10 Infamous Serial Killers in California


 

When people think about California, they picture sunset and people surfing. The state is well known for having a laid-back vibe and being a great destination for people who want to relax and unwind. The state is also a place where people go with the hopes of being stars. However, the state of California has a dark side as it is home to some of the most notorious serial killers in American history. The killers have done despicable things that left the residents horrified. This article will explore the ten infamous killers in California to equip the reader with knowledge about the topic.

1 Lawrence Bitttaker

A picture of Lawrence during his trial. Photo by Kieronoldham-Wikimedia

Bittaker together with his accomplice Norris terrorized the Los Angeles area in 1979 when they went on a killing spree for six months which resulted in the loss of five young women. Lawrence and Norris first met when they were in prison and got to bond for their interest in sadism.

Bittaker’s strategy was to entice young women into his van where he and Norris would use several tools from the infamous “toolbox” on them. They even made audio recordings of their actions, which when played in the courtroom during their trial caused some people to throw up. Bittaker is still incarcerated in California on death row, where he is known as “Pliers” in a sadistic manner.

2 Joseph James DeAngelo

Joseph James was a rapist in the 1970s and he terrorized the people of Northern California as he would break into the homes of his victims and attack them. These break-ins went on for three years and they invoked fear among residents of Contra Costa and Sacramento as they feared they could be the next victim.

Forty years later, authorities in Santa Ana revealed that they had charged the man responsible for the crimes. The man was Joseph James DeAngelo who was charged with 13 counts of murder and kidnapping with the intention of committing a robbery. He was found guilty and sentenced to eight life sentences without parole.

3 The Doodler

A sketch of the Doodler by the San Fransisco County Police-Wikimedia

The Doodler is said to have been responsible for more than 14 death in the San Fransisco area. The killer targeted the gay community. After taking his victim, the Doodler would sketch the victim before killing them and hence the nickname. His first victim was known as Geral Cavanaugh who was found at Ocean Beach in San Fransisco. Soon after, Joseph Steven met the same fate. It is believed that he picked up his victims in gay bars. Sadly, the identity of the Doodler has never been discovered despite the efforts of the local authorities.

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4 The Zebra Killers

This was a group of African American serial killers that decided to terrorize people in the early 1970s. their attacks were racially motivated and they liked to refer to themselves as the Death Angels. Local authorities believe that during the time they were active, they may have had a body count as high as seventy-three.

Their first victim was a couple known as Quita and Richard Hague. The group raped Quita and slashed her with a machete before proceeding to use the same weapon on Richard. Anthony Harris, an acquittance who acknowledged seeing all of the murders firsthand, assisted in the eventual capture of the Zebra killers.

5 Richard Ramirez

A mug shot of Ramirez by Los Angeles Police Department-Wikimedia

Popularly known as the Night Stalker, Ramirez was a deranged serial killer that instilled fear into the residents of northern California. During his deadly spree in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the middle of the 1980s, Ramirez assaulted an estimated 25 victims and killed at least 13.

By the time Ramirez was captured in November 1985, he had terrorised millions of people living in Los Angeles by killing large numbers of men and women of all ages in a variety of cruel ways, such as by strangulation, bludgeoning, and execution-style shootings. Ramirez received a death sentence in 1988 after being found guilty of 13 charges of capital crimes. In 2013 at San Quentin State Prison, he passed away from lymphoma.

6 Ed Kemper

Kemper is one of the most prolific serial killers in the state of California. The killer killed 10 people and also killed his own mother and grandfather. This is quite chilling in that someone can kill their family without any remorse. Kemper started off by killing his grandfather when he was fifteen years old.

 He then started picking up hitchhikers who were students at Freno State University and cut their heads off before having sex with their corpses. He then killed his mother just before he was apprehended by smashing her head with a hammer. He was charged with several counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

7 The Zodiac Killer

A sketch of the Zodiac Killer by Wolfman-Wikimedia

Perhaps one of the most infamous American criminals to escape justice is The Zodiac. The Zodiac killed at least five people when he struck northern California in the late 1960s. He usually targeted young couples and either shot or stabbed them. The Zodiac, a man who was seen wearing a black hood, became well-known for sending a string of cyphers to the San Francisco Examiner in an effort to mock the authorities.

Some people discounted the letters, which were initially thought to offer hints about his identity, as mere rubbish meant to be a red herring. To date, the identity of the Zodiac killer is not known.

8 Chester Turner

Chester was a serial killer who operated between 1987 and 1998 in the southern part of Los Angeles. The killer targeted women who were drug addicts by luring them with the promise that he was going to give them drugs and then proceeded to strangle them with his bare hands. Turner killed six women during this time and was convicted of murder and he is currently on California’s death row.

9 Timothy Joseph McGhee

The gang leader based in the northeast part of Los Angeles was sentenced to death for the murder of three people. It is said that McGhee boasted of his hatred for the police and his love for killing. McGhee was found guilty of murder in 2007 by a jury for the three shootings of gang members that occurred between 1997 and 2001. McGhee was also found guilty by the jury of the attempted murder of four additional individuals, including two Los Angeles police officers who were ambushed in Atwater Village early one morning as they pursued three other Toonerville gang members.

10 The Scorecard Killer

A mug shot of Randy Kraft by Quentin State Prison-Wikimedia

His real mane is Randy Kraft but he was also known as the Scorecard Killer and the Southern California Strangler. The serial killer was arrested in 1983 and at the time of his arrest, the corpse of his victim was still in the car. He committed several murders from 1972 to 1983. Kraft would pick up young men and load them with alcohol and proceed to interrogate them before killing them. Kraft was convicted of 16 murders but it is believed that his victims were higher than that. He is currently imprisoned on death row in California.

 

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