General

The Softer Sides Of Seven American Serial Killers

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2021

A common observation of known serial killers is their polar opposite demeanor in public and around friends, associates, and even loved ones.

How often have we heard “He was such a nice boy?” from neighbors and coworkers after they discover they were living and working side by side with a cold blooded monster?

Sometimes, these softer sides to serial killers are simply downright bizarre – so contrary to their evil natures it’s difficult to believe the same individuals could commit such heinous crimes:

John Wayne Gacy – Political Activist

Between 1972 and 1978, John Wayne Gacy murdered at least 33 boys and young men inside his suburban Chicago home, although authorities suspect he killed many more before being caught.

Throughout this time, Gacy would occasionally dress up as a clown and perform for charitable events around town, eventually earning him the nickname “Killer Clown” after being apprehended.

John Wayne Gacy

Gacy was also deeply involved in Democratic Party politics, to the point where he was photographed with First Lady Rosalynn Carter in 1978. In the photo, an “S” pin indicating Gacy was cleared by the US Secret Service can be seen on his lapel, a major embarrassment for the agency designated to protect the lives of the First Family.

Ted Bundy – Family Man

The proverbial 20th-century psychopath, Ted Bundy was connected to the murders of dozens of women across the United States during the 1970s. Utilizing his good looks, charm, and high intelligence, Bundy would employ a variety of tactics to lure unsuspecting young ladies to their grisly demise.

Bundy represented himself at trial and during the sentencing phase took advantage of a loophole in the law to marry off and on sweetheart Carole Ann Boone after she took the witness stand.

Despite restrictions on conjugal visits, the newly weds were able to have a child before Bundy was executed by electric chair in 1989.

Jeffrey Dahmer – Prankster

If you overheard someone say “Doing a Dahmer” you would probably envision murder, necrophilia, cannibalism, and storing body parts in steel drums.

These were the acts attributed to the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” Jeffrey Dahmer, who from 1978 to 1991 raped, killed, and dismembered at least 17 young men before being caught.

However, during the would-be murderer’s high school days, “Doing a Dahmer” referred to the teenager’s habit of pulling off innocent pranks.

Dahmer was remembered by many fellow students as the class clown, somebody who sought attention with silly stunts and gimmicks, not someone capable of committing unspeakable acts of violence.

Rodney Alcala – Game Show Contestant

Referred to as a “killing machine” by police, Rodney Alcala is connected to five known murders in California during the late 1970s, with law enforcement convinced the victim count is much higher.

After already killing two women, Alcala landed a spot on The Dating Game, vying for the chance at a romantic encounter with contestant Cheryl Bradshaw.

Alcala won the contest that day, but fortunately for Bradshaw she canceled the date after finding him to be too creepy. One criminal profiler believes this rejection was a driving force behind several more murders committed by Alcala.

Gary Ridgway – Bible Thumper

Known as the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway was a seemingly unstoppable murdering machine until law enforcement finally caught up to him in 2001.

From the early 1980s to late 1990s, Ridgway confessed to killing over 70 women, mostly prostitutes and teenage runaways, though authorities have only successfully tied him to 48 cases.

In the middle of his decades-long killing rampage, Ridgway became a born-again Christian. He would read the Bible out loud at work, cry during church service, and work diligently to convert non-believers in his spare time.

By all accounts, he steadfastly maintains his Christian beliefs in prison.

Dennis Rader – Home Security Specialist

“Bind, Torture, Kill” was the calling card of serial murderer Dennis Rader, popularly known as the BTK Killer.

Responsible for ten murders in and around Wichita, Kansas from the mid 70s to early 90s, Rader’s M.O. involved breaking into residences and killing everyone inside, with the primary targets usually being an adult female.

During the peak of his activity, Rader worked for ADT installing alarms in households across the Wichita area.

Many of the homeowners were seeking increased security to avoid becoming victims of the BTK Killer, reassured by Rader’s polite demeanor around their children and professional work done on their property. Little did they know, the BTK Killer was already inside.

Original Night Stalker – Dog Lover

The yet to be identified Original Night Stalker is also referred to as the East Area Rapist and the Golden State Killer, a testament to how long it took law enforcement to realize dozens of home invasions, rapes, and murders across California were the work of a single individual.

The ONS/EAR/GSK meticulously stalked his victims before striking, almost always choosing couples in suburban neighborhoods. Dogs owned by the victims wouldn’t bark, leading to speculation the killer would acquaint himself with the canines during reconnaissance.

In one case attributed to the ONS/EAR/GSK, a set of canine paw prints were discovered at the residence despite the couple not owning a dog, suggesting the killer brought along his pet pooch on at least one occasion.

The FBI alleges there are anywhere from 25 to 50 serial killers active in the United States at any given time. Many are able to successfully evade capture for years and even decades thanks to a chameleon-like ability to blend into society.

The result is often a split personality, where cruelty and evil dominate one-half of a killer’s brain while the other half remains tethered to humanity, if not in a tenuous, sociopathic way.

By Taylor Leonard, source: theghostdiaries.com

General

“Cursed charity shop painting ruined my life”, says British woman

Published

4 weeks ago

August 28, 2023

A British woman purchased a portrait of a young girl from a charity shop and now asserts that the picture is cursed, reports mirror.co.uk.

Zoe
Elliot-Brown, aged 36, spotted an artwork by an unfamiliar artist at
the Hastings Advice Representation Center in St Leonards-on-Sea, East
Sussex, a month ago.

Simultaneously, the seller cautioned Zoe
about the painting possibly being cursed, revealing that a prior
purchaser of the same artwork had returned it to the store with the
statement “it ruined my life.”

Out of curiosity, Zoe captured an
image of the painting on her smartphone and shared the photo with her
68-year-old mother, Jane Elliot-Brown. Her mother seemed to be entranced
by the painting.

Instantly,
she began urging Zoe to acquire the painting. Yielding to her mother’s
persuasion, Zoe paid £20 for the artwork. However, as soon as she
introduced it into her home, strange occurrences commenced taking place.

As
Zoe entered her home and positioned the painting in the living room,
their dog named Cilla leaped up and started growling at the artwork.
Cilla deliberately kept her distance, refraining from approaching the
picture. Subsequently, Zoe’s mother’s health took a sharp decline. She
began experiencing alternating spells of fever and chills, requiring her
to wear four sweaters to keep warm.

Concurrently, Zoe’s mother
seemed to be captivated by the painting. She continuously gazed at it
and even caressed the painted girl’s cheek. During the night, she heard
peculiar knocks emanating from the room where the picture hung, despite
the room being unoccupied.

Zoe managed to persuade her mother that
the painting held negative energy and was cursed. However, Jane
staunchly defended the painting, reluctant to part with it.

“I’ve
never seen my mother yearn for something so intensely. She was
entranced by it, but not in a positive manner. She guarded it. She
frequently gazed at it. She ran her fingers over the painted girl’s
cheeks and polished the surface, although the painting didn’t require
polishing.”

“Each time I mentioned disposing of the painting, she
became exceedingly irritable. It transformed into a sort of family
heirloom for her, something she began cherishing.”

“My mother
flatly refused to get rid of the painting. I think it’s a bit like the
magic power of the Lord of the Rings ring. It definitely works in an
attractive and charming way, it seems to pull you towards it.

“My mother became a bit like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings,” says Zoe.

Jane
herself says that it seems to her that the painted girl is very unhappy
and she stroked her to comfort her. She also does not attribute the
deterioration of her health to the purchase of the painting.

At
the same time, she admits that there were several cases when someone
seemed to knock on the door, and when she opened it, there was no one on
the threshold.

One day, Jane became so ill that she fainted right
in the bathroom. Zoe called 911, but her mother refused to go to the
hospital and was eventually left at home.

One morning, Zoe entered
the living room and saw her mother standing and stroking the painted
girl on her cheeks. And the mother could not remember how she ended up
in the living room and what she did at night.

“It
was strange behavior, especially for my mom. She couldn’t remember
anything from what happened last night. My mom is still very weird and
distracted and doesn’t want to discuss it.”

And then something
even more frightening happened. Zoe and her friend Ben went for a walk
on a hill during a thunderstorm and suddenly saw a “creepy black figure”
that suddenly appeared in front of them.

They do not know if this
is related to the painting, but they immediately ran back in fear.
Deciding to get rid of the cursed painting, Zoey eventually took it and
took it to the same shop where she bought it.

And when she drove
up to the store, she saw that in one of the tires of the car, brand new,
someone stuck a screw. She gave the painting to the seller, but then
changed her mind and took it back.

She
didn’t want someone else to buy the painting and get hurt because of
it. Now Zoe wants to give the picture only to someone who understands
damn things.

Now the painting is kept in Zoya’s house in a box filled with sage (it is believed that sage helps against evil spirits).

She also hung sage in every corner of the house, although Zoya’s mother was very unhappy with this.

“I
thought knowing my luck some idiot will go and get it and try and burn
it and I don’t really want to be left with the remainder of whatever the
hell has been going on. Technically I was the last owner. [I want it]
dealt with properly. […]”

General

Wild man with a spear in his hand was spotted in the forests of Germany

Published

1 month ago

August 25, 2023

A mysterious wild man, nicknamed by the locals “the wolf man”, was
photographed in the forested mountains of the Harz, in the center of
Germany. The man was completely naked and held a spear in his hand.

The
savage was accidentally noticed by two tourists who were walking
through the forest, not far from the city of Blankenburg in
Saxony-Anhalt, and examined the ruins of an old castle.

“When we
reached the caves in the sands, we saw this wolf-man. He stood high in
one of the caves and held in his hand a long wooden stick that looked
like a spear.

“He didn’t take his eyes off us, but he didn’t say
anything. He looked dirty and looked like a prehistoric man from the
Stone Age, like pictures in a history book,” Gina Weiss, 31, told Bild
newspaper.

According
to Weiss and her friend Toby, they observed this man for about ten
minutes. The naked man appeared to be in his forties and reportedly
these tourists were not the first to have seen him in the area.

It is assumed that he has been living in the forests near Blankenburg for about five years.

Authorities say they have received numerous reports of a person wearing a wolf’s skin or wolf costume over the past five years.

In
March 2023, a frightened eyewitness even called the police because he
thought that a wolfman running next to him wanted to attack him. In
other cases, people have seen how a savage is trying to make a fire or
building a hut out of branches for himself.

At the same time, it
is quite cold in this area in winter and it is not clear how this person
managed to survive here for several years.

According to Alexander
Beck, head of the local fire brigade, this savage clearly has the
skills to live in the wild and adapt to the changing seasons of the
year.

Where this man came from is unknown. There are many theories, from the hermit to more mystical versions such as time portals.

However, there are those who believe that all this is just some kind of prank to scare tourists or some other purpose.