This article lists 10 of the most notorious criminals in history, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Pablo Escobar, Al Capone, Osama bin Laden, John Wayne Gacy, Aileen Wuornos, Richard Ramirez, and Dennis Rader. Manson was the leader of a cult responsible for the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969, while Bundy was a charming serial killer who murdered at least 30 young women and girls. Dahmer was a necrophile and cannibal who committed gruesome crimes, while Escobar was a notorious drug lord responsible for thousands of deaths. Capone was a violent gangster during the Prohibition era, bin Laden was a terrorist leader behind the September 11 attacks, Gacy was a killer clown, Wuornos was a prostitute who murdered at least seven men, Ramirez was a serial killer who terrorized Southern California, and Rader was a taunting serial killer known as the BTK killer.
10 Notorious Criminals Who Shocked the World
1. Charles Manson
Charles Manson is one of the most infamous criminals in American history. He was the leader of a cult known as the Manson Family, which was responsible for a series of murders in the late 1960s. Manson’s followers committed nine murders, including the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969. Manson was sentenced to death, but the sentence was later changed to life in prison.
2. Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy was a serial killer who murdered at least 30 young women and girls during the 1970s. Bundy was considered to be charming and handsome, which made it easy for him to lure his victims. He often posed as a police officer or a businessman to gain their trust. Bundy was executed in 1989 after spending over a decade on death row.
3. Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, was a serial killer and necrophile who murdered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was known for his gruesome crimes, which included dismemberment, necrophilia, and cannibalism. He was arrested in 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. Dahmer was killed by a fellow inmate in 1994.
4. Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar was a notorious drug lord and leader of the Medellin cartel in Colombia during the 1980s and early 1990s. Escobar was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, including judges, politicians, and police officers. He was also known for his extravagant lifestyle, which included a private zoo and a fleet of planes and helicopters. Escobar was killed in a shootout with Colombian authorities in 1993.
5. Al Capone
Al Capone was a notorious gangster and bootlegger during the Prohibition era in the 1920s and 1930s. Capone was known for his violent tactics and his control of organized crime in Chicago. He was responsible for numerous murders, including the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929. Capone was eventually sent to prison for tax evasion in 1931.
6. Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden was the founder and leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. He was responsible for the September 11 attacks in 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people. Bin Laden was also responsible for numerous other terrorist attacks throughout the world. He was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.
7. John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy, also known as the Killer Clown, was a serial killer who murdered at least 33 young men and boys in the 1970s. Gacy was known for dressing up as a clown and entertaining children at local events. He was eventually arrested and sentenced to death. Gacy was executed in 1994.
8. Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos was a serial killer who murdered at least seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Wuornos was a prostitute who claimed that her victims had raped or assaulted her. She was eventually captured and sentenced to death. Wuornos was executed in 2002.
9. Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez, also known as the Night Stalker, was a serial killer who terrorized Southern California in the mid-1980s. Ramirez was responsible for the deaths of at least 13 people and the rape and assault of many others. He was eventually captured and sentenced to death. Ramirez died in prison in 2013.
10. Dennis Rader
Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK killer, was a serial killer who murdered 10 people in Kansas between 1974 and 1991. Rader was known for his taunting letters to the media and law enforcement, which helped him evade capture for many years. He was eventually arrested in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.