Top 5 Infamous Serial Killers From NY

These 5 serial killers from New York are some of the most infamous. I am a true crime devotee. If I'm not watching animated shows, I'm watching the shows on Investigation Discovery and Oxygen religiously. When it comes to serial killers, it's crazy to me how one monster can affect so many families and take so many lives. Many serial killers' evil often goes unnoticed in their communities and their own families. We think we know someone, only to find out that they have a horrific dark secret. New York State has bred at least 50 serial killers, or at least the ones we know about. These are the top 5 most infamous that not only made headlines in the state, but also around the country.

1. David Richard Berkowitz

Born Richard David Falco, on June 1, 1953, is also known as the Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer. He grew up in New York City, specifically the Bronx. His known killing spree began in NYC on July 29, 1976. Even though he is infamous, his spree only lasted around a year - July 29, 1976 – July 31, 1977. Berkowitz 6 killed people by shooting them and he wounded 11 people. Berkowitz was arrested on August 10, 1977, after attempting to kill another victim the day before. He was sentenced to serve a 25-year life sentence for each murder and is currently being held at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in New York.

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2. Rex Heuermann

Rex Heuermann, also known as the Long Island Serial Killer, is infamous, but his identity was only recently discovered. Police arrested a 59-year-old architect named Rex Heuermann who is alleged to be behind the murders of at least 11 people. He worked in New York City near the Empire State Building, but commuted from Massapequa Park on Long Island, according to the New York Times. Heuermann was arrested in Midtown on Thursday, July 13, 2023. It is possible that he committed some of the murders attributed to him almost two decades ago. He has been charged in connection to four murders but hasn't been convicted yet.

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3. Hamilton Howard Fish

Hamilton Howard Fish, also known by a slew of other aliases, including Albert Fish, the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and The Boogey Man, was born on May 19, 1870. Not only was Fish a serial killer, he was a rapist, child molester, and cannibal. Fish killed at least three children from July 1924 to June 1928, but he was suspected of killing at least 7 other people. He did confess to stabbing at least two other people and once said he had at least 100 victims, although it's not clear if they were all killed or if the claim is even true. Fish was caught on December 13, 1934. He was executed by electric chair on January 16, 1936.

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4. Lydia Sherman

Lydia Sherman, also known as "The Derby Poisoner," murdered 10 people between 1864 and 1871. According to Murderpedia, she used poison to kill her victims. All 10 of her victims were her family members - Edward Struck, her first husband, Martha Struck her 6-year-old daughter, Edward Struck Jr. her toddler son, / William Struck, her infant son, Dennis Hurlburt, her second husband, Horatio N. Sherman her third husband, Ada Sherman, her stepdaughter, and Frankie Sherman, her stepson. Sherman was sentenced to life in prison in 1872 and she died in prison on May 16, 1878.

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5. Altemio Sanchez

Altemio Sanchez, also known as the Bike Path Killer/the Bike Path Rapist, was born in Puerto Rico, but lived in the Cleveland Hill neighborhood of Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, according to Murderpedia. On January 15, 2007, a police task force in Erie County arrested Sanchez. On May 16, 2007, Sanchez pleaded guilty to the murders of Linda Yalem, Majane Mazur, Joan Diver, and an unnamed victim and was sentenced to spend 75 years to life behind bars. He died behind bars, allegedly of suicide.

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