He became labeled by the media as the "Night Stalker" based that his crimes were committed during the night in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He was evil, and he knew that if he stayed evil in his heart, and the more ruthless, and violent murders he created, the more he would please Satan. He was a very heavy drug user, but he loved the "high" he got from killing. He became very famous in his time (which is what he wanted) because he had the whole homicide team stumped. His killings did not match any other killings in history. He killed young and old, men and women, and violently.
Ed Gein
Although he technically isn't considered a serial killer because he was only charged with the murders of 2 women, I thought it was important to mention him because he is the inspiration behind Norman Bates (Psycho), (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs). Ed Gein became obsessed with his mother after she died, thus leading him to robbing graves for human body parts. He would keep human body parts as trophies. Some of his trophies included a belt made of nipples, a skull which he made into a bowl, but above all, they found that he had been making himself a "suit" made out of women's skin. If you have seen any of the movies above, you will definitely see the similarities.
Ted Bundy
He was just a clean-cut kid and law student. But when he faced rejection from the girl he truly fell in love with, that's when all hell broke loose. He killed women, strangling them and mutilating them. He confessed to about thirty murders. He also was a necrophiliac, which basically means that he slept with the corpses of the dead women.
Charles Manson
He had a very troubled life, which led Charles to be in and out of institutions most of his life. He was a very good manipulator, which led him to creating the Manson Family, which carried out his killings, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate. Going back to the Manson Family, it was composed of young, troubled, easily manipulated women, which of course he had total control of. His plan was for him and his family to have world domination.
Andrew Phillip Cunanan
His is a very sad story to tell. He was labeled as "The Gay Slasher" and became part of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1997. During his killing spree of three months, he killed five people, including Gianni Versace, which in case you didn't know is a very famous fashion designer. Andrew committed suicide by gunshot in 1997, which ended that tragic time.
John Wayne Gacy
If you are scared of clowns, then turn away now! John Gacy was known as Pogo the Clown by day, and he was a serial killer and rapist by night. His victims were teenage boys and young men. Victim count: 33-34
Albert Fish
Although he had only four known murders, when he was captured, he confessed, bragged more likely, about having molested hundreds of children. He was also known as the "Brooklyn Vampire" for one reason: he was a cannibal. He described the way he killed one of his victims, a four year old named Billy, slitting his mouth, torturing him first, actually. He also described how he sliced parts of him and made him into a tasty stew.