500 Serial Killers Encyclopedia Facts and Figures (eBook)

B1 Butcher

Aliases: None

DOB: Unknown

Nationality: Namibian

Active Years: 2005-2007

Victims: 5

Location: Windhoek, Namibia

MO: Dismemberment, disposal of body parts

Conviction: Unsolved

Brief biography:

The B1 Butcher is the name given to an unidentified serial killer responsible for at least five murders in Namibia between 2005 and 2007. The killer dismembered his victims, disposing of their body parts along Namibia's B1 highway. The gruesome nature of the killings and the methodical way the bodies were disposed of have baffled local authorities, who have yet to apprehend the perpetrator. The case remains unsolved, drawing significant media attention in southern Africa.

Benjamin “Tony” Atkins

Aliases: Woodward Corridor Killer

DOB: August 26, 1968

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1991–1992

Victims: 11 known victims

Location: Detroit, Michigan

MO: Rape, strangulation, dumping bodies in abandoned areas

Conviction: Sentenced to 11 life terms

Brief biography:

Benjamin "Tony" Atkins, known as the Woodward Corridor Killer, was responsible for a string of murders in Detroit, Michigan, between 1991 and 1992. Atkins targeted prostitutes, whom he raped and strangled before disposing of their bodies in abandoned buildings. His reign of terror ended when one of his victims escaped and identified him to the police. Atkins was convicted of 11 murders and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He died in 1997 due to complications from HIV while serving his sentence.

Beverley Allitt

Aliases: Angel of Death

DOB: October 4, 1968

Nationality: British

Active Years: February–April 1991

Victims: 4 murdered, 11 attempted

Location: England (Grantham Hospital, Lincolnshire)

MO: Administered lethal doses of insulin and other drugs to children

Conviction: Sentenced to 13 life terms; minimum 30 years, held at Rampton Secure Hospital

Brief biography:

Beverley Allitt, a British nurse dubbed the "Angel of Death," murdered four children and attempted to kill eleven others during her time at Grantham Hospital's children’s ward between February and April 1991. Her actions, which involved administering lethal doses of insulin and other drugs, seriously injured six more. Allitt was diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which a caregiver inflicts harm to gain attention. Sentenced to life imprisonment, she continues to serve her term at Rampton Secure Hospital. Her case remains one of England’s most notorious in the annals of serial crime.

Benjamin “Tony” Atkins

Aliases: None

DOB: 1968

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1991-1992

Victims: 11+

Location: Detroit, Michigan

MO: Strangulation, rape

Conviction: Died in prison (1997)

Brief biography:

Benjamin “Tony” Atkins was an American serial killer active in Detroit, Michigan, during the early 1990s. Known as the "Woodward Corridor Killer," Atkins raped and strangled at least eleven women, many of whom were sex workers or vulnerable individuals. His killing spree spanned less than two years, but the brutality of his crimes shocked the nation. Atkins was arrested in 1992 and sentenced to multiple life sentences. He died in prison of an HIV-related illness in 1997.

Betty Shanks

Aliases: None

DOB: 1931?

Nationality: Australian

Active Years: 1952

Victims: 1

Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

MO: Beaten to death

Conviction: Unsolved

Brief biography:

Betty Shanks was a 22-year-old woman murdered in Brisbane, Australia, in 1952. She was found brutally beaten in a neighbor’s garden the day after she failed to return home from university. Despite several suspects and false confessions, no one has ever been arrested for her murder, leaving her case one of Queensland’s oldest unsolved mysteries.

Beulah George “Georgia” Tann

Aliases: Georgia Tann

DOB: July 18, 1891

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1924–1950

Victims: 5,000+ (kidnapped children)

Location: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

MO: Kidnapped and sold children, falsified adoption records

Conviction: Died before facing trial; Tennessee Children's Home Society

Brief biography:

Beulah George Tann, infamously known as Georgia Tann, ran the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis, where she orchestrated a black-market baby adoption scheme, kidnapping more than 5,000 children and selling them to wealthy families across the country. Tann exploited poor, single mothers, often stealing their children by telling them the babies had died, and also took children from state wards and mental institutions. Her criminal actions led to a nationwide overhaul of adoption laws. Tann died in 1950 before she could face justice, but her crimes were later exposed, leading to the closure of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

Bevan Spencer von Einem

Aliases: None

DOB: May 29, 1946

Nationality: Australian

Active Years: 1979–1983

Victims: 1 confirmed (suspected of 5+ more)

Location: Adelaide, Australia

MO: Kidnapped, tortured, and murdered young boys

Conviction: Serving life imprisonment in Yatala Prison

Brief biography:

Bevan Spencer von Einem was convicted of the murder of 15-year-old Richard Kelvin, whom he kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in Adelaide, Australia in 1983. He held Kelvin captive for several weeks before his death. Von Einem is also suspected of being involved in the unsolved "Family Murders," which include the killings of five other young men in Adelaide between 1979 and 1983. He remains in prison, serving a life sentence.

Billy Ray Waldon

Aliases: Billy Joe Waldon

DOB: January 3, 1952

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1985

Victims: 4

Location: Oklahoma and California, USA

MO: Thrill-killed, shot victims

Conviction: Sentenced to death, San Quentin Prison

Brief biography:

Billy Ray Waldon, a thrill-killer active in 1985, murdered four people in Oklahoma and California. His killing spree was short-lived but brutal, involving shootings and robberies. He was placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list in May 1986 and captured two months later. Waldon was convicted in 1987 and is currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison. Interestingly, Waldon is also the creator of a constructed language known as "Poliespo."

Bobby Dunbar

Aliases: None

DOB: 1908

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1912

Victims: 1 (disappeared)

Location: Opelousas, Louisiana, USA

MO: Child abduction and wrongful identification

Conviction: Solved in 2004 via DNA testing confirming Bobby was not found

Brief biography:

Bobby Dunbar disappeared in 1912 at the age of 4 while on a fishing trip. After an extensive search, a boy believed to be Bobby was found with a man named William Walters. However, a woman claimed the boy was her son, Bruce Anderson. A court awarded custody to the Dunbars. In 2004, DNA testing proved the boy was not Bobby Dunbar, leaving the mystery of what happened to Bobby unresolved.

Bobbie Sue Terrell

Aliases: None

DOB: October 16, 1952

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1980–1986

Victims: 12 confirmed

Location: Florida, Illinois

MO: Insulin overdose on elderly patients

Conviction: 65 years in prison, died 2007

Brief biography:

Bobbie Sue Terrell was a nurse diagnosed with schizophrenia and Munchausen syndrome by proxy. She killed 12 elderly patients in St. Petersburg, Florida, using insulin overdoses, all while calling the police and mutilating herself to deflect suspicion. Terrell’s actions came to light when her psychiatric history was uncovered. In 1986, she was sentenced to 65 years in prison and died in 2007 while serving her term.

Boone Helm

Aliases: The Kentucky Cannibal

DOB: January 28, 1828

Nationality: American

Active Years: 1850s–1860s

Victims: Estimated 11+

Location: Western U.S. (California, Idaho, Montana)

MO: Cannibalism, murder by stabbing and shooting

Conviction: Executed by hanging, 1864

Brief biography:

Boone Helm, notorious as the "Kentucky Cannibal," was an American serial killer and cannibal who roamed the Western U.S. during the mid-1800s. Known for his violent tendencies, Helm killed and ate many of his victims, often during treacherous journeys through the wilderness. He gained infamy for killing his traveling companions and resorting to cannibalism for survival. Helm joined a gang of robbers and murderers, leading to his capture and execution by hanging in 1864 in Virginia City, Montana. His life of brutality and cannibalism has made him a gruesome figure in the annals of frontier history.

Bogdan Eugeniusz Arnold

Aliases: None

DOB: 1933

Nationality: Polish

Active Years: 1966-1967

Victims: 4

Location: Katowice, Poland

MO: Strangulation, decapitation

Conviction: Executed in 1968

Brief biography:

Bogdan Eugeniusz Arnold was a Polish serial killer who murdered four women in the city of Katowice between 1966 and 1967. Arnold, who struggled with relationships, lured women to his apartment before strangling them and decapitating their bodies. His gruesome crimes were discovered when neighbors complained of a foul odor emanating from his apartment. Arnold was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. He was executed in 1968,...