Emily Flores
What is it about certain criminals that makes their names stand out through time and across continents? Maybe it’s the sheer guts it takes to pull off a heist worthy of a Hollywood script. Or maybe it’s the psychological puzzle of trying to understand what on earth would drive someone to commit the unthinkable. Either way, the world can’t seem to look away when these 20 names hit the headlines.
Al Capone
During the Prohibition era, one figure in Chicago rose to power by controlling the illegal liquor trade, which generated millions. He gained a twisted reputation as a public figure who donated to charities and created a Robin Hood image for himself.
Pablo Escobar
The Medellin Cartel’s leader, Pablo Escobar, smuggled an estimated 80% of the world’s coke. This paradoxical man constructed hospitals and schools to win public support, though he bore responsibility for thousands of deaths. Escobar appeared on a “Forbes” list as one of the planet’s richest people from 1987 all the way to 1993.
Ted Bundy
A facade of charm and intelligence concealed a killer who deceived countless people. Bundy confessed that he had murdered 30 women across various states. If you don’t remember, the serial killer escaped police custody twice and committed further murders as a fugitive, which turned his trials into media spectacles.
John Dillinger
The FBI labeled him “Public Enemy No. 1,” a title he seemingly relished, especially after escaping jail using a wood-carved gun. John Dillinger was a theatrical celebrity during the Great Depression. Over twenty banks and four police stations were robbed in just over a year.
Jeffrey Dahmer
The gruesome actions of one Milwaukee man were a true shock to the nation after he killed and dismembered 17 men and boys. Luring victims to his apartment with promises of money, he performed horrific acts of cannibalism and more.
Bonnie Parker And Clyde Barrow
The Great Depression gave rise to an iconic duo that became folk heroes for their wild crime spree. They robbed banks and small stores, romanticizing their story even as they killed 12 people. Bonnie often wrote poetry, with her work eventually published after the pair was shot in a police ambush.
Charles Manson
His manipulative traits, combined with hypnotic power, created an eerie control over his followers. Charles Manson ordered the brutal 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders and killed seven people to fulfill an apocalyptic vision he had created. The trial soon became a cultural spectacle and is still talked about from time to time.
Jack The Ripper
A series of unsolved murders terrified London in 1888. Known only by a moniker, this criminal murdered at least five women and taunted the police with chilling letters. His true identity remains a topic of endless debate and has inspired many books and TV shows.
John Wayne Gacy
While performing as a beloved clown for children’s parties, John Wayne Gacy appeared to be a respected community figure. But beneath that friendly exterior was someone who murdered and raped 33 young boys and buried most in his home. This case reshaped how forensic science and investigators profile serial killers.
Osama Bin Laden
As a symbol of global terrorism, Osama orchestrated multiple attacks, the most devastating of which was the September 11 attacks in 2001, killing almost 3,000 people. He hid from authorities for a decade following his actions, continuing to record propaganda videos until his death in 2011.
H.H. Holmes
In the 1890s, one man earned a grim title by building a Chicago hotel with secret passages and trapdoors. Known as the “Murder Castle,” the building served as a place to defraud insurance companies and was likely involved in the killings of at least nine people.
Aileen Wuornos
Considered the first woman labeled a serial killer in the U.S., she murdered seven men in Florida who attempted to assault her. She always claimed those acts as self-defense. Her life’s journey was documented in a high-profile trial, which later inspired the film “Monster,” starring Charlize Theron.
Ted Kaczynski
Ted mailed bombs, ultimately killing three people and injuring 23 others. He was a man from a remote Montana cabin who waged a war against technology that spanned almost two decades. His own brother eventually recognized the writing style from his manifesto, which was published by newspapers.
Richard Ramirez
A terrifying figure, the “Night Stalker” committed a series of home invasions, murders, and assaults across Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Obsessed with the occult, he often left satanic symbols behind. Ultimately, his rampage ended when a mob of angry citizens caught him.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman
Known as “El Chapo,” a drug emperor, he became world-famous for his brazen prison escapes—one of them was escaping through a mile-long tunnel. Joaquin amassed billions in drug profits, using an extensive network of safe houses and secret passages throughout Mexico.
Ed Gein
Horrific acts from one man inspired some of the most famous horror stories ever told, like “Psycho” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. Living alone on a Wisconsin farm, he murdered two women, exhumed corpses, and created household items from human skin and bones.
Charles Ponzi
A fraudulent scheme promising fantastic returns to investors defrauded people of $20 million in 1920. Charles Ponzi operated by simply using new investors’ money to pay off old ones. The scheme became inseparable from his name, and he practically became a celebrity in the world of white-collar crime.
Jesse James
During the Wild West era, a notorious figure emerged leading the James-Younger Gang through a string of bold bank and train heists. He was seen as a Robin Hood figure by some Southerners and became an icon of rebellion. After a long career, Jesse James was betrayed and killed by a fellow gang member.
Amado Carrillo Fuentes
A man known as the “Lord of the Skies” ran the Juarez Cartel and earned billions by using a fleet of Boeing 727s to traffic drugs into the United States. His extravagant lifestyle came to a sudden halt, however, as he died during a lengthy plastic surgery procedure meant to change his appearance and evade law enforcement.
James “Whitey” Bulger
Boston was once dominated by a ruthless mob boss, the leader of the Winter Hill Gang, overseeing murder and racketeering. His status as an FBI informant while committing crimes was a shocking revelation. After evading capture for 16 years, James was finally found and killed in prison in 2018.