# The Craziest Serial Killer Story you've never heard of **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177 "2009-12-06T06:01:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/1 "2009-12-06T06:01:03Z")
[Yong-Chul Yoo.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoo_Young-chul) Here’s the movie made about his crimes: > **[Chaser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser_(film))** > > Chaser, The Chaser or Chasers may refer to: I really enjoy[reading about and studying serial killers](http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/index.html). I think they reveal a fundamental aspect about human nature that we could all benefit from if we could learn why they do what they do. As a fan of CSI, I find it rather sad that many serial killers before 1990 couldn’t be caught because technology wasn’t available, and that the evidence can’t be used today (usually because of storage issues.) One of the most famous stories of a serial killer who seemingly had help from a bungling police department was Jeffrey Dahmer, who had one of his drugged victims escape, naked and incoherent, and the police _brought him back to Dahmer,_ dismissing the entire incident as a homosexual lover’s spat. That being said, the story of Yong-Chul has so many absurdities, the film almost seems like a parody or comedy. That is, until you read the real story, and find that the there were so many screw-ups that the reality seems like a parody of the film. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/2 "2009-12-06T07:10:16Z")
So uh… what did happen in the story of Yong-Chul? The Wiki link didn’t really explain his capture at all. The movie pretty much has him being chased by an ex-cop turned Pimp and the Police releasing him, I’m curious to know how much weirder the real life story was. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/3 "2009-12-06T09:29:40Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > So uh… what did happen in the story of Yong-Chul? The Wiki link didn’t really explain his capture at all. The movie pretty much has him being chased by an ex-cop turned Pimp and the Police releasing him, I’m curious to know how much weirder the real life story was. In a nutshell, he had a homemade hammer, climbed over people’s walls, clubbed them to death in their homes, was caught by the police several times but released, one time walking out of the police station when he wasn’t being watched, killed over 20 people (and only 2 were reported missing) and one of the times he was caught, the _only_ evidence they had **was his full confession** …and then he was released again. The only hard evidence they had against him was a partial footprint from one of the early home invasions. Oh, and in the middle of it, he married a hooker, had a son with her, when he weirded her out and left him, that’s when he switched to murdering hookers instead of Christians. Did I mention he preyed on people who attended church? It took a group of pimps, working together, to piece the puzzle together and figure out it was the same phone number calling when girls disappeared. Yep, a group of pimps did a _phone record check_, set up a sting, and caught him easily. ---
**Author:** ![Cort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@Cort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cort)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/4 "2009-12-06T09:56:06Z")
That is mental. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/5 "2009-12-06T16:36:29Z")
I’m not sure what serial killers say about human nature other than, ‘‘Sometimes brain dysfunction causes people to do really fucked up things.’’ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/6 "2009-12-06T18:37:16Z")
> [@](#): > > One of the most famous stories of a serial killer who seemingly had help from a bungling police department was Jeffrey Dahmer, who had one of his drugged victims escape, naked and incoherent, and the police brought him back to Dahmer, dismissing the entire incident as a homosexual lover’s spat. There’s also John Jamelske. He built a secret basement under his house. He then abducted women off the street and locked them in his basement. He would hold them captive for months while repeatedly raping them. He then released them out on the street somewhere. The thing was the women never knew Jamelske’s name or where he lived. And the police found the story that they had been held captive for months and then released to be too unbelievable to take seriously. They’d investigate it but soon drop it because they figured the victim just made up the story to cover up where she had really been. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/7 "2009-12-06T19:11:41Z")
[Ed Gein.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein) Not really that vicious of a serial killer, but most of the Buffalo Bill stuff from Silence of the Lambs was based on him. Also Psycho. If I remember correctly, he’s the real-life guy that has the most movie characters based on stuff he did. Lampshades made of skin, belts of nipples, whole flays of human chests on the wall. When they went to investigate a couple missing women, they walked through his shed and one of the police officers bumped into a skinned deer hanging from the ceiling. Oops, looks like it wasn’t a deer… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/8 "2009-12-06T19:23:32Z")
I believe that Gein only actually killed two people, though. Most of the body parts in his house came from looted graves. He was a necrophile, and a multiple murderer, but I don’t think he fit the technical definition of a serial killer. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/9 "2009-12-06T19:35:01Z")
He was only convicted of one murder but was suspected in the disappearance of three women. But the shit that was found in his house definitely suits the definition of craziest in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/10 "2009-12-06T20:23:20Z")
[List of serial killers by country - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_by_country) Lots of them in the world, but we still win. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/11 "2009-12-06T20:23:54Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I’m not sure what serial killers say about human nature other than, ‘‘Sometimes brain dysfunction causes people to do really fucked up things.’’ I think there’s patterns, and identifying those patterns will help catch them. And maybe, if it’s physical, we can give them surgery to prevent them from doing it (although there’s all kinds of ethical and rights issues with “preventive behavior modification.”) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/12 "2009-12-06T20:30:08Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I think there’s patterns, and identifying those patterns will help catch them. And maybe, if it’s physical, we can give them surgery to prevent them from doing it (although there’s all kinds of ethical and rights issues with “preventive behavior modification.”) Oh, I understand the point of studying them. I do hope someone with a far stronger stomach than mine will be able to help these people and prevent these terrible things from happening to others. I just find it really horrifying, in an existential, ‘‘Why should I bother to live in a world where this happens to people?’’ kind of way. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/13 "2009-12-06T21:22:00Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > He was only convicted of one murder but was suspected in the disappearance of three women. But the shit that was found in his house definitely suits the definition of craziest in my opinion. I think it was Robert Bloch who said, when asked why people were fixated on Gein, “Because they haven’t heard of Albert Fish.” ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/14 "2009-12-06T21:28:16Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I think it was Robert Bloch who said, when asked why people were fixated on Gein, “Because they haven’t heard of Albert Fish.” I was just about to give old Albert a mention. One decidedly dodgy dude. [Here’s an interesting link.](http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.reclamando.com.br/%3Faction%3Dread%26eid%3D295%26id%3D879%26system%3Dnews&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Pedrinho%2BMatador%2522%26start%3D50%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_enCA238CA238%26sa%3DN) ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/15 "2009-12-06T22:45:27Z")
My fave is Robert Wayne Gacy. He is basically the proof behind the “Wayne as the most evil middle name” idea, and his part time job as a party clown just puts his creepy level into the stratosphere. Gein, Fish, Dahmer, etc. all fit into the “looked harmless” mold, but Gacy gives nightmares. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/16 "2009-12-06T23:10:03Z")
Earle Leonard Nelson aka The Gorilla Killer > **[Earle Nelson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earle_Nelson)** > > Earle Leonard Nelson (né Ferral; May 12, 1897 – January 13, 1928), also known in the media as the Gorilla Man, the Gorilla Killer, and the Dark Strangler, was an American serial killer, rapist, and necrophile, who is considered the first known serial sex murderer of the twentieth century. Born and raised in San Francisco, California, by his devoutly Pentecostal grandmother, Nelson exhibited bizarre behavior as a child, which was compounded by head injuries he sustained in a bicycling accide N... For more– [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial\_killers/history/earle\_nelson/1.html](http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/history/earle_nelson/1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/17 "2009-12-06T23:55:52Z")
I am a fan of the Crime Library they have some good stories on there and it’s a good way to kill an evening when you’re bored. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/18 "2009-12-07T00:41:53Z")
Here’s another fascinating film/case study that hasn’t really hit crimelibrary either, but it’s not as interesting a story as Yong-Chul since this one was never solved: [Memories of Murder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_of_murder) [The Thursday Night Killer](http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/weird/yoo_young_cheol/12.html) Nice, crimelibrary mixed up the two. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/19 "2009-12-07T04:31:46Z")
A guy I worked with had a daughter kidnapped and killed by Ted Bundy. I could never broach the subject . I didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it or if it would have made him feel better. It hung over everything. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177/20 "2009-12-07T04:45:42Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > My fave is Robert Wayne Gacy. He is basically the proof behind the “Wayne as the most evil middle name” idea, and his part time job as a party clown just puts his creepy level into the stratosphere. > > Gein, Fish, Dahmer, etc. all fit into the “looked harmless” mold, but Gacy gives nightmares. 🙂 Even worse was his brother John Wayne Gacy. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-craziest-serial-killer-story-youve-never-heard-of/520177.md?page=2)