serial killers news stories on Newser

Groupon Sees Backlash Over 'Dahmer Tour' Coupon

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:20:25 CST

A gruesome Groupon has sparked an uproar in Milwaukee. The daily deal website offered a coupon for a tour of "the hunting grounds" of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The deal sold out, but a flurry of negative reaction caused Groupon to pull its affiliation with the company organizing the event,...

'Speed Freak Killer' Got $33K to Tell Where Bodies Were

Mark Russell — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:35:27 CST

A serial killer on Death Row is giving up the locations of the bodies of up to 20 people he killed—for the tidy sum of $33,000, reports the LA Times . Convicted murderer Wesley Shermantine drew maps of two dumping grounds after he was paid by a Sacramento bounty...

Lawyers: John Wayne Gacy Had Accomplice

John Johnson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:57:39 CST

John Wayne Gacy had help abducting and killing at least some of his victims, and one or more accomplices may still be at large, say two criminal defense attorneys who reviewed the cases. The attorneys tell the Chicago Sun-Times that it seems unlikely Gacy could have killed at least three...

Homeless Killer Suspect Accused of 2 More Murders

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:20:05 CST

Authorities believe Itzcoatl Ocampo, the 23-year-old Iraq veteran charged with stabbing four homeless men to death in California, also killed two other people—ones that he knew. Ocampo will be charged today with the murders of Raquel Estrada, 53, and her 34-year-old son, Juan Herrera, the mother and brother of...

Homeless Killer Suspect's Father Is Homeless

Rob Quinn — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:56:23 CST

Itzcoatl Ocampo, the California man accused of stabbing four homeless people to death , often gave money to the homeless, says his father, who is homeless himself. Refugio Ocampo, who lives in the cab of a broken-down truck, says that just a few months ago, his son gave a beggar his...

Booming 'Murderabilia' Sales Spur Outrage

Rob Quinn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:44:00 CST

Sales of the personal effects, letters, and even fingernail clippings of mass murderers and serial killers are stronger than ever thanks to the Internet, but victims' rights advocates say it's time to end the trade in "murderabilia," the Washington Post reports. Only eight states have laws banning convicted killers from...

Missing Prostitute's Bones Found on Long Island

Kevin Spak — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:19:00 CST

Police think they have at last found the remains of missing prostitute Shannan Gilbert, more than a year after the search for her led them to the discovery of a serial killer's graveyard . After an exhaustive, weeklong search of a 100-acre marsh in Oak Beach on Long Island, police found...

Jeans of Missing Woman Found on LI Beach

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:15:00 CST

Clothing and a purse believed to belong to a female escort who advertised her services on Craigslist have been found on an Long Island beach nearly two years after she vanished. Police discovered Shannan Gilbert's jeans, cell phone, shoes, and a purse with identification near the community of Oak Beach....

Cops: It's Likely Just 1 Serial Killer on Long Island

John Johnson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:24:29 CST

Long Island police say there's probably just one local serial killer responsible for the murders of 10 people whose bodies were stashed along desolate parts of Ocean Parkway, reports Newsday . Earlier this year, investigators began working on the theory that multiple killers were at large, mostly because two victims didn't...