This is a list of serial killers who are still alive. When serial killers are caught, after a long period of horrific, evil crimes, it’s almost expected that their lives will be coming to an end. The usual sentence for multiple murders, especially ones committed by serial killers, is death. So that’s why it’s so remarkable to hear about serial killers who are currently still alive, most of whom are serving life sentences in prison. Very few serial killers who have been caught have been released from prison, but there are still some odd exceptions where the law and morality don’t intersect.
Who are these serial killers who are still among the living? How did they escape a death sentence while on trial? What were their crimes and who were their victims? How did these serial killers murder their victims? This list answers these questions and more about some of the world’s most notorious living serial killers.
Many famous serial killers were murdered in jail. The male and female serial killers on this list either received life sentences or managed to avoid life in prison. These rare serial killers may have taken the lives of at least three people, some with victim numbers over 50, yet are still alive.
Famous Serial Killers Who Are Still Alive,
Charles Cullen
While working as a nurse over the course of 16 years, Charles Cullen killed at least 35 victims - although the suspected number is actually in the hundreds. He killed patients through overdoses and medical contamination in New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals. Cullen was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to 127 years in prison. Since then, investigations into the hospitals that employed Cullen have revealed that some may have been aware that he was harming patients without taking any measures to stop it.
Charles Manson
Charles Manson, the leader of a notorious group of killers dubbed The Manson Family, is still alive and making creepy headlines at 80+ years old. Currently imprisoned at the Corcoran State Prison in California, Manson was recently granted a marriage license to wed 26-year-old Elaine Burton (also known as "Star"), a young woman who has been working for nearly ten years to see a man serving a life sentence for murder exonerated.
David Berkowitz
David Berkowitz, aka the Son of Sam, terrorized the people of NYC in 1976-1977. Berkowitz claimed he was told by a demon dog to shoot his victims. He killed 6 people and wounded 7 more before getting caught in August 1977. Berkowitz received 6 life sentences.
Dennis Nilsen
Dennis Nilsen is a convicted serial killer and necrophiliac who killed 15 young men in the 70s and 80s in England. He cut up the bodies of his victims and disposed of them by flushing pieces down the toilet and burning the rest. He is currently serving a life sentence in HMP Full Sutton Maximum Security Prison in England.
Dennis Rader
Better known as the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader killed 10 people in his native Kansas over a span of almost 20 years starting in 1974. Rader bound, tortured and killed his victims and then sent letters to the police and news outlets bragging about his crimes. He was caught in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison, one life sentence for each murder.
Gary Ridgway
Often known as the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway killed at least 49 people, with the number of victims probably closer to 90. Ridgway lured prostitutes away to be strangled and raped. He dumped the bodies in the forested areas in Washington, but his first five victims were found in the Green River. He was caught in 2001 after nearly twenty years of murders and sentenced to life in prison.
Hu Wanlin
During the early 1990s, Hu Wanlin was in prison for human trafficking. That didn't stop him from opening a medical practice while jailed. Once he was released after a retrial in 1997, Hu treated hundreds of patients with an herbal remedy that actually contained sodium sulphate. 146 people died of his treatments. He was arrested in 1999 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for practicing medicine without a license.
Wayne Williams
Throughout 1979-1981, Atlanta was terrorized by the Atlanta Child Murders where 29 children were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered. After Wayne Williams was arrested in 1981 for the murder of two adults, police began to suspect that he was the dreaded child serial killer. Although Williams still maintains he is innocent of the child murders, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Donato Bilancia
In Italy, Donato Bilancia was responsible for the seven-month long crime spree in 1997 that resulted in the deaths of 17 people, both men and women. His motives for each crime were different, from robbery to sexual assault. He was arrested in 1998 and given 13 life sentences, along with 20 extra years for his sex crimes.
Maxim Petrov
Russian doctor Maxim Petrov was arrested in 2000 for murdering at least 19 people through a lethal drug combination. He stole from them and then set fire to the homes of his victims. He is currently serving a life sentence.