Murderers, oh my. There's just something fascinating about the world's worst people. We're fascinated by what motivates them and how they work, particularly the strange little peculiarities that all of the larger ones appear to share.
There are calling cards left on the scene, cryptic notes to authorities, and other things, but the trophies are the best serial killer quirk (and we're talking about killers, so best actually means worst). Killers sometimes take from someone they've slain, whether to relive their crimes, prove them, or simply to make a human skin suit—and some of what they take is absurd. Even more insane than usual. This list counts ten of the strangest, wildest, or most grisly trophies ever taken from victims by killers.
The media has a history of nicknaming every serial killer they can find, and if the killer has ever taken trophies, that's your name. Charles Albright, sometimes known as "The Eyeball Killer,"
is a prime example of this. Albright spent the majority of his adult life bouncing about from one crime to the next. Theft, illegal firearms, assault, and fraud were only a few of his misdeeds. It was apparent that his mental state had deteriorated by the time he sexually abused a kid. He then proceeded to slaughter the victims, even mutilating their bodies. Despite his arrest and conviction, investigators never located their eyeballs, which he used as mementos.
You may know Ivan Milat as the "Backpacker Murderer" or "Australia's Worst Serial Killer," but you may be surprised to learn about the unique trophy collection he accumulated from his seven victims.
Milat preyed on hikers, promising them rides before luring them into the woods, where he shot and/or stabbed them. His victims were presumably on their way to or returning from a camping trip, as he took their camping gear as trophies. When authorities examined Milat's residence, they discovered a "Aladdin's Cave" of camping gear, in their words. You name it: sleeping bags, a portable stove, and canteens. Ivan Milat was assassinated for it for some inexplicable reason.
You may know Ivan Milat as the "Backpacker Murderer" or "Australia's Worst Serial Killer," but you may be surprised to learn about the unique trophy collection he accumulated from his seven victims. Milat preyed on hikers, promising them rides before luring them into the woods, where he shot and/or stabbed them. His victims were presumably on their way to or returning from a camping trip, as he took their camping gear as trophies. When authorities examined Milat's residence, they discovered a "Aladdin's Cave" of camping gear, in their words. You name it: sleeping bags, a portable stove, and canteens. Ivan Milat was assassinated for it for some inexplicable reason.
In 1985, Robinson met Lisa Stasi while she was homeless and sleeping at a Kansas City women's shelter. Robinson promised Stasi a job, a home, and a better life under a false name, presenting as someone more successful and less murderous. Robinson, on the other hand, murdered Staci and kidnapped her daughter. Stasi's body was never located, but the child, thankfully, survived. Robinson only held her for a few days before handing her over to his brother and sister-in-law. They must have been completely oblivious of her kidnapping. They treated her as if she were their own daughter at the end of the day.
This is a strange entry because the trophy in question just came from a serial killer suspect, thus it could be nothing at all.
The identity of the Oakland County Child Killer, who murdered at least four children in Michigan in the 1970s, was never established decisively. Chris Busch, one of the suspects, stood out, if only for the potential trophy. Busch supposedly committed suicide (which is disputed and warrants further investigation), and a hand-drawn picture was found pinned to the wall above his dead body. It depicted a small youngster crying in anguish, who looked eerily similar to one of the verified victims, Mark Stebbins, a young boy.
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a Hungarian noblewoman whose achievements have gone down in history. Her vicious and cannibalistic activities have become so well-known through the years that she has been suggested as a probable basis for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Her tale, though, is quite likely to have a genuine foundation. Hundreds of young ladies were tortured and slaughtered by Elizabeth Báthory. The main question is whether she stored blood containers for drinking and bathing.
Historians dispute over the veracity of the stories, characterizing them as propaganda, fear mongering, or idle talk. True, Báthory's doctors prescribed rubbing on and drinking healthy, youthful blood to alleviate her seizures when she was a child. It's probable that the blood remained a part of Báthory's life through adulthood, given her targeting of healthy young virgin women and her intense sadism.
Robert Hansen's murder of up to 37 women sounds like something out of a movie. Hansen would abduct and torture his victims before flying them out into the wilds of Alaska, where he would release them and hunt them for sport. He retained the trophy, right? He had a map hidden beneath his headboard with small Xs anywhere he dumped one of their bodies on it.
The map's most unsettling element is that it has 37 Xs on it, although only 17 of Hansen's victims have been confirmed. Some of the 17 were discovered near the X's, including bodies previously unidentified as Hansen's victims. This clearly suggests the map's veracity, as well as the possibility that 20 more of Hansen's victims have yet to be discovered.
At first glance, it may appear like serial killer Eddie Leonski does not belong on this list. After all, he never left a crime scene with a prize after three killings. Instead, Leonski earned his place since he committed every murder only for the aim of acquiring trophies—and he always failed. He failed because obtaining the desperately desired trophies, mainly women's voices, was impossible.
Leonski strangled three women in 1942 while serving in the United States Army during World War II. It was evident from witness testimony that he had attempted to murder several others in a similar manner. Leonski confessed to his crimes after being chosen from a lineup by many women. His justification? He was envious of women's singing voices, just like Ursula the Sea Witch, and only killed to "get at their voices" himself.
If Jerry Brudos was only interested in feet, he would be on the "Top 10 Kinks You Should Stop Shaming" list instead. After all, who cares? Come on, I mean it" (Name still in alpha). Brudos, on the other hand, had an unhealthy obsession with feet. There is far too much.
Brudos was so obsessed with feet that he would murder women, chop off their feet, and use the rotting appendages as models for his shoe line, which was partly based on his victims' feet. Though Brudos's main passion was feet, it's worth noting that he also retained victims' breasts in order to make plastic molds of them to use as paperweights.
David Parker Ray, commonly known as the Toy-Box Killer, is one of history's most prolific serial killers, suspected of more than 60 killings. Ray was an extraordinarily twisted, vicious character if even half of the charges against him, many of which were made by his closest friends and accomplices, are accurate. The trophies he gathered from his victims are horrible, both in content and quantity, as befitting such a rare beast.
Every trophy of Ray's thought to have come from a murder victim is listed on a website maintained by the FBI, complete with photos. The numerous prize photos are devastating, especially given the inhumane torture he inflicted on his victims. Many of them are pieces of jewelry, but some are more personal and private. Worst of all, some of them appeared to have been created by young children. At your own peril, peruse the collection.
You don't get the moniker "The Acid Bath Murderer" because you're a fantastic person. There are, however, things that are far worse than killing and dissolving individuals. There's snatching someone's dog, for example, which is as awful as it gets. That is why The Acid Bath Murderer, John George Haigh, is at the top of this list.
In a word, Haigh's original plot revolves around him being sentenced to prison for fraud and discovering that the best crimes leave no witnesses or proof. As a result, when he was released and returned to his criminal life, he began tying up loose ends and tossing them into acid vats. His most heinous crime occurred after he assassinated Archibald and Rose Henderson in order to steal and sell their belongings. Despite the fact that he sold most of their belongings, he chose to keep and rear their dog for some reason. That's a huge insult on top of an already massive injury.
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