7 Terrifying Florida Serial Killers

Florida has a long and tragic history of serial killers, with 778 documented victims since 1900. In the 1980s, the state recorded 247 serial murders, making it the third-most dangerous state in the United States. Some of the most notorious serial killers from Florida include Aileen Wuornos, Bobby Joe Long, Ted Bundy, Gary Ray Bowles, Danny Rolling, Oscar Ray Bolin Jr., and Ottis Toole.

Aileen Wuornos, also known as Susan Lynn Blahovec, gained infamy for shooting and killing seven men, claiming self-defense as her motive. Throughout the 70s and 80s, she had a criminal record filled with violence, theft, assault, and battery charges. Wuornos worked as a prostitute and claimed her victims had raped her. Her life was portrayed in the 2003 movie “Monster,” with Charlize Theron playing the lead role.

Bobby Joe Long, also known as the Classified Ad Rapist, sexually assaulted, abducted, and killed over ten women in Florida. His sadistic modus operandi included disposing of bodies in unusual poses and deriving pleasure from rape and murder. Long was arrested in 1984 after his last victim, who he held for twenty-six hours, was released and led authorities to him.

Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, killing over thirty people. He managed to escape capture twice in 1977 before being recaptured in 1978 and eventually sent to the electric chair. Besides being a prolific serial killer, Bundy was a necrophile who kept the heads of twelve of his victims as mementos and engaged in sexual acts with their corpses.

Other Florida serial killers include Gary Ray Bowles, who murdered six people in 1994, Danny Rolling, also known as the Gainesville Ripper, who killed eight people in Florida and Louisiana, Oscar Ray Bolin Jr., aka Bolin the Butcher, convicted of stabbing and beating three women, and Ottis Toole, who was an arsonist, cannibal, and serial killer of more than six people. These individuals had troubled childhoods and led lives filled with violence and crime before being apprehended and brought to justice.