However he was actually convicted of a sample of 15 murders.
Harold Shipman, with 218 probable murders and possibly as many as 250 ( see "Medical professionals", below). The most prolific modern serial killer is arguably Dr. Serial killers with the highest known victim count 5 Medical professionals and pseudo-medical professionals.4 Serial killers with fewer than five proven victims.3 Serial killers with 5 to 14 proven victims.1 Serial killers with the highest known victim count.This list does not necessarily include war criminals or members of democidal governments, such as Adolf Hitler, Francisco Franco, Hideki Tojo, Suharto, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot. Some of these crimes are unsolved, but were included because they are the work of a serial killer, despite nobody being caught. The fifth column states the number of possible victims the killer could have murdered. The fourth column in the table states the number of victims definitely assigned to that particular serial killer, and thus the table is in order of that figure. 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. This list shows serial killers from the 20th century to present day by number of victims. There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few days to months, or many years. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)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.