Nelson’s arrest, under the pseudonym of “Virgil Wilson.” While he confessed to killings and recanted, Nelson was found guilty of one murder and was executed in Canada in 1928. It’s believed he killed just under 30 people.

West Virginia: Joseph Paul Franklin

Following an abusive childhood, Franklin descended into being a White supremacist as he supported the Ku Klux Klan and admired Adolf Hitler. By 1977, he began attacking Black and Jewish businesses and also taking lives, as he travelled across several states. This included attempting to murder public figures, such as Larry Flynt and Vernon Jordan. In 1980, Franklin was arrested. 17 years later, he confessed to being responsible for West Virginia’s “Rainbow Murders” in 1980, where he took the lives of Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero. This led to Jacob Beard being released from jail after he was convicted of it. In 2013, Franklin was executed after being convicted of eight murders. However, it’s believed he might’ve taken over 20 lives.

Wisconsin: Ed Gein

In 1957, Bernice Worden vanished from her hardware store in Plainfield, Wisconsin. After finding a receipt for Gein, it led to the local’s arrest. When the authorities searched his farm, not only did they find Worden’s body, but they also discovered a lot of human remains. After Gein’s overbearing mother had passed away in 1945 and his brother’s suspicious death the year before, something in Gein snapped as he blocked off rooms she’d used to keep them pristine. He claimed he robbed graves for body parts to make a suit. Gein also admitted to taking Mary Hogan’s life in 1954. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Gein was deemed unfit for trial and sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he remained until he died in 1984.

Wyoming: Rodney Alcala

In 1978, Alcala appeared and won a date with Cheryl Bradshaw on “The Dating Game.” However, disturbed by his creepy behavior, she rejected the date. Thankfully, she listened to her instincts as Alcala had been committing violent attacks since 1968. After his arrest, Alcala underwent several trials across California and New York over the years. While he was tied to nine murders, he was convicted of seven, earning him the death penalty. Following Alacala’s photography work being published, Kathy Thornton recognized a photo of her sister, Christine, whose body was found in Wyoming in 1982. In 2016, plans to extradite Alcala to face trial for Christine’s murder were dropped following claims he was too ill. In 2021, he died from natural causes.

Which of these cases shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments.