Ex-Military Members Who Were Serial Killers

People generally think of ex-military members as disciplined, polite, reliable, motivated, loyal, and responsible individuals. What people don’t typically associate ex-military members with are serial killers.

In the past century, there have been approximately 400 serial killers in the U.S. who have killed anywhere from 2,526 to 3,860 victims, reports howstuffworks. Ex-military members are a larger part of that group than you might think. Read on to find out about seven men who served their countries — and murdered multiple people.

1. David Berkowitz

He’s one of the most infamous American serial killers. | New York Sheriff’s Department

David Berkowitz was arrested in New York City in 1977 when the police stopped him and he said he was on his way to commit another murder, according to the website History. Over the span of about one  year, he used a .44 caliber revolver to murder six people — he also injured seven others and committed random acts of arson. Berkowitz left a letter at one of his crime scenes in which he called himself “Son of Sam,” claiming that demons and a dog’s voice were telling him to kill people.

In 1971, Berkowitz enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 18. He served in South Korea and the U.S. and received an honorable discharge. 

2. Jeffrey Dahmer

Dahmer was an alcoholic. | Eugene Garcia/AFP/Getty Images

Between 1978 and 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys. His killings included acts of necrophilia and cannibalism, and he had a habit of preserving his victims’ body parts. In 1992, Dahmer was convicted of 15 of those 17 murders and sentenced to life in prison.

An alcoholic, Dahmer dropped out of college, took his father’s advice, and enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 1979, the Army deployed him to Germany as a medical specialist. In 1981, he was discharged from service because his alcoholism was affecting his performance, according to Biography. 

 3. Dean Corll

Corll is known as the “Candy Man.” 

Dean Corll, known as the Candy Man, abducted, raped, tortured, and killed at least 28 boys, according to Ranker. As a young boy, Corll worked in his family’s Texas-based candy shop, where he climbed his way up the ladder to vice president.

In 1964, the U.S. Army drafted him and he joined up and became a radio repairman. Corll’s had a spotless military record but applied for a discharge, citing his family’s business needed him. After 10 months of service, he received an honorable discharge in 1965. 

4. Dennis Nilsen

Nilsen murdered at least 3 men in this home. 

Across the pond, London native Dennis Nilsen — nicknamed the “British Jeffrey Dahmer” — murdered 15 young men between 1978 and 1983, according to the Daily Mail. He is currently serving a life sentence at Full Sutton Prison in East Yorkshire.

Nilsen joined the British Army before he went on his killing spree — he served as a cook in the Army Catering Corps for 11 years. He requested a  discharge in 1972, and left the service with a General Service Medal. 

5. Andrei Chikatilo

Chikatilo was a soldier in the Russian military.|  

Andrei Chikatilo was a busy serial killer who  murdered at least 52 women and children in Russian between 1978 and 1990, according to Biography. When he was arrested in 1992, he confessed to 56 murders but was tried for only 53. Chikatilo was executed in 1994.

In 1957, the Soviet Army drafted Chikatilo. He served in Berlin in a communications unit until 1960 and left with a pristine service record. In addition to his military service, Chikatilo joined the Communist party. 

6. Randy Steven Kraft

Kraft is on death row at San Quentin State Prison. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Between 1972 and 1983, Randy Steven Kraft raped, tortured, mutilated, and murdered 16 victims — primarily in California. Although he was convicted of killing only 16 in 1989, popular opinion is that he might have murdered up to 51 boys and young men, according to Ranker. Kraft is spending his time these days in a California prison — on death row.

Kraft joined the U.S. Air Force after he graduated college, where he rose to the rank of Airman First Class. The Army discharged him on “medical” grounds in 1969 when he came out as gay. In 1970, his began his reign of terror. 

7. Gary Ridgway

Ridgway is living the rest of his life in prison. | Josh Trujillo-Pool/Getty Images

Gary Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in Washington state before the law apprehended him in 2001. Known as the Green River Killer for dumping his bodies along the Green River, Ridgway began killing in 1982. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder, according to Biography, and is currently serving 48 consecutive life terms in prison. Ridgway served in the Navy, where he worked on a supply ship in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.