He was a modern day Robin Hood, with a vicious bite. Pablo Escobar dreamed of being a millionaire as a small child and with ruthlessness and determination, he killed his way to the top, becoming the Columbian Cartel Kingpin of the 1970-80s. Escobar had a saying, “silver or lead,” meaning either you were with him and took the bribe or you were against him and you would die by bullets. He turned Columbia into the murder capital of the world, and was responsible for around 4,000-5,000 murders. His dark side unprecedented, Escobar also cared deeply for the impoverished conditions of his countrymen, taking care of the poor and less fortunate. Because of his compassion towards them, when Escobar was eventually convicted his people defended him to the very end. 

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A mathematical prodigy and former professor at Cal Berkeley, Ted Kaczynski became widely known as the “Unabomber” after mailing bombs to universities and airlines between 1978 and 1995. After struggling at Berkeley, he decided to live a survivalist lifestyle in a cabin in Montana and adopted an anti-government and anti-technology philosophy. His bombing campaign resulted in the death of three people and injured 23 more. He would often send written manifestos on the problems of modern society and demand that they be printed in the paper.

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He was the king of terrorism. On the FBI’s Most Wanted list for more than a decade, Bin Laden was the founder of Al Qaeda and crusaded for global jihad. The prime target of his attacks was the United States of America. The most tragic was the attack on the World Trade Center, in New York, September 11th, 2001 - yet another date that will live in infamy. Bin Laden orchestrated his plan with 19 militants used to hijack four airplanes designed to carry out suicide missions on targets within the United States. Two of the planes crashed into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center, while a third plane hit the Pentagon. The fourth plane, believed to be headed toward the White House, never reached its intended target due to the heroism of its fated passengers. Osama Bin Laden wanted war with the United States and that is exactly what he got. He was found and killed by Navy Seals on May 2, 2011.

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A former Texas music teacher and choir leader, Marshall Applewhite was the founder of the Heaven’s Gate, a religious group which organized the largest American mass suicide since Jonestown. Applewhite lured and brainwashed willing followers with promises that extraterrestrials would grant them new bodies for spiritual enlightenment. In 1985, Applewhite and his followers rented a mansion in San Diego and planned a mass suicide they deemed as the “Final Exit”. They proceeded to end their lives by voluntarily suffocating themselves with plastic bags and overdosing on drugs.

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Police officer turned killer, Laurie Bembenek, was convicted for the 1981 murder of her then husband’s ex-wife, Christine Schultz. Schultz’s home was broken into and she was gagged and blindfolded along with her sons. The cold-blooded killer then made the sons listen as she cruelly shot their mother dead. Bembenek claimed she was framed but the evidence was overwhelming. The murder weapon was her husband’s police revolver and fibers from a wig she owned were also found at the scene. Testimony claimed that Bembenek often spoke about killing Schultz, out of jealous rage. Eight years into her sentence, Bembenek again made headlines after she escaped from prison – an episode that inspired books, movies and the slogan, “Run Bambi, Run.”

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Hitchhiking, sex worker, Aileen Wuornos garnered national attention after she was charged with murdering at least six different men in less than a year by shooting them at point-blank range. Wuornos’ sanity proved to be a challenge for prosecutors, but she confidently plead guilty to each charge made against her. She was executed by lethal injection in 2002. Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her portray of Wuornos in the movie, “Monster.”

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The Canadian serial killer, alongside her husband Paul Bernardo, drugged, raped and murdered three women, including her own younger sister. While the world watched in shock as her sentencing unfolded, Karla struck a deal claiming that she had been an unwilling accomplice to her husband and walked away a free woman in 2005 after only serving 12 years in prison. In recent years, she was met with protesters trying to prevent her from working in a school.

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18-year-old Melissa Drexler attended high school in New Jersey where she was impregnated by her boyfriend in 1997. Ignoring her stomach cramps, Drexler arrived at her school’s Prom and gave birth to her son in a bathroom stall. The miraculous moment turned into murder when the teen suffocated the child, wrapping him in a plastic bag and discarding her baby in the trash. Drexler returned to the dance floor as if nothing happened, blaming the blood trail on her period. It's not until janitors discovered the deceased baby in the dumpster that Drexler was finally discovered for the killer she is.

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From All-American to convicted murderer, Aaron Hernandez’ early career success as tight end for the New England Patriots was shockingly overshadowed by his violent life as a killer. Hernandez’ temper seemed to get the best of him in situations, and he was charged with the first-degree murder of friend Odin Lloyd and also indicted in connection with two drive-by murders in 2012. Without the possibility of parole on his life sentence, Hernandez ultimately saw no way out from it all and tragically took his own life in prison in 2017.

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