Top 30 notorious black serial killers and how they were caught

This article delves into the intricacies of the answer to the question, how many black serial killers are there? Most of these serial killers are serving life sentences because of the severity of the crimes that they committed.

In creating this list of the most notorious black serial killers, we have considered data from sources like Murderpedia to retrieve details about the figures, their crimes and where they are. This list acknowledges the existence of notorious black serial killers for informational purposes only. It does not intend to perpetuate stereotypes or promote harmful narratives. Discretion is advised.

Who are the most notorious black serial killers?

Tabulated below is a list of male serial killers and the number of victims they are confirmed to have murdered during their killing sprees. Some are said to have had more victims.

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Women, too, have been involved in killing sprees. These are the black female serial killers featured in our list.

1. Samuel Little

Samuel McDowell, better known as Samuel Little, is considered one of the worst serial killers in America. He confessed to murdering 93 women between 1970 and 2005, although it is alleged he might have begun the killing spree earlier.

Samuel Little was arrested on 5 September 2012 for possession of narcotics, and DNA tests established his involvement in the murders. He was later tested for the murders of 93 women, instigating his confession. He died on 30 December 2020 in a Los Angeles County hospital.

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2. Harrison Graham

Harrison Frank "Marty" Graham is an American serial killer who gained notoriety for murdering 7 women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between mid-1986 and mid-1987. Graham kept the remains of his victims in his apartment, prompting his neighbours to alert the police about a foul odour coming from the apartment; Harrison had already fled by then.

He was arrested on 17 August 1987, and in 1988, he was found guilty of 7 counts of murder and 7 counts of desecrating a corpse. He was sentenced to death, but later, his sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

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3. Henry Louis Wallace

Henry Louis Wallace was a serial killer charged with the murder of 11 black women in South and North Carolina. The former US Navy began his killing spree in 1990 and was in and out of police custody for crimes such as burglary.

Wallace murdered two women who lived in the same apartment complex two days apart in March 1994. He killed his 11th victim shortly after and was finally caught and arrested on March 12, 1994.

During the 12 hours of his interrogation, he pled guilty to the murder of 10 women in Charlotte. He was convicted of 9 murders and was sentenced to death in January 1997.

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4. Charles Lendelle Carter

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Charles Lendelle Carter is a convicted serial killer currently serving three life sentences for crimes committed between 2004 and 2006. His murder charges surfaced after he was named a suspect in the murder of Rosenthal, and during questioning, he confessed to killing a man. He hinted at being a "monster" and "serial killer", opening a can of worms for his crimes.

5. Chester Turner

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Chester Dewayne Turner is an American serial killer and sex offender often considered one of the most prolific serial killers in Los Angeles' history. He was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering 14 women and an unborn baby between 1987 and 1998.

He was sentenced to 8 years for abusing women and while serving the sentence, DNA analysis implicated Dewayne in several unsolved murder and sexual offence cases.

Turner was sentenced to death in July 2007 for 10 murders. In June 2014, he was sentenced to death again for four additional murders.

6. Debra Brown

Black female serial killers are not as famous as their male counterparts. However, Debra Brown is among the few female serial killers. She and her boyfriend, Alton Coleman, were involved in multiple kidnappings, armed robberies and murders.

Coleman and Brown were arrested in Evanston. As they walked across an intersection, they passed in front of a motorist who was from Coleman's neighbourhood in Waukegan. The motorist drove to a gas station and notified the police from a pay phone.

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Debra and her boyfriend were sentenced to death, and Coleman was executed on 26 April 2002. Debra had her sentence commuted to life imprisonment in 1991. She is currently serving her sentence without the possibility of parole in Ohio.

7. Benjamin Atkins

Benjamin Atkins, better known as The Woodward Corridor Killer, was an American serial killer who was charged with torturing and killing 11 women in Detroit and Highland Park. Atkins committed the crimes within 8 months, and most of Benjamin's victims were adult workers.

Benjamin was identified on a Detroit street by Darlene Saunders, whom Atkins had assaulted in October 1991. He was arrested in 1992 and was convicted of first-degree and first-degree sexual conduct. He was sentenced to 11 consecutive life sentences. Benjamin succumbed to an infection related to HIV in 1997.

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8. Matthew Macon

Matthew Macon grew up in Michigan and walked the same streets with his victims whom he would later sexually abuse, torture and murder. In the summer of 2007, he murdered 5 women within 4 weeks.

Macon was caught while attempting to murder his sixth victim, Linda Jackson, whom he attacked, but she was saved by her dog. Linda called the police, who arrested him. After 8 hours of interrogation, he confessed to killing 6 women. In his confession, he was quoted saying,

I get pleasure off pain. Theirs. No. I never hurt myself. I just like to see fear in people's faces.

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In May 2008, Macon was charged with two counts of 1st degree murder, torture, assault and home invasion. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and is currently serving his sentence at the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, Michigan.

9. Darren Deon Vann

Darren Deon is a black serial killer who is currently serving a life sentence at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. When 19-year-old Afrikka Hardy was found strangled in a motel, authorities used Hardy's phone records and located Vann. He confessed to the murders of six other female victims in Indiana and is currently serving seven concurrent life sentences.

10. Wayne Bertram Williams

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Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Wayne Bertram Williams is an American convicted killed and suspected serial killer. He is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of two men in 1981. However, he is alleged to have been responsible for at least 24 out of 30 murders in Atlanta carried out between 1979 and 1981.

Before his June 1981 arrest, Williams was a suspect in the Atlanta murders on the morning of 22 May 1981. Police manning the James Jackson Parkway Bridge arrested him after hearing a loud splash suggesting that something had been thrown from the bridge into the river at a spot where multiple bodies had been discovered.

11. Derrick Todd Lee

Derrick Todd Lee was a convicted black serial killer who had his killing spree between 1992 and 2003. Before his arrest, Lee had been arrested severally for stalking women and watching them in their homes. One of his victims who survived, Dianne Alexander's description of Lee assisted investigators in Lee's arrest.

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Positive DNA tests instigated Lee's arrest and conviction for the murder of 7 women, and his trial culminated in a death sentence. He is suspected to have had more victims, although the police lacked evidence to prove the connections. Derrick Lee succumbed to heart disease in January 2016 while awaiting execution.

12. Anthony McKnight

Anthony McKnight was an American serial killer, kidnapper, and sex offender who was convicted of murdering five women and assaulting five others in Oakland, California. He began his killing spree in September 1986 and was apprehended on 24 January 1986.

Investigators were able to obtain a photograph of McKnight and showed it to three of the victims, all of whom identified him, and he was arrested. In 2008, Anthony McKnight was found guilty of 5 counts of murder and sentenced to death. He died in 2019, awaiting his execution.

13. Shelly Andre Brooks

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Shelly Andre Brooks is a black American serial killer who killed at least 7 victims, although he is suspected to have killed 20 people or even more. A survivor's account led to his arrest, and after pleading guilty throughout his trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

14. Lorenzo Gilyard

Lorenzo Jerome Gilyard, Jr. is an American serial killer and former trash company supervisor believed to have killed at least 13 women and girls between 1977 and 1993. In 2001, the Kansa City Police Department, while examining DNA samples from Lorenzo, established he was connected with the murder of 6 women within the area.

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Lorenzo was apprehended in 2004 and charged with 12 counts of first-degree murder. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

15. Lonnie David Franklin Jr

Lonnie David Franklin Jr., better known as Grim Sleeper, was an American serial killer who was found guilty of murdering at least 10 people. However, he is suspected to have murdered up to 25 people in Los Angeles between 1984 and 2007. David was also convicted of sexual offence and sexual violence.

Detectives used a piece of discarded pizza, along with saliva found on the victims, to establish a DNA match. On July 7, 2010, Franklin was arrested.

Grim Sleeper's trial started in February 2016. In May 2016, the jury convicted him of murdering 9 women and one teenage girl. In August 2010, he was sentenced to death for each victim named in the murder. Lonnie David was found dead in his cell at the San Quentin State Prison in March 2020.

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16. Paul Durousseau

Paul Durousseau gained notoriety for murdering seven young women between 1997 and 2003. He was arrested after two witnesses in the murder of two of his victims linked him to the night the victims disappeared. Initially, Durousseau was not a suspect in the murders, but DNA later tied him to the crimes.

Paul was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. His charge was later commuted to life imprisonment. He is currently serving his sentence at the Walton Correctional Institution.

17. Cleophus Prince, Jr.

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Dubbed the Clairemont Killer, Cleophus Prince, Jr. is a convicted black serial killer. He was sentenced to death in 1993 after being found guilty of sexual offence and the murder of six women in San Diego, California, USA. He committed his crimes between January 1990 and September 1990 while serving in the US Navy.

Prince was caught in February 1991 after he tried to break into a house, and DNA results connected him to the murders.

18. Craig Chandler Price

Craig Chandler Price is a black serial killer who committed his crimes between the ages of 13 and 15, the youngest serial killer in US history. The police arrested him in 1989 for four murders. Before the arrest, he had been in police custody for theft.

Craig calmly confessed his crimes and was tried and convicted as a minor; hence, he would be released and his criminal records sealed when he turned 21. However, he was released due to his crimes while held at the Rhode Island Training School.

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During his incarceration, Price was charged with additional charges. These crimes attracted an additional 10 to 25 years to his prison sentence; hence, he is serving a life sentence at the Union Correctional Institution, Raiford, Florida.

19. Calvin Jackson

Calvin Jackson is an American serial killer responsible for the murder of 9 women in Manhattan's West Side between 1973 and 1974. He confessed to killing them after his arrest. Initially, the murders were assumed to have been due to accidents and natural causes and did not seem to have any connection.

Witnesses who saw Jackson in the neighbourhood contributed to his arrest. Jackson was sentenced to four life sentences with the possibility of parole. He is serving his sentence at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York.

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20. Kendall Francois

Kendall Francois was an American serial killer who was convicted of the murder of 6 women between 1996 and 1998. The police arrested him after reports by other sex workers detailing that he was violent. He was questioned and charged with third-degree assault. He was released after spending 15 days in jail.

Francois was on to his next victim when the police caught him. He was arrested and admitted to murdering one of the victims. A search of his house unveiled the remains of his victims.

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Kendall was charged with 8 counts of murder. In August 2000, he pleaded guilty. He was incarcerated in the Attica Correctional Facility and died on 11 September 2014.

21. Lorenzo Fayne

Lorenzo Fayne is a convicted American serial killer who committed his crimes between 1989 and 1993. He was found guilty of killing one woman and five children and was sentenced to death. The following year, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment at the Menard Correctional Center, Chester, Illinois.

Fayne was first suspected in the July 23, 1993, murder of 17-year-old Faith Davis, who lived next door from his grandmother's house. He was spotted by witnesses after setting fire to Faith's house, and blood stains were located on his clothes.

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22. Mark Goudeau

Mark Goudeau is a black serial killer, kidnapper, and thief who committed his crimes between 2005 and 2006. He was convicted of nine counts of murder. All but one of his victims were women.

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Goudeau was linked to the crimes by matching DNA evidence found on the victims and was sentenced to 1,643 years imprisonment. He is serving his sentence at the Florence Station Prison.

23. Roberta Elder

Roberta Elder, another one of the black female serial killers, is speculated to have started murdering her victims in the late 1930s. She murdered her family members, hence the name Mrs Bluebeard.

Reverend William Elder, Roberta's husband, died of arsenic poisoning. The coroner who examined the reverend's body after his death alerted the authorities. Investigations revealed Roberta had a trail of murders, including her common-law husband.

Roberta had at least 14 confirmed victims who she murdered between 1938 and 1952. She was convicted to a life sentence based on circumstantial evidence.

24. Cedrick Maake

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Maoupa Cedric Maake, whose story was featured in M-Net's 13-part series Criminal Minds, is a South African serial killer convicted of 27 murders. He was also known as the Wemmer Pan Killer because his targeted victims hailed from the Wemmer Pan area.

Detective Byleveld discovered the Wemmer Pan serial killer, Cedric Maake, was also the Hammer Killer. He was sentenced to 27 life sentences plus 1,159 years and 3 months imprisonment.

25. Moses Sithole

Moses Sithole is a black serial killer from South Africa. Between 1994 and 1995, Sithole killed at least 37 women and a toddler.

In October 1995, Sithole contacted South African journalist Tamsen de Beer and identified himself. He was apprehended on 6 November 1995 and sentenced to 2,410 years imprisonment. He is serving his sentence at the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein.

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26. Jack Mogale

Dubbed the West-End Serial Killer by police, Madumetsa Jack Mogale is a black serial killer caught after months of murdering 16 people. He committed his crimes in Wesstonaria and Lenasia between 2008 and 2009.

Mogale was arrested on 27 March 2009 after Mary Sepeng, who later turned state witness, reported one of the victims missing. Two women who survived being attacked by him testified at trial. Jack Mogale was convicted of 52 charges related to sexual offence, kidnapping and murder and is serving a life sentence.

27. Sipho Thwala

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Sipho Thwala is a South African serial killer who was convicted in 1999 for the murder of 16 women and 10 counts of sexual offence. He committed his crimes around the KwaZulu Natal area between 1996 and 1997.

Thwala was arrested in 1997 after South African police matched DNA found on the victims to DNA taken from him in 1994. He was sentenced to 506 years and is at the C Max Penitentiary in Pretoria, South Africa.

28. Jimmy Maketta

Jimmy Maketta is a South African serial killer, one of the black serial killers whom a state psychiatrist described as a psychopath. He committed his crimes in Philippi, Cape Town, between April and December 2005.

Maketta's son gave Detective Morris his father's address in Mitchells Plain. Maketta no longer lived there, but Morris tracked him down to a house in Constantia, where Maketta was doing a paint job. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in 2007.

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29. Eddie Mosley

Eddie Lee Mosley was an American serial killer who was charged with the death of at least 8 women in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He committed his crimes between 1973 and 1987 and was only arrested in 2001 after DNA tests. Mosley's exact victim count is a mystery since the police speculate he could have murdered 16 women and sexually abused dozens of them.

Mosely's arrest was stopped by psychiatric tests, which indicated he was insane and could not be imprisoned. He died in May 2020 due to COVID-19-related complications.

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30. Carl Watts

Last on this black serial killer's list is Carl Eugene Watts, better known as Coral or The Sunday Morning Slasher. He embarked on his killing spree in 1974. He is suspected to be the most prolific serial killer in the USA since the number of his victims is speculated to have exceeded 100.

On 23 May 1982, Carl attacked two women. One escaped and called the authorities. Police then connected him to several crimes, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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How many black serial killers are there?

According to reports, white male Americans make up the most significant percentage of serial killers in the USA. Black males make up about 15%, while 2.5% are Hispanics.

What percentage of serial killers are black?

According to statistics, blacks make up approximately 15% of serial killers. White males make up the most significant percentage of serial killers in the USA.

Who is the most notorious black serial killer?

Samuel Little is considered the most notorious and famous black serial killer. His crimes spanned 35 years, and he had more than 60 victims.

Who is the famous black female serial killer?

According to reports, Roberta Elder is the most famous black female serial killer. She was convicted of the murder of her close family members, including two of her husbands.

These details about the top 30 notorious black serial killers take you on a spin of the world of crime and how the figures committed their crimes. They also detail what happened to them after their apprehension.

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Source: Briefly News