True crime documentaries, podcasts, and books have been increasingly popular in recent years. Why are we so fascinated by serial killers? Learning new serial killer facts tends to pique people’s interest and leads them to dive down a rabbit hole of facts and theories. Below are some interesting, creepy, or just plain bizarre facts about serial killers that you may not have known.
8 Serial Killer Facts:
- Richard Chase, known as the Vampire of Sacramento, only broke into houses that were unlocked. (source) Chase was known for drinking the blood of his victims. True to his nickname, he only entered the homes of victims whose doors were unlocked, as he considered a locked door as a sign that he was not welcome.
- Ted Bundy worked at a suicide prevention hotline. (source) While Bundy is known as one of the most evil serial killers in history, he worked at Seattle’s Suicide Hotline Crisis Center while he was studying at the University of Washington.
- An unknown serial killer has been murdering women on Long Island for more than 15 years. (source) The Long Island Serial Killer, also known as the Gilgo Beach Killer, is thought to be responsible for the murders of 10 to 16 women. There is a prime suspect but not enough evidence to convict.
- The Green River Killer left jewelry taken from his victims in his workplace’s bathroom for his coworkers to take. (source) Gary Leon Ridgway, better known as the Green River Killer, often took the jewelry off his victims. He would leave it in the women’s bathroom of the Kenworth Motor Truck plant where he worked and got excited when he saw his coworkers wearing the jewelry around the plant.
- The BTK Killer installed security systems for a living, many of which were installed in fear of BTK. (source) Dennis Lynn Rader worked for ADT Inc. installing home security systems. Many were for families who feared the BTK Killer would enter their homes.
- H.H. Holmes had a “murder castle” that masqueraded as a hotel. (source) Holmes, who confessed to 27 murders, constructed a multi-use building that he claimed would become a hotel for the 1893’s World’s Fair in Chicago. Instead, he constructed a series of torture rooms and mazes of hallways that went nowhere.
- Ed Kemper, also known as the Co-Ed Killer, narrated hundreds of books on tape for people who are blind while in prison. (source) Kemper led an audiobook project called Volunteers of Vacaville while in prison and recorded popular audio books like “Flowers in the Attic” and “Star Wars”.
- The Hillside Strangler attended LAPD ride-alongs with police officers who were searching for him. (source) Kenneth Bianchi, who was nicknamed the Hillside Strangler, applied to the Los Angeles Police Department and participated in several rides while police were actively looking for him. He did this to get information about what they knew.
