The Top 10 Shocking Trophies Killers Have Taken from Their Victims: What You Need to Know

Serial killers have a remarkable and sinister way of claiming souvenirs from their victims. They often take items as physical reminders of their crimes, which they refer to as ‘trophies’. These items are sometimes easily identifiable, such as jewelry or clothing, but other times they can be grotesque and disturbing. Here, we look at 10 of the most shocking trophies killers have taken from their victims.

1. Ted Bundy: Human Femur Bone

Serial killer Ted Bundy is one of the most notorious murderers in history. He was convicted of killing 30 people and admitted to committing heinous acts such as necrophilia, kidnapping and rape. Bundy was known for taking mementos from his victims, such as women’s underwear and wallets. However, it has been rumored that he kept a human femur bone as a trophy. The bone was reportedly found wrapped in a blanket in a room that Bundy had once occupied, leading to speculation about its origin.

2. Gary Ridgway: Jewelry and Personal Items

Gary Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, was a serial killer active in Washington state in the 1980s and 90s. He confessed to murdering 49 people, mostly young women who worked as prostitutes in Seattle. During his trial, evidence surfaced that Ridgway had kept some of his victims’ personal items, including jewelry. He told police that keeping these items made him feel close to the women he had killed.

3. Jeffrey Dahmer: Polaroid Photos

American serial killer and cannibal Jeffery Dahmer is remembered as one of the most notorious criminals of all time. During his lifetime, he raped, murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys. The Milwaukee Cannibal would take Polaroid photographs of his victims to remember them by. The photos were discovered by police when they arrested Dahmer, and many of them were later destroyed.

4. Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski: Guns and Knives

Richard Kuklinski, also known as The Iceman, was a notorious American contract killer and hitman. He was convicted of murdering five people, though he claimed to have killed over 200. Kuklinski was known for keeping trophies of his victims, such as guns and knives. He sometimes wore these weapons as a way of intimidating his victims, and even bragged about them in interviews with police.

5. David Berkowitz: Notes and Letters

David Berkowitz, commonly known as Son of Sam, was a serial killer who terrorized New York City in the 1970s. He was convicted of killing six people and wounding seven more, and was sentenced to life in prison. While in custody, Berkowitz sent notes and letters to the media to boast about his crimes. He even named himself Son of Sam after a street gang he joined as a teenager.

6. John Wayne Gacy: Paintings

John Wayne Gacy, also referred to as the Killer Clown, was a serial murderer who was convicted of killing 33 teenage boys and young men in Cook County, Illinois. He was known to paint pictures of his victims, which he kept as trophies. Many of these paintings were destroyed when Gacy was arrested. His victims’ families were horrified to learn he had kept paintings of the boys he had killed.

7. Albert Fish: Body Parts

Albert Fish, also known as the Gray Man, was an American serial killer who was known for his horrific acts of murder and mutilation. He confessed to killing and eating parts of several children, and was said to keep body parts as trophies. It is believed that Fish kept hair, teeth, bones and even organs from some of his victims. He was never convicted of any of these claims.

8. Dennis Rader: Drivers Licenses

Dennis Rader, also called the BTK Killer, was a serial murderer active in Kansas in the 1970s and 80s. He killed 10 people in total, and was eventually caught after sending taunting letters to police. Rader was known to keep drivers licenses as trophies of his victims, which he kept pinned to a wall in his home.

9. Andrei Chikatilo: Women’s Underwear

Andrei Chikatilo was a Soviet serial killer who committed a series of horrible murders between 1978 and 1990. He killed 53 people in total, mainly women and children, and was eventually caught and executed. In the course of his crimes, Chikatilo took mementos such as jewelry and women’s underwear, which he kept as trophies.

10. Ed Gein: Human Skin

Ed Gein was an American serial killer active in Wisconsin in the 1950s. He was convicted of killing two women and is suspected of murdering several others. Gein was perhaps the most disturbing of all serial killers, as he was known to make furniture, clothing and accessories out of his victims’ body parts. He even kept entire suits made of human skin, which were discovered by police during their investigation.

Conclusion

Trophies are a common practice among serial killers, and they can range from the mundane to the bizarre and grotesque. From human bones to preserved body parts, these trophies show us just how depraved and disturbed some killers can be. Fortunately, advances in law enforcement and criminal psychology have helped to bring these monsters to justice and protect innocent lives.