The list of serial killers who have preyed on women and children throughout history is so unbearably long that it seems almost commonplace. Much rarer is the serial killer that seeks out male victims, which is why it’s all the more interesting to uncover the motives and mindsets of these devious, vicious killers. Which famous serial killers killed only men? Why did they set their sights on male victims? What became of these serial killers after they were caught? This list seeks to answer those questions and more.
Serial killers of men come from all genders, sexualities and backgrounds. While some of these serial killers chose their victims in order to steal from them, others had more sexually motivated reasons. A few of these serial killers killed gay men in a twisted attempt to battle their own sexual desires. Female serial killers also had a myriad of motives from financial to mental disorders. While some of these serial killers were of sane mind, a few of them lived out their days in mental institutions.
The famous serial killers on this list chose men as their sole victims, for one reason or another, often earning them a spot behind bars.
40 Famous Serial Killers of Men,
Adolfo Constanzo
Cult leader Adolfo Constanzo was a strong believer in the power of magic, especially when it came to building a successful drug cartel. He and his partner Sara Aldrete abducted and murdered many men as part of human sacrificial rituals. When Constanzo was surrounded by police, he ordered one of his followers to kill him so the police could never take him in.
Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos, the serial killer depicted in the film "Monster," starring Charlize Theron, killed seven men. Wuornos worked as a prostitute and came into contact with her victims, each of whom she claimed tried to rape her. Although she claimed self-defense, she was still sentenced to death. She was executed by lethal injected on October 9, 2002.
Dean Corll
Dean Corll is often referred to as the Candy Man, because he owned a candy factory and had a history of handing out free candy to children. As if that wasn't creepy enough, he also raped, tortured and murdered at least 28 boys in the '70s. Nobody was the wiser about his evil streak until his accomplice Elmer Wayne Henley shot and killed Corrl and then called the police to confess.
Dennis Nilsen
Dennis Nilsen has a reputation as both a serial killer and necrophiliac for his involvement in the murders of 15 men between 1978 and 1983. He killed his victims by strangulation and drowning but believed that his ritual of bathing the bodies made his killings humane. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Fritz Haarmann
Fritz Haarman was also sometimes known as the Vampire of Hanover due to his history of killing, raping and biting the throats of his male victims. He killed at least 27 young men, during 1918-1924, many of whom were prostitutes. He was executed via guillotine in 1925.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Between 1978 and 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 young men. He earned the name the Milwaukee Cannibal because he ate some of his victims. He received 15 life sentences, but he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994.
John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy killed and sexually assaulted at least 33 teenage boys. The murders took place in Chicago between 1972 and 1978. He was caught in 1980 and executed on May 10, 1994. His history of dressing like a clown for a living got him the nickname Killer Clown.
Patrick Kearney
Patrick Kearney, aka "The Freeway Killer," killed at least 43 young men and teenagers during the 1970s. He picked up young men in gay bars or hitchhikers, before killing and raping them. Kearney plead guilty to his crimes to avoid the death penalty. He's currently incarcerated with 21 life sentences.
Sara Aldrete
Sara Aldrete was second in command to Adolfo Constanzo in his religious cult, which abducted drug dealers in order to use them in human sacrificial rituals. By 1989, they had killed a large, but unknown, amount of men. However, when they killed the American tourist, Mark J. Kilroy, they got unwanted police attention. Aldrete is currently serving 30 years in prison.
Juan Corona
Mexican serial killer Juan Corona killed at least 25 men who worked as traveling laborers. Corona buried the bodies on fruit ranches in California. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1973.