Serial Killers - A Cockroach Easy-Reading Book

Series 101B

© 2023 Cockroach Books

All rights reserved.

Author: Dave Jefferies

Illustrator: J.H. Wingpitt

This book is a work of non-fiction humour and parody, intended solely for entertainment purposes. It is aimed at adult readers and may contain content not suitable for children.

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SERIAL KILLERS!

A COCKROACH EASY-READING BOOK

retold by DAVE JEFFERIES, C.M

with

illustrations

by J.H. Wingpitt

SERIAL KILLERS!

Serial killers walk among us. They are men and women, young and old, of every race. They seem just like normal, regular people. But secretly they are monsters who cleverly hide their true selves. Serial killers are able to blend into everyday life and go unnoticed through lies and trickery. You probably pass them on the street or see them at the store without even realizing it! In the following pages, we'll explore some of the worst serial killers in history. We'll learn how they were able to fool people and get away with their horrible crimes for so long and how they were caught... or not!

Meet the most evil killers ever and decide for yourself - are they the best of the worst, or the worst of the best? The shocking stories start here...

Jack the Ripper!

135 years ago in London, England, there was a mystery killer who was never caught. He was called "Jack the Ripper." From August to November 1888, Jack the Rippermurderedatleast5womenlateat night in the poor Whitechapel area of London.Thevictimswereprostitutesliving on the streets. Jack the Ripper approached them, then brutally attacked and killed the women with a knife. After killing them, he horrifically cut up their bodies. People were very scared, but the police could not figure out who Jack the Ripperwasorcatchhim.Tothisday,Jack the Ripper's real identity remains unknown. He was never found or punished for his terrible crimes against those 5 women in London so long ago. The Ripper is considered to bethe FIRST serialkiller

H. H. Holmes!

Over 100 years ago, there was a very sneakyanddangerousmannamedH.H. Holmes. He built a scary hotel in Chicago filled with secret rooms and trapstohurtpeople.Manyvisitorscame to see the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and stayed at his hotel, not knowing the scary secrets inside. Holmes pretended to be a nice doctor, but he was really a cruel killer. Inside the hotel, he murdered many innocent peopleinhorribleways.Hehadspecial rooms to kill and hide his victims. Nobody knows exactly how many were killed. Holmes was like a real monster hiding in plain sight. He tricked so many people before police finally caught him. Holmes was one of America’sfirstandworstserialkillers.

John Wayne Gacy!

John Wayne Gacy was a scary man whodressedupasaclownforparties. But behind his clown face was a terrible serial killer. In the 1970s, Gacy lured over 30 young boys and men to his home near Chicago. He then murdered them and hid their bodies in the crawl space under his house. Gacy was able to trick people by pretending to be friendly and nice. But he later confessed to being one of America's worst killers. After a long time without getting caught, police finally proved Gacy committed the crimes.Hewasgiventhedeathpenalty and executed in 1994 for his awful deeds. His creepy clown disguise and hugenumberofvictimsmadeGacyone ofthemostevilserialkillers.

Hawley Harvey Crippen!

Hawley Harvey Crippen was not a serial killer but he was still a dangerous man who lived over 100 years ago in London, England. In 1910, Crippen's wife Cora suddenly disappeared from their home. At first, he told police she had gone away to America. But later, parts of a dead body were found buried in Crippen's basement. Uh oh! Police realized Crippen was lying and that he had poisoned and killed his own wife. They started hunting him down. Crippen tried to escape by boat to Canada with his mistress Ethel. But the police caught up to him and arrested Crippen on the ship! He was found guilty of murdering Cora and hanged. Crippen was one of the first criminals to get caught using new police technology, like the telegraph and radio.

Ted Bundy!

In the 1970s, there was a man named Ted Bundy who seemed nice and charming but was really a monster. Bundy kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered numerous young women and girls in horrible ways. He was able to trick his victims by pretending to be injured or disabled, or by posing as an authority figure. Once they got into his car, he would attack them. He confessed to over 30 murders but may have committed many more. Bundy was caught twice but escaped police custody to keep harming people. Finally in 1989 he was given the death penalty for his awful crimes. Ted Bundy remains one of the most evil and notorious serial killers in American history for how he brutally preyed on innocent victims. Bundy is a popular candidate for the most infamous serial killer ever.

Jeffrey

Dahmer!

Richard Ramirez!

In the 1980s, a scary man named Richard Ramirez terrorized people in California. Ramirez broke into homes at night to hurt and murder innocent people. He became known as the "Night Stalker." Police think he killed over a dozen people between 1984 and 1985. Ramirez often left Satanic signs at the crime scenes to scare people. During his violent attacks, he used guns, knives, hammers and more to harm his victims. Everyone was afraid of the evil Night Stalker. Finally, Ramirez was identified and caught by angry citizens. He was found guilty of 13 murders and many other crimes. He sat on death row in jail for decades before dying of cancer in 2013. Ramirez's cruel and random attacks made him one of California's most frightening killers.

Aileen Wuornos was one of America’s most notorious female serial killers. In 1989 and 1990, she murdered at least 7 men in Florida while working as a prostitute. When she was picked up by men, she shot them point blank with a gun and stole their belongings. Wuornos claimed all of her victims had attacked or raped her first and that she acted in self-defense. But police discovered the men were likely innocent and that Wuornos was lying. After a long police hunt, she was eventually arrested and sentenced to death by execution. Right before she died in 2002, Wuornos admitted to committing the murders both in rage and for robbery. She became infamous as a rare female serial killer who fooled and preyed on unsuspecting male victims.

Ed Gein!

In the late 1960s in California, a scary mysterious killer called the "Zodiac" attacked people in frightening ways. He gave himself the creepy name Zodiac in letters he wrote to police and newspapers. The Zodiac murdered at least 5 people that we know of, often couples out together at night. He would approach them with a gun and shoot them for no reason. After the murders, he would send coded messages and clues about his identity. But the police were never able to catch the Zodiac or figure out who he really was. To this day, over 50 years later, both his identity and some of his codes remain unsolved. The random public attacks by the elusive Zodiac kept the people of California in fear.

Harold Shipman!

Harold Shipman was a doctor in England who turned out to be a deadly serial killer. From the 1970s until 1998, Shipman murdered over 200 of his elderly patients. He would inject them with lethal doses of drugs to kill them. Shipman's victims thought they could trust him because he was their doctor. But he betrayed them in the worst way. After patients died suspiciously, other doctors got suspicious of Shipman. When the police investigated, they were shocked at how many patients he had killed. Shipman was caught and sentenced to life in prison for his awful crimes. He took his own life in jail in 2004. Shipman remains one of the worst serial killers in British history, harming helpless patients he was supposed to heal.

Andrei Chikatilo was a frightening killer in the Soviet Union many years ago. Between 1978 and 1990, Chikatilo murdered at least 52 innocent women and children. He approached them at train stations and bus stops and lured them into nearby woods. There he would attack them in very violent ways before killing them. The police had a hard time catching him because they had never dealt with a serial killer before. Finally Chikatilo was arrested and confessed to all of his terrible crimes. He was nicknamed the "Butcher of Rostov" and the "Red Ripper" for how he brutally killed so many people. In 1994, Chikatilo was executed for his horrific murders that terrified Russia.

In the 1960s in Boston, Massachusetts, a man named Albert DeSalvo committed some very scary crimes. Between 1962 and 1964, he broke into many apartments where women lived. He would tie them up and harm them in bad ways. This unknown man was given a creepy nickname - the "Boston Strangler." Police searched but couldn't find who he was at first. Then a man named Albert DeSalvo confessed to being the Boston Strangler. He was put in jail for other crimes, but not for the Boston Strangler attacks. Many years later with new technology, police found more proof that DeSalvo was indeed the Strangler. He was one of the first famous serial criminals in America, frightening people in Boston for years.

In the 1970s, a dangerous man named David Berkowitz stalked the streets of New York City. Between 1976 and 1977, he used a gun to shoot 13 people, killing 6 of them. At the crime scenes he left letters addressed to the police and media from someone calling himself the "Son of Sam." These letters terrified the public and made him famous. The police finally captured Berkowitz and discovered he acted alone, not as part of a group as his letters claimed. He said he took orders to kill from his neighbor's dog! Berkowitz confessed and received life in prison. His random attacks as the mysterious Son of Sam kept New Yorkers afraid of going out at night for over a year.

Marc Dutroux!

Marc Dutroux was a criminal in Belgium who did horrifying things. In the 1980s and 90s, he kidnapped, abused, and murdered several young girls. Dutroux kept some of the girls locked up and half-starved in a hidden basement dungeon under his home. When police finally searched Dutroux's house in 1996, they found the bodies of his victims. All of Belgium was outraged and sad over what had happened. Dutroux went on trial and was found guilty of kidnapping, rape and murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. The terrible crimes committed by Marc Dutroux remain some of the darkest ever in Belgium's history, especially because police had failed to catch him earlier.

In the early 1900s, a frightening man named Peter Kürten lived in Germany. Between 1929 and 1930 he murdered at least 9 people in the city of Düsseldorf. Most victims were women and children who Kürten attacked at night on the streets with knives, hammers, and other weapons. The media gave him a scary nickname"The Vampire of Düsseldorf." This was because he drank the blood of some victims. After a long search, Kürten was finally caught by the police. He confessed to his horrible crimes and explained his dark urges. In 1931, Kürten was found guilty and executed for his evil serial murders that shocked Germany and the world.

John Reginald Halliday Christie!

In the 1940s and 50s in London, England, a man named John Reginald Halliday Christie committed some truly awful crimes. Christie murdered at least 8 women, including his own wife, while living in the same apartment building. He hid the bodies of his victims in closets, under floors, and within the walls of his apartment. Many years later after he moved out, the remains were discovered. The terrible revelations shocked all of England. Christie was caught, confessed, and was sentenced to death. In 1953 he was hanged for his gruesome crimes. Christie was considered one of Britain's most notorious serial killers for how he took advantage of innocent women and hid their bodies within his own home.

Series 101B

This book is for entertainment purposes only. It is NOT intended for children. It is modelled on the classic Ladybird books design and is a parody publication created for adults.

A cockroach easy-reading book for learning, entertainment and education