20 Most Notorious New York Serial Killers

20 Most Notorious New York Serial Killers

Originally Published by Faith on June 2023 and Updated by Purity M in March 2024

Most of the serial killer crimes that are usually broadcasted and enjoyed by true crime enthusiasts usually happen in the United States of America.  However, when one hears of New York, they do not expect it to have serial killers terrorising the residents but that is not the case as New York has its fair share of serial killers. This article will delve into the twenty most notorious New York serial killers to give the reader insight into how the city can also be dangerous.

1 Richard Angelo

Popularly known as the Angel of Death, Richard Angelo was a serial killer who operated in the Long Island area. While working at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Long Island as a nurse aide, Angelo would target the terminally ill as his victims. Instead of helping them get well by caring for them, Richard Angelo would kill the patients. His modus operandi ranged from suffocating them using pillows, overdosing them and poisoning them. His poison of choice was arsenic. His victim count is said to have been around 25. He was finally arrested and sentenced to 61 years in prison.

2 Lizzie Halliday

A sketch of serial killer Lizzie Halliday. See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The serial killer is said to have killed five people but it is believed that her victim count is more than that. Lizzie Halliday got married five times to five different men and two of her husbands died shortly after they were married it is not known if their died of natural causes or if she killed them. After breaking up with her fifth husband, she went to Philadelphia where she burned down a solon owned by her two friends for insurance money.

 She was sentenced to two years in prison and after she got out, she married Paul Halliday. She later killed her husband and when they searched the property, the police found the bodies of two other girls. She was charged with the three murders and sentenced to death by the electric chair making her the first woman to get such a sentence.  However, she was sent to a mental institution after being declared insane. While there, she killed a nurse by stabbing her with a pair of scissors.

3 Joe Rifkin

The serial killer came from East Meadow, Long Island and he worked as a landscaper. He killed 17 victims in a span of four years which makes him quite notorious. He targeted sex workers as it was easy to lure them by pretending to be a client. To get rid of the bodies, he would dismember his victims and dispose of parts of the bodies in different locations in New York.

The only reason that he was caught is that he was pulled over by the police in the Southern State Parkway because his car did not have a license plate and they discovered a foul stench from the trunk of his car. They discovered that it was the decomposing body of his last victim.

4 The Long Island Killer

A picture of Gilgo Beach where the victims of the Long Island Killer were found. Derekakinnear, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This serial killer is also known as the Gilgo Beach Killer. The serial killer also targeted sex workers and after killing them he dumped the bodies close to Gilgo Beach. The serial killer is more dangerous as he has not been arrested and his identity is unknown to date. Most of his killings took place between 2010 and 2011 in that the bodies of ten victims were found close to the south shore beach.

Check out this article on the 10 most notorious Oregon serial killers here

5 David Berkowitz

Popularly known as the Son of Sam, David was a postal employee turned serial killer in the 1970s. He earned his nickname as he would leave a note saying that he was a monster and he was the son of Sam at the crime scene. During the time that he was active, he murdered six victims and wounded seven others using a .44 calibre revolver. The serial killer targeted single women as well as couples and thus causing a lot of unrest in the city. He was arrested in 1977.

6 Robert Schulman

A picture of serial killer Robert Schulman. Wikimedia

This serial killer was active from 1991 to 1996 and during this time, he killed five women all of whom were sex workers. He would kill his victims and then proceed to dismember them. He was apprehended after witnesses reported to the police that they had seen his car, a blue Cadillac in the crime scenes. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection but it was later reduced to life in prison after the death penalty was scrapped.

7 Joseph G. Christopher

The serial killer was active in the 1980s and he targeted African American men as his victims. After his arrest when asked why he targeted a specific race, he claimed that he was on a mission to start a race war. During that time, he killed 13 people and also assaulted several others. After being arrested, Joseph was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison. However, he did not serve all his sentences as he died while in custody in March 1993.

8 Paul Bateson

A picture of serial killer Paul Bateson. Wikimedia

The serial killer who once worked as a radiographer was active in the 1970s. He gained notoriety when it was revealed that he was involved in the murder and dismemberment of journalist Addison Verill. He was also connected to the Son of Sam murders that happened in New York because of his links to the film and entertainment industry. However, the extent of the crimes that Paul Bateson committed is not known.

9 Kendal Francois

The serial killer was active between 1996 and 1998 in Poughkeepsie, New York. The serial killer targeted sex workers as his victims and during those two years when he was on a murder spree, he killed eight women. To avoid detection, Francois would store the decomposing bodies in his home. He was later arrested in 1998 after a police investigation bore fruit and was arraigned in court. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

10 Julio Gonzalez

The refugee from Cuba caused havoc in 1990 in New York in that he was responsible for the mass murder in Happy Land. The Happy Land arson claimed the lives of 87 people. The victims were Hondurans who were enjoying themselves at a carnival. When he was arrested and arraigned in court, he was found guilty and sentenced to 174 twenty-five-year sentences.

11. Albert Fish

Albert Fish, a depraved child molester and murderer, operated in the early 20th century, committing heinous acts that shocked the nation. Infamously dubbed the “Gray Man” and the “Werewolf of Wysteria,” Fish preyed on young children, indulging in acts of extreme sadism.

His arrest in 1934 revealed a man whose unsettling deeds extended beyond the boundaries of human comprehension. Fish’s trial exposed the horrors he inflicted on his victims, securing his place as one of the most disturbing figures in criminal history. He was executed by electric chair on January 16, 1936.

12. Arthur Shawcross

The Genesee River Killer, Arthur Shawcross, unleashed a wave of terror upon both Rochester, New York, and Watertown, Massachusetts, during the 1970s and 1980s. His gruesome murder spree claimed the lives of 14 individuals, primarily targeting sex workers.

Shawcross, a convicted felon who had served time for manslaughter, exhibited a disturbing pattern of violence. His arrest in 1990 ended a reign of brutality that showcased the darker aspects of criminal recidivism and the challenges of preventing serial offenders from striking again. He died in 2008 while serving a 250 year sentence for his crimes.

13. Richard Cottingham

Dubbed the “Torso Killer,” Richard Cottingham haunted the streets of New York and New Jersey during the late 1960s and 1970s. Infamous for his gruesome acts, Cottingham’s victims were often dismembered, and the crime scenes left a trail of horror. His capture in 1980 marked the end of a reign that terrorized the region, revealing a deeply disturbed individual who derived pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering.

14. Heriberto Seda

Heriberto Seda, infamous as the New York Zodiac Killer, terrorized the city in the early 1990s. His series of shootings and stabbings left three people dead and several others injured. Seda’s fascination with the original Zodiac Killer manifested in cryptic letters sent to the media, showcasing a desire for notoriety.

His capture in 1996 marked the end of a period of fear and uncertainty, revealing a troubled individual who sought to emulate the infamy of past notorious killers through his own acts of violence.

15. The Last Call Killer

The Last Call Killer, Richard Rogers, preyed on gay men in New York City during the early 1990s. Operating at a time when fear and misinformation surrounded the AIDS epidemic, Rogers took advantage of the vulnerability of his victims. His arrest in 2001 revealed a disturbing pattern of violence, as Rogers had left a trail of bodies across multiple states, including New York.

16. Carlton Gary

Carlton Gary, also known as the “Shoebox Killer,” wasn’t apprehended for his monstrous deeds until decades after his crimes began. Operating between 1978 and 1997, Gary primarily targeted young men in New York City. His signature involved dismembering his victims and storing their remains in shoeboxes, a chilling detail that cemented his disturbing nickname.

Despite the horrific nature of his crimes, Gary managed to elude capture for nearly 20 years. However, a chance encounter with the police in 1997 for a minor offense finally unraveled the web of his dark secrets. DNA evidence definitively linked him to the murders, and Gary was eventually sentenced to death in 1986, which was finally carried out in 2018.

17. Philip Markoff (The Craigslist Killer)

 This case shattered the illusion of online anonymity. Markoff, a seemingly intelligent Harvard student, used Craigslist to lure women for dates. Between April and early May 2009, Markoff used the popular online platform Craigslist to lure women for dates.  His motive, however, was far from romantic. 

Markoff robbed and murdered his victims, leaving a trail of terror in his wake.  The case sent shockwaves through the internet age, exposing the vulnerability of online interactions and the potential for evil to hide in plain sight.  Markoff’s crimes ultimately led to his arrest in April 2009 and his death by suicide in jail in 2010 while awaiting trial.

18. Avecedo Francesco

In contrast to the well-known murderers on this list, Francisco Acevedo operated under the radar for over two decades. Responsible for the strangulation deaths of three women in Yonkers, New York between 1989 and 1996, Acevedo eluded detection due to a lack of forensic technology at the time. However, a routine DUI arrest in 2009 inadvertently led to his capture. A mandatory DNA sample linked him to the cold case murders, finally bringing him to justice in 2012.

19. Joseph Baldi

Nicknamed the “Queens Creeper,” Joseph Baldi cast a shadow of terror over the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in the early 1970s.  This troubled man, with a history of mental illness and prior institutionalization, preyed on vulnerable women and girls.  Over a brutal two-year period, Baldi stalked and stabbed four victims in their own homes, highlighting the terrifying vulnerability women faced even within their own walls. 

His capture came in June 1972 after a teenage girl survived his attack and provided a crucial description.  Baldi’s crimes ultimately led to a reevaluation of mental health protocols within the justice system, as questions arose about how Baldi, deemed unfit for release, was allowed back on the streets.

20. Patrick Baxter

Patrick Baxter’s reign of terror wasn’t short-lived, but it flew under the radar for years.  Between 1987 and 1990, this seemingly ordinary man stalked Westchester County, New York.  Baxter targeted and murdered two women and a teenage girl, showcasing a chilling escalation in his violence. 

Despite the disappearances, Baxter managed to elude capture due to a lack of sophisticated forensic technology at the time.  However, his criminal history eventually caught up to him.  Incarcerated for a separate crime in the mid-1990s, Baxter was required to submit a DNA sample.

  This routine procedure, in 2000,  unexpectedly connected him to the cold case murders from over a decade prior.  Justice, though delayed, was finally served. Baxter was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Check out this article on the 15 Deranged serial killers in Florida here