You must have heard about many serial killers. But if you have noticed, the majority of the known serial killers in the US are men from the white race. For instance, the notorious Ted Bunty or Jeffrey Dahmer, who gained a lot of media recognition for their crimes. While there is a list of serial killers who are not very popular. In this article, we are going to discuss serial killers of African origin who are unheard of. Read the full article about the most famous black serial killers.
1. Samuel Little
When it comes to famous black serial killers, Samuel Little tops the list without any doubt. Initially, this African American man was arrested in 2012 for his involvement in a drug racket. However, later during the investigation, it was found that his DNA was linked to the murders of three women in the city of Los Angeles in the 1980s.
The police arrested Little at a shelter for the homeless in the southern state of Kentucky, after which he was extradited to California. Soon the police discovered that he might also be responsible for several other murders. Although initially, the black serial killer California fought for his innocence, the court found him guilty of the murders and served him with life imprisonment. Later on, he confessed to having committed 93 murders, out of which the FBI was only able to prove 50. Samuel Little died in 2012 in prison at the age of 80.
2. Wayne Williams
The infamous Wayne Williams is known for the Atlanta child murders that happened during the 1970s. His victims were both adults and children, with the most common racial profile of black males. He was charged with a total of 28 murders, which people thought to have a racial motivation behind. But later, they were proved to be sex crimes.
Police got suspicious when they found Wayne close to one of the dumped bodies. So, he was finally arrested when he failed a polygraph test and his alibis turned out to be weak. Moreover, the police linked the dog hair fibers from Wayne’s car with the ones found on the bodies of the victims. In 1982, the court served him with two consecutive life sentences. (See How to tell someone is a Psychopath?)
3. Henry Louis Wallace
Henry Louis Wallace raped and murdered ten women in the 1990s. These murders took place around the area of North Carolina. He was given the nickname of “Taco Bell Strangler” because he was working as a supervisor in one of their chain stores. Wallace confessed all his crimes to the police once he was arrested. He was found guilty of 9 murders and is currently serving death row. However, it is suspected that he has more victims than people know about.
4. Carl Eugene Watts
Another name on the list of famous black serial killers is Carl Eugene Watts. Carl was an African American man who kidnapped, tortured, and killed 14 women. In 1982, he received a sentence of 60 years in exchange for a full confession of his crimes. Watts died of prostate cancer in 2007. (See Degradation Ceremony and its History)
5. Derrick Todd Lee
Lee was charged with the murders of two women. One of these was bludgeoned and stabbed more than 80 times to death by this famous black serial killer. Additionally, he is suspected to have committed many more murders between 1998 and 2003. However, he died at the hospital when he was taken for emergency treatment.
6. Lorenzo Gilyard
Gilyard is one of the famous black serial killers who was suspected of raping and killing 13 women. Most of them were sex workers. However, in 2007, he was sentenced to imprisonment for life by the court for the murders of 6 women, which he was found guilty of. (See What does it feel like to be in prison?)
7. Mark Goudeau
Mark Goudeau, infamously known as the Baseline Killer, was charged with nine murders, 15 sexual assaults, and multiple other crimes that happened in the Phoenix area between 2006 and 2007. He received multiple life sentences with a total of 438 years.
8. Ray Joseph Dandridge
In 2006, the court served him with three consecutive life sentences for the three murders committed by him. In addition, he also acted as an accomplice in the murder of a family during the same week. This famous black serial killer was sentenced to life in prison whereas his accomplice died by lethal injection.
9. Eugene Victor Britt
Britt is also one of the most famous black serial killers ever known. He confessed to raping and murdering multiple women, one of which one was an eight-year-old girl. He was given a sentence of life imprisonment and an additional 100 years for the murder of the little girl. Also, later in 2006, he was again given an additional 245 years in prison. (See 11 Facts on Death Row Inmate Brenda Andrew)
10. Ivan Hill
Ivan Hill, also known as the 60 Freeway Killer was convicted for the murders of 6 women who were all found dead on the Pomona (60) Freeway. Furthermore, his DNA was later linked to two additional murders from the same period. Hill has been sentenced a death row for his crimes.
11. Harrison Graham
Harrison Graham is one of the famous black serial killers who was charged for the murders of 7 women, as he strangled all of them while being involved in sexual intercourse. He was also charged with abusing his victims’ bodies after murdering them. Since he was considered mentally ill, he was served with life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.
