Wisconsin, renowned as “America’s Dairyland,” holds a prominent position among the country’s top dairy producers, celebrated for its exceptional cheese. The state also boasts a notable association with beer, with Milwaukee historically recognized for its brewing tradition.
However, beyond these well-known industries, Wisconsin has gained attention in the realm of true crime, as several serial killers from Wisconsin have captured the public’s fascination. In this article, we will take a look at ten of the most deranged serial killers from Wisconsin.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an infamous American serial killer and s*x offender. He was responsible for the murders of 17 men and boys between 1987 and 1991, engaging in acts of r*pe, dismemberment, necrophilia, and cannibalism. Born in Milwaukee in 1960, Dahmer’s childhood seemed unremarkable at first glance, despite his struggles with social interaction and self-confidence. The disturbing transformation in his behavior emerged after his parent’s divorce when he was just fourteen, sparking a morbid fascination with death.
By the age of eighteen, Dahmer had embarked on a chilling path of s*xually motivated offenses. He lured gay men to his apartment, where he committed unspeakable acts of strangulation and dismemberment. His disturbing desires extended to indulging in necrophilia, deriving pleasure from the aftermath of his abhorrent deeds.
Dahmer was apprehended on July 22, 1991, and subsequently sentenced to fifteen life sentences, condemning him to a lifetime of imprisonment. However, his life was cut short at Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin when his prison cellmate killed him in 1994.
Ed Gein
Ed Gein is one of the most infamous serial killers in the United States to date, having inspired a lot of horror movies such as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Born in 1906 to an alcoholic father and a mother consumed by religious fervor, Gein’s early years were shrouded in hardship and darkness.
Following his mother’s death, Gein’s psyche took a disturbing turn. He developed an unsettling fixation on women, which led him to desecrate graves and collect body parts. However, his morbid pursuits eventually escalated to murder. Gein claimed the lives of two women, perpetuating a reign of terror that sent shockwaves through the community.
When authorities finally apprehended Gein, they were met with an unimaginable scene. Not only had he killed his victims, but he had also skinned them, intending to create a grotesque costume made of human flesh. Due to his severe mental instability, Gein was declared insane and found unfit to stand trial.
Confined to a state hospital, Gein spent the remainder of his days behind its walls until his death in 1984. His twisted legacy as a disturbed and deranged individual continues to captivate and disturb the public’s imagination, serving as a chilling reminder of the depths of darkness that can dwell within the human psyche.
Richard Otto
Richard Otto, known as the “Mad Biter,” embarked on a chilling murder spree across Wisconsin and Illinois in 1974. At 26 years old, he committed his first known murder on August 15 in Fontana, Wisconsin. His victim, Paula Cupit, a 24-year-old hotel maid, was cornered in a room she was cleaning. Otto mercilessly beat and stabbed her in the heart before engaging in the gruesome act of gnawing and mutilating her body.
Two months later, in Wauwatosa, the “Mad Biter” struck again, targeting another maid whom he r*ped. Fortunately, his second victim survived and provided the police with a description of her assailant. Otto then moved back to Illinois, where he killed Nancy Lossman, 26, and her three-year-old daughter, Lisa, in Crystal Lake by the end of that year. In July 1975, he assaulted a 20-year-old woman in a Woodstock laundromat, leaving her battered and presumed dead. Authorities traced Otto to San Bernardino, California, leading to his arrest on December 5. While in custody, Otto confessed to the Fontana and Wauwatosa attacks.
In April 1976, Otto was committed to Wisconsin’s Central State Hospital indefinitely under the state’s s*x deviate statutes. Months later, he received a 50 to 70-year sentence in Illinois for attempted murder in Woodstock. In September 1980, Otto was sentenced to 30 years for the Wauwatosa r*pe, and his conviction for a double homicide in Illinois led to an additional 200 to 400-year prison term. However, he was soon discovered dead in his prison cell, having hanged himself from an air vent using a pair of shoestrings. His death was ruled a suicide on March 2, 1987.
Edward Edwards
Edward Edwards, a notorious American serial killer originating from Akron, Ohio, left a trail of despair and destruction throughout his life. While officially convicted of five murders, law enforcement believes he may be responsible for seven more gruesome killings. Edwards’ troubled upbringing in an orphanage played a significant role in shaping his dark path. After being released from juvenile detention, he enlisted in the U.S. Marines but later deserted, leading to a dishonorable discharge.
In 2010, Edwards was finally brought to justice and found guilty of the heinous murders of a young couple in Wisconsin that occurred in 1980. Through meticulous investigation, it was revealed that he was also responsible for the brutal slaying of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, who had tragically vanished from a wedding reception. After an extensive search, their lifeless bodies were discovered in the woods two months later, painting a chilling picture of Edwards’ callous acts of violence.
Walter Ellis
Walter Ellis, commonly known as “The Milwaukee North Side Strangler,” was an American serial killer who operated in Wisconsin from 1986 to 2007. His gruesome crimes involved the r*pe and strangulation of at least seven women in the Milwaukee area. For over two decades, the police regarded these murders as separate and unrelated cases until the breakthrough discovery of DNA fingerprinting in 2009. This groundbreaking technology linked all the crimes to Walter Ellis. In 2011, he was convicted of his heinous acts and subsequently transferred to a correctional facility in South Dakota. There, he met his demise in 2013.
David Spanbauer
David Spanbauer, an American serial killer and rapist from Wisconsin, left a trail of devastation during his criminal reign. Between 1992 and 1994, he committed three gruesome murders, including two innocent children. However, even before these horrifying acts, Spanbauer exhibited a deeply disturbed nature.
At the age of 19, He r*ped a 16-year-old girl and shot her uncle in 1960. He was sentenced to 70 years but was surprisingly released in 1972. In May 1973, David Spanbauer abducted and r*ped a hitchhiker and was sent back to prison.
After regaining freedom, Spanbauer abducted and killed two girls, ages 10 and 12, in 1992 and 1994 as they bicycled on rural roads. He also killed a 21-year-old woman named Trudi Jeschke in her home in 1994. Before these murders, Spanbauer had already committed multiple s*xual assaults before he was eventually arrested. David Spanbauer died at Dodge Correctional Institution in Wisconsin from apparent natural causes on July 30, 2002.
Robert Wirth
Robert Wirth is a serial killer responsible for at least six murders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA during 1987-1988. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms and 20 years in prison in 1991.
In 1988, a string of murders of elderly women inside their own homes left authorities perplexed and searching for answers. The cases shared common characteristics, with burglaries and a consistent pattern of disheveling. Despite their efforts, the police found themselves without any viable suspects. However, a breakthrough came when a toy donkey, stained with fresh blood, was discovered at one of the homicide scenes.
Several months later, Robert Wirth was apprehended for robbing a taxi driver. During the incident, the taxi driver managed to disarm Wirth. When the police conducted a check on the gun, they made a startling connection. The gun had been reported stolen from a neighboring residence close to one of the murder victims.
This discovery led investigators to focus their attention on Wirth. Subsequently, blood samples were obtained from him, and a crucial revelation emerged—the blood on the toy donkey matched his genetic profile, linking him to one of the earlier crime scenes.
Ambrosio Analco Ramirez
Ambrosio resided in Delevan, Wisconsin, where he carried out a horrific act of mass murder within his own household. The tragic incident claimed the lives of six individuals, including his ex-girlfriend Nicole McAffee, their two children, McAffee’s sister, and a friend. The motive behind Ambrosio’s killing spree is suspected to be rooted in jealousy and other domestic conflicts.
Following the heinous act, Ambrosio tragically ended his own life on that very same day. When the police arrived at the scene, they discovered that Ambrosio had already taken his own life, leaving behind a scene of unimaginable devastation.
Lorenzo Fayne
Lorenzo Fayne was African American serial killer from Wisconsin who was responsible for murdering a 32-year-old woman and five kids, aged 6 to 17. The murders took place in the state of Illinois from 1989 to 1993. It was determined through the autopsies that Fayne had molested the bodies after murdering the girls.
Fayne was sentenced to a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of five kids on August 1994. He was convicted for the murder of 32-year-old Rita D. Scott in 2009 only after a routine search of the national DNA databank connected him to the killing.
Michael J. Tenneson
A native of Wisconsin, Michael Tenneson is a convicted serial murderer and a robber responsible for five murders. His killing spree began on March 20, 1987, when he shot 73-year-old Lila Bush to death during a home invasion. In the May of the same year, he met two men at a party, who he decided to kill by shooting point blank in their heads while they were asleep. He was arrested the next day and confessed to the murders.