20 Most Notorious Serial Killers In Virginia

20 Most Notorious Serial Killers In Virginia

*Originally Published by Faith in March 2023 and Updated by Nellian in March 2024.

Virginia is a beautiful state to stay in, but unfortunately, it is not 100% safe because it has harbored some of the most horrifying serial killers throughout the years. Most of them have committed these unlawful acts for financial gain or because of their mental illness and also their history of abuse.

Moreover, the nations have continued to be shocked and terrified by the ways they conducted their gruesome killings either by stabbing, poisoning, use of firearms, or strangling. Although most of them have been taken into custody by law enforcement, the identities of some of the murders remain unknown.

Besides, it is so sad that these people lived amongst us and they left tragic and terrifying marks in history. Therefore, today in this article we are going to look at some of the deadliest serial killers and their disturbing murder stories.

1. The Beltway Snipers

The serial killing duo operated in several states but they started their killing spree in Virginia. In a series of sniper assaults, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo shot civilians at random locations, such as petrol stations and parking lots. The shootings left 10 people dead and several other people injured.

Furthermore, the two were finally apprehended in 1990 and at that time, their victim count in Virginia was at four. Allen was tried and convicted in Virginia and sentenced to death at the Greensville Correctional Centre. His partner on the other hand who was a minor at the time of their crimes was sentenced to life in prison and detained at the Red Onion State Prison.

2. Anthony Eugene Robinson

A picture of a crime scene tape by Kat Wilcox-Wikimedia

The serial killer was charged with the murder of six women around the Harrisonburg area, Virginia. The suspected serial killer is said to have lured his victims into hotel rooms after convincing them to meet from dating sites.

After killing his victims, the serial killer is said to have disposed of the bodies of his victims using a shopping cart hence the nickname, “the Shopping Cart Killer”. His case is still being tried by a grand jury formed to look at the first-degree murder charges that he has been charged with.

3. Gary Ray Bowles

American serial killer Gary Ray Bowles operated in 1994. He was known as the “I-95 Killer” or the “Highway Killer,” as he murdered gay males along the Interstate 95 corridor.

Although he was born in Virginia, the majority of his murders were carried out in Florida, where he was found guilty of killing six men in 1994. Bowles was given the death penalty after being found guilty. On August 22, 2019, Bowles was put to death in Florida via lethal injection.

4. Ricky Gray

Rick Gray is another notorious serial killer who operated in Virginia. He is responsible for the gruesome murders of two families that took place in Richmond, Virginia. In 2006, the serial killer with his accomplice Ray Dandridge broke into the home of Harvey and Kathryn Harvey proceeded to torture them and later killed them together with their two children.

Afterward, a year later, the pair broke into another home and killed the couple with their two daughters in the same way they had done the first murder. They were eventually apprehended and Ricky was convicted and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection in January 2017.

5. Henry Lee Lucas

A Minneapolis Police Department officer sits in a squad car behind a police line at a crime scene. Photo by Tony Webster-Wikimedia

Henry was a prolific serial killer in history since he was always clashing with the law. He served 10 years in prison for murdering his mother and two other people but was released in 1970 because of prison overcrowding.

Additionally, instead of Henry using that opportunity to make everything right he went and attempted to kidnap three schoolgirls, and he went back to jail to serve a sentence of five years. He falsely confessed to killing at least 600 people but was only convicted for 11 homicides that the prosecutors found him guilty of. In 2001, Harry died of a congestive heart at the age of 64.

6. The Briley Brothers

Linwood, Anthony, and James Briley also known as the Briley brothers, terrorised Richmond, Virginia, in the late 1970s. Between 1979 and 1980, the trio carried out a heinous spree of rapes, robberies, and murders. Their reign of terror came to an end when they were apprehended in 1980.

The Brileys’ violence stunned the country since they showed no remorse for their horrible actions. Their victims, at least 11, were subjected to unspeakable horrors. The trial resulted in death sentences for the brothers, but only Linwood was executed in 1984 while the others remained in prison. The crimes of the Briley brothers are a terrible episode in the annals of American criminal history.

7. Darell David Rice

A person in handcuffs. © Raimond Spekking

Darrell David Rice was an active serial killer in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. Two women, Julianne Williams and Laura Winans, who had been backpacking in the area, were kidnapped by Rice in 1996 and later slain. The incident stunned the community and perplexed detectives for years. Rice was apprehended in 2002 and subsequently found guilty in 2004 after his DNA was shown to be connected to the crime scene.

Moreover, Rice had also been linked to other open cases of campers who vanished in Shenandoah National Park, even though he was only convicted for the deaths of Williams and Winans. His conviction demonstrated how useful DNA evidence can be in resolving old puzzles.

8. Colonial Parkway Killer

Virginia was terrorized by a serial killer between 1986 and 1989 who was never found. The serial killer was dubbed the Colonial Parkway Killer as he committed his crimes close to the Colonial Parkway.

Subsequently, at least eight people are thought to have been killed by the assailant, including four well-known couples. Young couples were frequently the targets, and no robbery or sexual assault was intended in these crimes, which distinguished them from other types of crimes. The Colonial Parkway Killer’s identity is still a mystery, despite extensive investigations, and the case is still open.

9. Charles Severance

Photo by Max Kleinen on Unsplash

Charles Severance hated the elite in the generally wealthy city of Alexandria and so he saw it best to kill them without any mercy. Severance received quite the attention because he used to perform his killings in broad daylight by knocking at their door steps and when they opened, he shot them to death with a 22-calibre firearm.

Therefore, between the years 2003 and 2014, Severance shot three victims to death. He was finally arrested in March 2014 and the police found writings of Severance titled “Knock. Talk. Enter. Kill. Exit. Murder”. In 2016, he was convicted of three shooting murders and he was sentenced to life imprisonment plus another 48 years.

10. Timothy Wilson Spencer

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Timothy also known as “The Southside Strangler” had gone for several years without being discovered as the serial killer of four women in Southern Virginia in 1987. He had broken into their respective homes, raped, and sodomized them before strangling them with a belt or rope.

Thus, it is believed that he had committed one murder in 1984 and he made the wrong man; David Vasquez to be wrongfully convicted. It was through DNA testing that Timothy was captured and he was found guilty of raping and killing four women. He was put to death in 1994.

11. Michael Wayne McGray

McGray, although not originally from Virginia, left a mark on the state’s history of serial killers. He confessed to many murders across the United States and Canada, including several in Virginia. McGray’s chilling confessions shed light on the depths of his depravity, earning him a place among the most notorious serial killers in Virginia’s history.

Michael Wayne McGray was a drifter who admitted to killing at least seven people in the 1960s and 1970s across several states, including two murders in Virginia – one in Arlington and another in Norfolk. His operations involved luring victims with false identities before robbing, sexually assaulting, and killing them. McGray’s confessions provided disturbing details about his cold, calculated nature and lack of remorse.

12. Richard Cottingham

Photo by Jason Abdilla on Unsplash

Known as the “Torso Killer,” Cottingham operated in New Jersey primarily, but his crimes extended to other states, including Virginia. His brutal murders, characterized by dismemberment and mutilation, left a trail of horror in their wake. Cottingham’s capture in 1980 brought an end to his reign of terror, but the scars he left behind still linger.

What’s more, Richard Cottingham was a family man and computer operator who lived a double life as a serial killer in the 1970s. He earned the chilling moniker “Torso Killer” for his signature of dismembering and mutilating his victims, often sex workers. While based in New Jersey, Cottingham’s killing spree crossed state lines, including at least one murder in Virginia – a woman whose dismembered body was found in a Reston motel room.

13. Christopher Wilder

Although primarily active in Florida, Wilder’s killing spree extended to Virginia and other states. His victims, often young women, fell prey to his charm before meeting a gruesome end. Wilder’s reign of terror ended in 1984 when he was killed in a shootout with law enforcement, but the memories of his crimes still haunt those who remember his atrocities.

To boot, Wilder who once served as a police officer, targeted young women and girls across many states in the early 1980s. His model involved using his charm and good looks to lure victims before subjecting them to horrific sexual assaults and murder. In Virginia, Wilder is believed to have claimed at least one victim – a young woman whose body was found in a wooded area of Fairfax County.

14. Richard Ramirez 

Los Angeles Police Department, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Richard Ramirez, the infamous “Night Stalker,” was a serial killer, rapist, and burglar who terrorized California and several other states in the mid-1980s. His crimes were marked by sadistic violence, often involving burglary, sexual assault, and murder.

While primarily active in California, Ramirez’s killing spree extended to Virginia, where he is believed to have committed at least one murder – a woman brutally beaten, sexually assaulted, and killed in her Arlington home. Ramirez’s capture in 1985 brought an end to his reign of terror, but his name remains etched in infamy.

15. Glen Rogers

Dubbed the “Cross Country Killer,” Glen Rogers was a prolific serial killer who left a trail of victims across many states in the 1990s. His operation was to use his charm to lure women before subjecting them to brutal sexual assaults and murder.

Therefore in Virginia, Rogers is believed to have claimed at least one victim – a woman whose body was found in a wooded area. His murderous rampage finally ended in 1995 when he was apprehended and convicted of multiple murders across several states.

16. Paul Dennis Reid

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

Known as the “Fast Food Killer,” Paul Dennis Reid targeted employees of fast-food restaurants in the late 1990s, primarily in Tennessee but extending to other states like Virginia. His victims suffered brutal deaths, often involving sexual assault and excessive violence.

In Virginia, he is believed to have claimed several victims who worked at a fast-food restaurant. Reid’s reign of terror ended in 1997 when he was captured and convicted of multiple murders.

17. Joseph Paul Franklin

Joseph Paul Franklin was a white supremacist serial killer whose motives were fueled by racial hatred. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he left a trail of randomly chosen victims suffering senseless violence and brutality across multiple states, including at least victims in Virginia. His capture in 1980 ended his reign of terror, but the scars he left behind are evidence of his menace.

18. Robert Lee Yates

Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash

The “Spokane Serial Killer” Robert Lee Yates primarily operated in Washington state, but his murderous spree extended to Virginia and other states in the 1990s. His victims were often sex workers who fell prey to his extreme violence and depravity before tragic ends. While concentrated in Washington, Yates is believed to have claimed at least one victim in Virginia before his 2000 capture.

19. Vincent Johnson

Known as the “Brooklyn Strangler,” Vincent Johnson terrorized women in New York and other states like Virginia in the late 1990s through his operations of luring them before violently sexually assaulting and strangling them. In Virginia, he is believed to have claimed a few victims, adding to his trail of terror that ended with his 1999 capture but left haunting scars.

20. Donald Henry Gaskins

Photo by Jose P. Ortiz on Unsplash

Operating primarily in South Carolina, Gaskins’ murderous spree extended to Virginia and other states. His victims, ranging from hitchhikers to acquaintances, suffered unimaginable horrors at his hands. Gaskins’ capture in 1975 brought an end to his reign of terror, but the scars he left behind still linger in the memories of those who survived his brutality.

The history of Virginia is marred by the presence of these notorious serial killers, each leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. While some have been brought to justice, their actions continue to reverberate through the memories of those who survived and the communities they terrorized. Their stories serve as a stark reminder of the darkness that lurks beneath the surface, even in the most picturesque of places.