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Wisconsin's 10 most infamous killers

The state of Wisconsin is home to many infamous serial killers including "Milwaukee Cannibal,"Jeffrey Dahmer. With Charles Manson, leader of the Manson Family murder cult, on his deathbed, we wanted to take a closer look at Wisconsin most infamous killers. 

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The state of Wisconsin is home to many infamous serial killers including "Milwaukee Cannibal,"Jeffrey Dahmer.

Photo By: Klein, Tess
Wikipedia
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Ed Gein, "The Butcher of Plainfield," committed two murders in 1954 and 1957 in Plainfield, WI but is most widely known for digging up corpses from local graveyards. 

Gein used pieces of women's bodies to decorate his home. When he was caught for his second murder in 1957 police found a lampshade made from the skin of a human face, bowls made of human skulls and more in his home. 

In trial Gein was found unfit by reason of insanity and sent to a maximum-security mental facility in Waupun, WI. 

Gein died at Mendota Mental Health Institute from cancerous respiratory and heart failure in 1984.

 

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John McCaffary is the only person to be ever be executed by the State of Wisconsin.

In 1851, McCaffary was hanged in front of a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people in Kenosha, WI for the murder of his wife.

He was charged with first-degree murder after drowning his wife in a cistern in his backyard. 

After his death, the death penalty was abolished in Wisconsin.

Wikipedia
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Edward Wayne Edwards is known to have murdered five people, two of which were a couple in Wisconsin in 1980 later called the "Sweetheart Murders."

Edwards was sentenced to death for the murder of an Ohio boy in 2011 and died of natural causes in prison one month later.

It wasn't until 2017 that Edwards was connected to the "Sweetheart Murders" when his daughter tipped off the police about his possible involvement.

Detective Chad Garcia of Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin suspects that Edwards has ties to at least five to seven more murders he was never convicted of. 

 

Wikipedia
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Walter E. Ellis, "Milwaukee North Side Strangler," raped and strangled seven African American women in Milwaukee from 1986 to 2007. 

Ellis was not arrested for the murders until 2009 but had already served five years for reckless endangerment. 

Ellis pleaded not guilty to all seven counts of murder but was still convicted and given seven consecutive life sentences.

In 2013 Ellis died of natural causes at a hospital in South Dakota.

Wikipedia
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David Spanbauer was a serial rapist and killer throughout the state of Wisconsin in the 1990s. 

Spanbauer raped and murdered two 10 and 12-year-old girls in 1992.

In each case, Spanbauer grabbed the girls while they were riding their bikes according to postcrescent.com.

Two years later Spanbauer broke into an Appleton home and killed the 21-year-old resident Trudi Jeschke.

Spanbauer was later sentenced to three life terms in prison without parole plus 403 years.

In 2002 Spanbauer died in prison.

Wikipedia
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Chai Vang has a murder record of six Wisconsin people.

Vang went hunting with friends in northwest Wisconsin when he accidentally trespassed on a group of men's hunting land.

One of the men approached Vang, telling him that he was on private property, and later the entire group approached him and supposedly starting yelling racial slurs at him.

Vang reacted by firing off his rifle at the group of men, eventually leaving six dead and two injured.

Today Vang continues to serve his sentence of six consecutive life terms plus seventy years.

Wikipedia
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Terry Ratzmann shot up his church in Brookfield, WI killing seven members of the congregation in 2005.

Ratzmann was upset about a sermon the minister had given several weeks prior and in turn fired 22 rounds into the Living Church of God, killing the minister, the minister's son and five others.

After the shooting Ratzmann returned to his room at the Sheraton Hotel and shot and killed himself.

 

Wikipedia
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Radcliffe Haughton was the shooter in the 2012 Azana Spa shootings in Brookfield, WI.

Haughton went to the spa in search of his ex-wife Zina Haughton, who worked there at the time.

Haughton shot and killed two people inside the spa before killing his ex-wife, and eventually himself. 

 

Wikipedia
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Jeffrey Dahmer, a.k.a the "Milwaukee Cannibal," was a serial killer and sex offender notorious for his involvement with males.

Dahmer committed rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 boys and men from 1978 to 1991. At the age of 18, Dahmer committed his first murder after picking up an 18-year-old hitchhiker in Milwaukee. 

In 1992 Dahmer was sentenced to 15 terms of life imprisonment, and a 16th term three months later for the murder of his first victim.

Dahmer died in prison in 1994 when he was beaten over the head with a metal bar by fellow inmates.

Wikipedia
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Christopher Scarver is a Milwaukee murderer who is most widely known for murdering serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Scarver killed Dahmer along with one other inmate with a metal bar from a piece of exercise equipment when the men were in Colombia Correctional Institution in Portage, WI.

Scarver was originally convicted of the murder of a supervisor and site manager at the Wisconsin Conservation Corps training program. 

After murdering Dahmer, Scarver received two more life sentences of which he is still serving today.

Wikipedia

Wisconsin's 10 most infamous killers

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The state of Wisconsin is home to many infamous serial killers including "Milwaukee Cannibal,"Jeffrey Dahmer.

Photo By: Klein, Tess

Wikipedia

Ed Gein, "The Butcher of Plainfield," committed two murders in 1954 and 1957 in Plainfield, WI but is most widely known for digging up corpses from local graveyards. 

Gein used pieces of women's bodies to decorate his home. When he was caught for his second murder in 1957 police found a lampshade made from the skin of a human face, bowls made of human skulls and more in his home. 

In trial Gein was found unfit by reason of insanity and sent to a maximum-security mental facility in Waupun, WI. 

Gein died at Mendota Mental Health Institute from cancerous respiratory and heart failure in 1984.

 

Wikipedia

John McCaffary is the only person to be ever be executed by the State of Wisconsin.

In 1851, McCaffary was hanged in front of a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people in Kenosha, WI for the murder of his wife.

He was charged with first-degree murder after drowning his wife in a cistern in his backyard. 

After his death, the death penalty was abolished in Wisconsin.

Wikipedia

Edward Wayne Edwards is known to have murdered five people, two of which were a couple in Wisconsin in 1980 later called the "Sweetheart Murders."

Edwards was sentenced to death for the murder of an Ohio boy in 2011 and died of natural causes in prison one month later.

It wasn't until 2017 that Edwards was connected to the "Sweetheart Murders" when his daughter tipped off the police about his possible involvement.

Detective Chad Garcia of Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin suspects that Edwards has ties to at least five to seven more murders he was never convicted of. 

 

Wikipedia

Walter E. Ellis, "Milwaukee North Side Strangler," raped and strangled seven African American women in Milwaukee from 1986 to 2007. 

Ellis was not arrested for the murders until 2009 but had already served five years for reckless endangerment. 

Ellis pleaded not guilty to all seven counts of murder but was still convicted and given seven consecutive life sentences.

In 2013 Ellis died of natural causes at a hospital in South Dakota.

Wikipedia

David Spanbauer was a serial rapist and killer throughout the state of Wisconsin in the 1990s. 

Spanbauer raped and murdered two 10 and 12-year-old girls in 1992.

In each case, Spanbauer grabbed the girls while they were riding their bikes according to postcrescent.com.

Two years later Spanbauer broke into an Appleton home and killed the 21-year-old resident Trudi Jeschke.

Spanbauer was later sentenced to three life terms in prison without parole plus 403 years.

In 2002 Spanbauer died in prison.

Wikipedia

Chai Vang has a murder record of six Wisconsin people.

Vang went hunting with friends in northwest Wisconsin when he accidentally trespassed on a group of men's hunting land.

One of the men approached Vang, telling him that he was on private property, and later the entire group approached him and supposedly starting yelling racial slurs at him.

Vang reacted by firing off his rifle at the group of men, eventually leaving six dead and two injured.

Today Vang continues to serve his sentence of six consecutive life terms plus seventy years.

Wikipedia

Terry Ratzmann shot up his church in Brookfield, WI killing seven members of the congregation in 2005.

Ratzmann was upset about a sermon the minister had given several weeks prior and in turn fired 22 rounds into the Living Church of God, killing the minister, the minister's son and five others.

After the shooting Ratzmann returned to his room at the Sheraton Hotel and shot and killed himself.

 

Wikipedia

Radcliffe Haughton was the shooter in the 2012 Azana Spa shootings in Brookfield, WI.

Haughton went to the spa in search of his ex-wife Zina Haughton, who worked there at the time.

Haughton shot and killed two people inside the spa before killing his ex-wife, and eventually himself. 

 

Wikipedia

Jeffrey Dahmer, a.k.a the "Milwaukee Cannibal," was a serial killer and sex offender notorious for his involvement with males.

Dahmer committed rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 boys and men from 1978 to 1991. At the age of 18, Dahmer committed his first murder after picking up an 18-year-old hitchhiker in Milwaukee. 

In 1992 Dahmer was sentenced to 15 terms of life imprisonment, and a 16th term three months later for the murder of his first victim.

Dahmer died in prison in 1994 when he was beaten over the head with a metal bar by fellow inmates.

Wikipedia

Christopher Scarver is a Milwaukee murderer who is most widely known for murdering serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Scarver killed Dahmer along with one other inmate with a metal bar from a piece of exercise equipment when the men were in Colombia Correctional Institution in Portage, WI.

Scarver was originally convicted of the murder of a supervisor and site manager at the Wisconsin Conservation Corps training program. 

After murdering Dahmer, Scarver received two more life sentences of which he is still serving today.

Wikipedia

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