- Famous unsolved serial killers outside usa license#
- Famous unsolved serial killers outside usa series#
She reportedly took part in the assassinations of Claudius and Britannicus, while she was one of Emperor Nero’s most favorite people for many years, who used her as a trainer for other ambitious poisoners in his service. Inventive, coldblooded, and extremely intelligent, Locusta was a dedicated, masterful botanist who used chemistry in order to give people heart attacks for fun and profit. Locusta of Gaul: The First Female Serial Killer in Western Historyīearing the not-so-flattering title of the “first female serial killer in Western history,” Locusta lived in Rome more than 1,900 years ago. She was eventually overthrown and burned alive. But, her luck was to run out and end her gruesome reign. Queen Anula of Sri Lanka poisoned her son and four husbands in her quest to become queen regnant, which she did for five years.
Famous unsolved serial killers outside usa series#
Her reign was filled with secret love affairs, a series of murders, plenty of poison, and a very tragic end for the queen herself. Known as one of the biggest misandrists in Asian history, Queen Anula reigned from 47 to 42 BC and was the first queen in Sri Lankan history to have wielded so much power. ( Public domain ) Queen Anula of Anuradhapura: Misandrist and Sri Lankan Serial Killer Lui Pengli was an infamous serial killer in China, said to be the first recorded true serial killer in history. One of his victims’ sons would eventually report his bloody hobby to the emperor, but instead of obeying the court’s suggestion of death, the emperor spared his kin, only stripping him of his titles and banishing him from the kingdom. For more than two decades, the blood-thirsty Pengli would go out on marauding expeditions with tens of slaves or young men who were in hiding from the law.ĭuring his reign of terror, Liu Pengli murdered over a hundred people in total, seizing their possessions for sheer sport, as recorded by Sima Qian in Records of the Great Historian.
Famous unsolved serial killers outside usa license#
Also known as the Prince of Jidong, Liu Pengli was a 2nd Century BC Han prince who thought that he had a license to kill.
While historians are still debating if Procrustes was a real historical figure or not, Liu Pengli is undoubtedly the first recorded serial killer in history. (British Museum / CC BY 2.5 ) Liu Pengli: The First Bona Fide Serial Killer in History Theseus fighting the infamous serial killer Prokrustes, as depicted on an Attic red-figured kylix from around 440 to 430 BC. Procrustes is still discussed today thanks to his “Procrustean bed,” which has become proverbial for arbitrarily-and violently-forcing someone or something to fit into an unnatural scheme or pattern. La Quintrala: Flaming Redhead Serial Killer Evaded Captureįortunately, Procrustes was destroyed by his own method by the younger and stronger Theseus, who would later murder the Minotaur of Crete as well.Legends of Spring Heeled Jack, the Uncatchable Demon of Victorian England.As you can probably understand, in both cases the victim died an unenviable death due to this terrible torture. Alternatively, if the victim was longer than the bed, he would cut off their legs to fit. Unknown to his oblivious victims, if they were shorter than the bed, he stretched him by hammering or racking the body to fit. The image comes from a 19th-century German satirical magazine. He usually invited travelers in for a comforting meal and a night's rest in his very “special” iron bed.Ĭaricature of Procrustes, the infamous serial killer from Greek mythology, and his legendary Procrusean bed. The infamous serial killer, Procrustes, also known as "the stretcher,” is a legendary killer from Attica that kept a house by the side of a busy road where he offered hospitality to passing strangers. The first ancient serial killer to appear in popular culture can be found in Greek mythology. Procrustes: Infamous Serial Killer from Greek Mythology Can we learn something from the stories of infamous serial killers from ancient history? Some of the confessions of the worst serial killers were induced under torture, so keep in mind that there could be another side to the historical reports of their abysmal crimes. What is it that makes someone a serial killer? Even though psychologists and criminologists have been working for decades to accurately define and identify what makes a person commit such cold-blooded murders again and again, the causes of psychopathy remain somewhat of a mystery. Why is it that Jack the Ripper the most famous serial killer in history, when there have been more brutal and monstrous serial killers before him? If you don’t believe us, just take a look at the following list of the worst serial killers of antiquity which make the famous, and yet unidentified, British serial killer look like a novice in comparison! Before Jack the Ripper began his legendary killing spree in London in the 1800s, there is a long list of infamous serial killers active throughout history.