11 Terrifying Serial Killers with Extremely High IQs

Nearly everyone knows of the fictional evil genius Hannibal Lecter, but how many real-life serial killers are actually dastardly intelligent? It turns out the theory that all serial killers are geniuses is untrue— one study found they had an average IQ of 94.7. Interestingly enough, their IQs varied based on what method they used to kill, with bombers being the most clever and poisoners being the least. But even though some serial killers may be distinctly average, there are definitely some cases of intelligent murder - and intelligent murderers - out there. And there are some downright evil geniuses that make this list. 

And it makes sense, because to earn the title of serial killer you have to do a pretty substantial amount of killing without getting caught - and that's going to take some brains.

IQ: 147

Andrew Cunanan is most remembered for the slaying of fashion designer Gianni Versace, though he had four other victims. He was a very bright student who reportedly spoke seven languages, but ran into trouble in school when he started pathologically lying. 

From a young age, the gay socialite had an obsession with violent sex, even prostituting himself in his teens. His killing spree began with a former lover named Jeff Trail. But despite numerous kills, the FBI could not catch Cunanan, who use his intelligence to flaunt them, even appearing back on the gay social scene after his murders. Although many refer to Versace as his final victim, eight days later Cunanan killed himself at the age of 27. His motives were never determined. 

IQ: 145

Edmund Kemper was described by investigators as a "natural born killer" and with good reason. At 6' 9", weighing more than 300 pounds, and with an IQ of 145, he was powerful both mentally and physically. His victims included his grandparents, several women, and even his own mother - many estimate his total kill count at around 10. 

In a true evil genius move, it is believed he kept the heads of some of his victims for days before disposing of them. He managed to evade law enforcement for nine years. Although in a twist that separates him from others on this list, he actually turned himself in and requested the death penalty. He didn't get it, but was given eight life sentences. 

IQ: 136

While Ted Bundy might not quite make genius status, his horrific and prolific crimes - along with his ability to evade capture - definitely earn him a spot on this list. Bundy used his smarts to disarm and lure women, he even at one point impersonated a police officer. He would kill and often decapitate his victims, before having sex with their dead bodies. His violence and intelligence gave him a spot on the FBI's most wanted list and he managed to escape more than once. Talk about beating the system. 

His true victim count is unknown, but he ultimately confessed to 30 homicides between 1974 and 1978. 

IQ: 167

Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, had an IQ of 167,  and is probably the ultimate serial killer genius. A math prodigy, he was accepted into Harvard at just 16. But he had a big problem with modern technology. To take a stand against it he mailed bombs, mostly to professors, and between 1978 and 1995, these killed three and injured 23.

He would leave messages encrypted with mathematical codes that not even the FBI could crack. He managed to escape capture for 17 years, a feat showing genuine intelligence. What finally did him in? When his manifesto was released, his brother and sister-in-law recognized the writing style and tipped off the FBI. Who knows if he would have been caught otherwise. 

IQ: 138

Lawrence Bittaker, one half of the Tool Box Killers, had an impressive 138 IQ which he used to capture, rape, torture, and murder five teenage girls. Even before the murders, he had had trouble with the law and while in a state prison was found to be "paranoid and borderline psychotic, with little control over his impulses." But, as many geniuses do, he managed to get himself released.

And when he met Roy Norris, things got really strange. They bought a van, which they nicknamed the "Murder Mack." They often used a wire hanger and pliers to torture their victims and an audio recording remains of them hammering one of their victim's elbows. Once, they even left a body in a random lawn. They were only found out when Norris was picked up on minor drug offenses. 

John Douglas, the FBI agent on the case, described Bittaker as the most disturbing person he'd ever profiled. 

IQ: 152

Despite his high IQ, Carroll Cole was a poor student. As a child, he was forced to watch his mother have sex with other men while his father was away. To keep him from telling his dad, his mother would threaten to beat him. This caused him a great deal of pain, and contributed to his issues with women in his life. 

His first murder is thought to be drowning his friend at the age of 10, though nobody realized it was a murder at the time. He went on to have fantasies of murdering women, and those fantasies turned into a reality. He picked up women in bars and killed them, targeting women he believed to be "loose" or adulterers - just like his mother. He was twice caught by the police in the middle of violent acts but, like any true genius, managed to talk his way out of them. 

He was eventually sentenced and executed for the death of five women, though his death toll could have been much higher. He told an interviewer shortly before his execution, "I just messed up my life so bad that I just don't care to go on." 

IQ: 143

With an IQ of 143 and "a grandiose sense of self importance, failure to conform to social norms and lack of remorse," it's easy to see how Stephan Christopher Stanko's IQ and murders were linked. In fact, he even seemed to train to be a serial killer. He had already served a sentence for assault and kidnapping and even co-authored a book when he was behind bars. But when he was released, he started researching serial killers and articles on famous killers were found in his home.  

He murdered his girlfriend and a fellow library patron. He also sexually assaulted his girlfriend's daughter, who managed to escape and contact the police for help, which is how Stanko was eventually caught. 

IQ: 144

Another famous serial killer of the list, Jeffrey Dahmer actually had a formidable IQ of 144, though his behavior seemed more like that of a mad man. He murdered 17 men between 1978 and 1991. 

He would pick up men, mostly at gay bars, and take them home before drugging and strangling then. After having sex with the corpses, he would mercilessly dismember them, taking photos for posterity along the way. He would also keep body parts, often genitals. As time went on, he also dabbled in cannibalism, lobotomies, and chemical disposal of the bodies.  He was eventually caught when Tracy Edwards, a man wandering around with handcuffs on his wrists, was found by the police and said Dahmer had drugged him. Then the photos were uncovered. He was ultimately killed in prison. 

IQ: Estimated 170

Rodney Alcala, also known as The Dating Game Serial Killer, is the smartest serial killer known to man, with an estimated IQ of 170. His nickname doesn't exactly spark images of genius, but it should, because this guy was such a cold-blooded murderer that in the middle of his many, many kills, he took part in the famous TV show The Dating Game. And he won the date. 

Not only that, despite investigators finding more than 1,000 photos he took of his crimes and some estimates guessing he had around 50 victims, he was only found guilty of five. And on his fist trial for the murder of four women, his crazy IQ meant he managed to get off on technicalities, only being sentenced in 2005 when DNA evidence finally nailed him for the crime. 

And the murders themselves? One victim was beaten to death with a claw hammer and, in a true evil genius move, others were strangled and resuscitated over and over again, just to torture them. "He gets off on the infliction of pain on other people," prosecutor Matt Murphy told the court. "He committed unspeakable acts of horror."

IQ: 160 

A rare female serial killer, Charlene Gallego committed numerous murderous with her husband, Gerald Gallego, in the late 1970s. A violin prodigy with an IQ of 160, some believe that Charlene was the mastermind behind the couple's reign of terror. They kidnapped 10 people, some as young as 13 and mostly female, who they raped and kept as sex slaves before eventually killing them.  

The real genius move? She agreed to testify against her husband, so she only received a sentence of 17 years. She was released in 1997.