Which Zodiac Signs Were Serial Killers Born Under?

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Discover which Zodiac signs have the most (& least) serial killers
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With the rise of true crime’s pop culture popularity, it’s no surprise that you may be curious about the Zodiac signs behind some of our most notorious serial killers…and what these personality groupings may reveal. Below, we’ll dive into the correlation (and causation?) between certain Zodiac signs and our world’s most abominable criminals, along with astrological insights from expert astrologer Angel Eyedealism.

Please keep in mind that the data used below—while factually gathered—does not prove any scientific correlation between certain signs and the likelihood of them being serial killers. Additionally, these numbers only include individual serial killers, excluding governmental or political leaders, as well as those who committed mass murder events. Likewise, the number of victims does not account for the many individuals who may be awaiting identification or justice.

Which zodiac sign has the most serial killers?

The Zodiac sign with the highest number of serial killers is Cancer, with criminals like Robert Maudsley and Genene Jones born under the sign. On the other end of the spectrum is Taurus, with the least number of killers but some of the most notorious, like H.H. Holmes and Albert Fish.

Section 1 of 4:

Serial Killers & Zodiac Signs: From Most to Least Common

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  1. Cancer signs are known for being caring and emotional—and occasionally codependent. They often seek out comfort in others and can be extremely emotionally sensitive. On most occasions, this emotional sensitivity allows them to be more intuitive and empathetic. In rare cases, it could explain Cancer-sign killers like Genene Jones, a former nurse who was nicknamed the “Angel of Death.” [1] Other serial killers with the Cancer sign include:
    • Genene Jones
    • Carl Panzram
    • Robert “Hannibal the Cannibal” Maudsley
    • Anna Marie “The Blonde Borgia”Hahn
    • Samuel “Choke and Stroke Killer” Little
  2. This sign may be fishy in more ways than one, but its dominant traits include a rich inner life and vivid imagination. Pisces often struggle with boundaries and tend to fantasize or romanticize every aspect of their lives—“reality is a real turnoff for Pisces,” as Eyedealism puts it. In some cases, this disconnect between dreaming and waking may result in Pisces losing control of their feelings or grip on reality. This trait may explain why there are quite a few serial killers born under Pisces , including some of America’s most infamous and prolific: [2]
    • John Wayne “The Clown Killer” Gacy
    • Dennis “The BTK Killer” Rader
    • Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez
    • Aileen “Damsel of Death” Wuornos
    • Christopher “The Beauty Queen Killer” Wilder
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  3. Sagittarians are pretty infamous for their sense of adventure, (sometimes cruel) bluntness, emotional reasoning, and love of attention. [3] Since a Sagittarius is typically described as the friendliest and most outgoing person at the party, it may come as no surprise that the most notoriously (outwardly) charismatic criminals, such as Ted Bundy, were born under the Archer sign. [4] Here are a few of the most well-known Sagittarius serial killers:
    • Ted “Lady Killer” Bundy
    • Richard “The Torso Killer” Cottingham
    • Edmund “The Co-Ed Butcher” Kemper
    • Dennis “The Monochrome Man” Nilsen
    • Raymond “The Lonely Hearts Killer” Fernandez
  4. Some may be surprised that Scorpio isn’t higher on this list, since they get a bad rap for their tendency toward possessiveness and paranoia. As Eyedealism describes it, this sign “is paranoid because they sense and see too much in people…They’re aggressive people that go out to get what they want…and they will obsessively pursue their desires.” So, when a Scorpio does turn bad, they may show more adeptness for manipulation and cult-like control—Charles Manson is an example of a Scorpio serial killer with such tendencies. Check out some of the most infamous Scorpio serial killers: [5]
    • Charles Manson
    • Carl Eugene “The Sunday Morning Slasher” Watts
    • Nannie “The Giggling Granny” Doss
    • Amy “Connecticut Borgia” Archer-Gilligan
    • Belle “Hell’s Belle” Gunness
  5. Aquarians are exceptionally conceptual, “way independent, and way into thinking,” explains Eyedealism. They tend to follow their internal compass above all else, which can lead them to great success and garner the admiration of those around them. Some of their worldly traits, however, could easily swing them in the other direction if placed in the right (or rather, the wrong) environment. For example, their outsider mentality, greater good philosophy, and susceptibility to conspiracy thinking may be factors in the acts of Aquarius serial killers such as these: [6]
    • Jerry “The Lust Killer” Brudos
    • Robert “The Butcher Baker” Hansen
    • Joel “Joel the Ripper” Rifkin
    • Gary “The Green River Killer” Ridgway
    • Luis “La Bestia” Garavito
  6. Libras can be incredibly magnanimous and fair-minded, largely born by a desire for everyone to like them. [7] On the flip side, however, this need for external validation can lead to incel-like behavior or cause them to lash out at those that they believe should be giving them attention or affection. Combine this potential personality trait with a flair for fantasy, and you get some of the Libra serial killers on the list below: [8]
    • Angelo “The Hillside Strangler” Buono, Jr.
    • Gerald “The Love Slave Killer” Gallego
    • Patrick “The Freeway Killer” Kearney
    • Bobby Joe “The Classified Ad Rapist” Long
    • Carlton “The Stocking Strangler” Gary
  7. Capricorns are disciplined and methodical, as well as “very practical and incredibly ambitious,” says Eyedealism. All that considered, you might be surprised not to find them higher on this list! However, Capricorns also love to play by the rules, so they may have to form their own internal moral code in order to justify their cruel and criminal behavior. It is key to note that, despite having an average number of serial killers in Capricorn , Capricorns have a higher number of people killed per murderer than any other sign, making these names among the deadliest: [9]
    • Joe “The Alligator Man” Ball
    • William “Freeway Killer” Bonin
    • Dean “The Candy Man” Corll
    • Vincent “The Brooklyn Strangler” Johnson
    • Harold “Doctor Death” Shipman
  8. Moving toward the bottom of the list, we find Virgo : a sign known for their attention to detail, love of control, and quickness toward irritation. [10] Similarly to Capricorn, these are traits that you’d probably associate with the Hollywood-inspired, American Psycho archetype. However, despite counting a few of the world’s most infamous serial killers among their signs, Virgos actually account for the fewest average victims per killer. However, that doesn’t make the crimes of these Virgo serial killers any less tragic and abhorrent: [11]
    • Rodney “The Dating Game Killer” Alcala
    • Richard “The Angel of Death” Angelo
    • Albert “The Boston Strangler” DeSalvo
    • Ed “Butcher of Plainfield” Gein
    • Henry Lee “Confession Killer” Lucas
  9. This lion-hearted Zodiac sign is famed for its vanity and attention-seeking behaviors—in a nutshell, a Leo wants to stand out. While this trait often manifests in genuine warmth, gregariousness, and creative spirit, it can also transform into an obsessive need for infamy. [12] In some cases, it may have contributed to some of the personalities that became associated with the Leo serial killers named below. [13]
    • John “The Acid Bath Killer” Haigh
    • Myra “The Moors Murderer” Hindley
    • Anthony “The Cleveland Strangler” Sowell
    • Jack “Vienna Strangler” Unterweger
    • Elizabeth “Lady Dracula” Báthory
  10. Aries are fiery, impulsive, and known to lose their tempers easily—they’re “an aggressive sign [that] doesn’t like weakness,” explains Eyedealism. Aries is also associated with the planet (and Roman god) Mars, which is largely synonymous with war and violence. [14] Despite this bloody connection and the Aries’ recognition-hungry drive, however, there aren’t too many Aries serial killers on our list:
    • Joseph “The Racist Killer” Franklin
    • Donald “Angel of Death” Harvey
    • Keith “The Happy Face Killer” Jesperson
    • Paul John “Casanova Killer” Knowles
    • John Reginald “The Monster of Rillington Place” Christie
  11. Geminis have a reputation for being two-faced, but apparently, it’s fairly unlikely that one of those faces has murderous tendencies! [15] There aren’t too many Gemini serial killers, but the ones we do know of have a very Jekyll-and-Hyde quality to them, fitting for this twin sign. And, despite the small number of serial killers born under Gemini , some of history’s most prolific and famous killers occupy that short list, including Jeffrey Dahmer and “Son of Sam” Berkowitz: [16]
    • David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz
    • Kenneth “The Hillside Strangler” Bianchi
    • John “The Michigan Co-Ed Killer” Collins
    • Jeffrey “The Milwaukee Cannibal” Dahmer
    • Danny “The Gainesville Ripper” Rolling
  12. The infamously bull-headed sign has a reputation for being possessive and uncompromising, but apparently, this stubbornness doesn’t translate to immensely violent tendencies. Tauruses can rest easy knowing that they share the fewest number of serial killers under their sign—and their emotional, tender, and homebody nature may be an influencing factor here. [17] However, there are a few Taurus serial killers with fairly notorious and grisly crimes, including the following: [18]
    • Martha “The Lonely Hearts Killer” Beck
    • Albert “The Moon Maniac” Fish
    • H.H. “The Torture Doctor” Holmes
    • Earle “The Gorilla Killer” Nelson
    • Karla Homolka (One of the “Ken and Barbie Killers,” alongside Leo-sign Paul Bernardo)
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Section 2 of 4:

Number of Serial Killers Belonging to Each Sign

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  1. You may expect for the zodiac signs of serial killers to be relatively balanced—in actuality, however, the four most common serial killer signs account for 38% of all convicted, and solo-acting serial killers. These four signs are Cancer , Pisces , Sagittarius , Scorpio , who all tie in at 46 killers each. Following close behind are Aquarius and Libra , with 44 each. [19]
    • Cancer: 46
    • Pisces: 46
    • Sagittarius: 46
    • Scorpio: 46
    • Aquarius: 44
    • Libra: 44
  2. It’s a good day to be a Taurus or Gemini since these two signs share the least amount of known serial killers amongst their ranks. In fact, Gemini and Taurus combined account for only 11 percent of the serial killers included in our sources. Also in the latter half of the rankings are (in descending order) Capricorn , Virgo , Leo , and Aries . [20]
    • Capricorn: 42
    • Virgo: 40
    • Leo: 39
    • Aries: 38
    • Gemini: 27
    • Taurus: 27
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Section 3 of 4:

Number of Victims by Killer’s Zodiac Sign

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  1. According to the research we’ve consulted, serial killers who were born in the sign of Capricorn accounted for both the most total victims among them as well as the highest average of victims per killer of any other sign. Keep in mind, however, that these numbers only take into account officially identified victims of known, solo-acting serial killers . Below, you can find the rest of the signs and the total number of victims attributed to each sign: [21]
    • Capricorn: 813
    • Aquarius: 622
    • Scorpio: 537
    • Libra: 485
    • Pisces: 461
    • Aries: 411
    • Cancer: 404
    • Leo: 351
    • Sagittarius: 350
    • Virgo: 269
    • Gemini: 218
    • Taurus: 204
Section 4 of 4:

Serial Killers & Victims by Zodiac Element

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  1. While water signs are known for being intuitive, empathetic, and emotionally intelligent, the signs included in this grouping—Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio—are actually responsible for the highest number of serial killers and the highest number of victims. [22] While there’s no scientific explanation for this correlation, it’s possible that intense emotional sensitivity (which water signs tend to have in spades) could influence someone to struggle in stressful or emotional situations, even to the point of taking out their hurt on others. [23]
    • On the other side of the spectrum, Earth signs (Capricorn, Virgo, Taurus) account for the lowest number of serial killers, while Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) account for the lowest number of victims.
    • Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) fall somewhere in the middle, with neither the highest nor lowest numbers of victims and killers.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Jones,%20Genene%20_fall,%202006_.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.thefamouspeople.com/pisces-serial-killers.php
      3. ↑ https://www.costarastrology.com/zodiac-signs/sagittarius-sign
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      5. ↑ https://biographics.org/charles-manson-biography-criminal-cult-leader-of-the-manson-family/
      6. ↑ https://www.costarastrology.com/zodiac-signs/aquarius-sign
      7. ↑ https://www.self.com/story/self-care-libra-traits
      8. ↑ https://www.thefamouspeople.com/libra-serial-killers.php
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      2. ↑ https://www.zodiacsign.com/article/most-common-zodiac-signs-of-serial-killers/
      3. ↑ https://astrostyle.com/astrology/zodiac-signs/leo/
      4. ↑ https://www.thefamouspeople.com/leo-serial-killers.php
      5. ↑ https://ls.wisc.edu/news/the-myths-and-science-of-mars
      6. ↑ https://www.today.com/life/astrology/gemini-traits-personality-rcna27515
      7. ↑ https://www.biography.com/crime/jeffrey-dahmer
      8. ↑ https://astrostyle.com/astrology/zodiac-signs/taurus/
      9. ↑ https://www.csp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Forensic-Scholars-Today-1.2-H.H.-Holmes-One-of-Americas-First-Recorded-Serial-Murderers.pdf
      10. ↑ https://www.zodiacsign.com/article/most-common-zodiac-signs-of-serial-killers/
      11. ↑ https://www.zodiacsign.com/article/most-common-zodiac-signs-of-serial-killers/
      12. ↑ https://www.zodiacsign.com/article/most-common-zodiac-signs-of-serial-killers/
      13. ↑ https://www.zodiacsign.com/article/most-common-zodiac-signs-of-serial-killers/
      14. ↑ https://astrostyle.com/astrology/water-signs/

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