This is not a reflection of an individual's overall rank, which may or may not vary depending on personal opinion concerning the nature and circumstances of their crimes. To address this, multiple categories have been provided in order to more accurately describe the nature of certain serial murders. Organization and ranking of serial killings is made difficult by the complex nature of serial killers and incomplete knowledge of the full extent of many killers' crimes. In many cases, the exact number of victims assigned to a serial killer is not known, and even if that person is convicted of a few, there can be the possibility that they killed many more. For those from previous centuries, see List of serial killers before 1900. This list shows all known serial killers from the 20th century to present day by number of victims, then possible victims, then date.

There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few days to months, or many years. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.Ī serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness.

Louisiana serial killer 1920s