5 of the Most Notorious Serial Killers Born in New York State
A recent American phenomenon is the obsession with true crime stories. They come in the form of podcasts or popular hit television shows like "Dateline." With spooky season in full swing, the interest in scary stories, true or false, dominates the forefront of people's minds.
That is why we are providing you a list of the Top 5 Most Notorious Serial Killers who were born in the Empire State. We will provide their names, their victims and a short description of the crimes they committed.
1. David Bullock - New York City, NY
David Bullock was born on November 13th, 1960 in New York City. According to Murderpedia.org, Bullock had a history of getting into trouble as a child. Bullock is thought to have committed his first murder in December of 1981. He was first arrested as an adult in January of 1978 on Grandy Larceny charges in Goshen, NY. It is said after that time, he continued to commit other theft over the next few years and even was alleged to have been a male prostitute. Over the course of his killing career he claimed the lives of at least 6 people and received the nickname "The .38 Special Killer."
On October 26th, 1982 he pleaded guilty to all 6 murder charges and gave a startling motivation. Bullock said, "I was in the Christmas spirit. It made me happy. I enjoy what I do," referring to killing people. He was ultimately sentenced to 150 years in prison and is currently serving that sentence at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY. That was the prison in which David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped from, leading to the death of Matt.
Bullock's victims included:
- James Weber (42)
- Edwina Atkins (23)
- Stephen Glenn Hassell (29)
- Michael Winley
- Heriberto Morales (50)
- Eric Michael Fuller (28)
2. Gary Evans - Troy, NY
It is believed that the reason many serial killers become the people they are is due to childhood trauma. It is believed that Evans experienced a lot of it as he and his sister grew up in an unstable home. It is said they endured several suicide attempts by their mother and Evans alleges he was even raped by his father. Like many serial killers before him, he didn't start off killing people. It is reported that Evans originally was attracted to stealing valuables such as jewelry.
Throughout his life he was in and out of prisons all over the country and once is said to have had a friendship with another infamous serial killer David Berkowitz (The Son of Sam). Many of his murders were those of his accomplices in other crimes.
Evans' victims included:
- Michael Falco (Accomplice)
- Douglas Berry (63)
- Damien Cuomo (Accomplice)
- Gregory Jouben (36)
- Timothy "Tim" Rysedorph (Accomplice)
In each of the cases of murder, Evans killed either victims of his robberies or accomplices he feared would snitch on him based on knowledge of prior crimes. Evans jumped to his death from Menands Bridge in Troy, NY where is life began evading police in an escape attempt.
3. Rex Heuermann (Alleged Killer) - Long Island, NY
One of the most notorious cases in New York State History is the Gilgo Beach Murders. For years these crimes went unsolved with several people of interest being questioned, however in July 2023 authorities arrested Rex Heuermann in Midtown Manhattan on three counts of First Degree Murder and three counts of the lesser charge of Second Degree Murder.
The victims of these Gilgo Beach murders were discovered over the course of decades from 1993 to 2011. Authorities began to suspect Rex as the killer in March 2022 after ( discovering that a Chevrolet Avalanche vehicle registered in his name had been linked to one of the killings by a witness. It is important to note that Heuermann is innocent until proven guilty and the conclusion of these charges are pending. It is believed that while Rex is married with children, all murders occurred when his family were out of town. Rex was an architect who worked in New York City.
The number of victims potentially killed by this alleged serial murderer is not known, but there are at least 3 victims for which Heuermann is charged with their deaths.
- Melissa Barthelemy (24)
- Megan Waterman (22)
- Amber Lynn Costello (27)
You can read up on more information into the Gilgo Beach Murders on Wikipedia.
4. Calvin Jackson - Buffalo, NY
Our fourth NY State based serial killed was born in Buffalo, New York on March 5th, 1948. He is known as a serial killer and rapist who is responsible for taking the lives of 9 women in a span of one year. Before being captured, the deaths of his victims had been thought to be natural causes or accidents, that is until he confessed to the crimes after being apprehended in September of 1974. He would smother his single female victims with pillows and would have sex with their corpses. 8 of his 9 victims had one thing in common. They lived at the Park Plaza Hotel.
Jackson confessed to his crimes and was found guilty by a jury after reading a 182 page confession aloud in court. It was July 6th, 1976 that Jackson was convicted and sentenced to four life imprisonments, with a chance of parole. His last parole hearing was in March 2021 and that was denied. He is currently being held at the Sullivan Correctional Facility with ID Number 76A2732. His victims were the following.
- Theresa Jordan (39)
- Kate Lewisohn (65)
- Mable Hartmeyer (60)
- Yeria Vishnefsky (79)
- Winifred Miller (47)
- Blanche Vincent (71)
- Martha Carpenter (69)
- Eleanor Platt (64)
- Pauline Spanierman (69)
His pattern was exactly the same for all women. He would smother them with a pillow, rape them and then steal valuables. Jackson was truly a sick individual.
5. Robert Shulman - Hicksville, NY
Our final notorious serial killer born in New York State is Robert Shulman who killed at least 5 women from his hometown of Hicksville, NY from 1991 to 1995. Shulman is said to have selected prostitutes as his victims and usually picked them up from the same corner in Queens, NY. It is said Shulman would pick the victims up, bring them to his residence, smoke crack cocaine with them, have sex with them and murder them in gruesome fashion. He would use barbells, a hammer or baseball bat. What happened next was truly horrifying. He would dismember victims and bury their remains in plastic bags in areas around neighboring cities.
Shulman was known for cutting the hands off his victims and burying them deep in the ground to avoid fingerprint detection. Investigators finally linked Shulman to his Cadillac at a murder scene and a sleeping bag from Sears. He was apprehended on April 6th, 1996 and was originally sentenced to death. That sentence was ultimately commuted to life imprisonment, but he died at Albany Medical Center on April 13th, 2006. His victims included the following.
- Lori Vasquez (24)
- Meresa Hammonds (31)
- Medford Jane Doe
- Lisa Ann Warner (18)
- Kelli Sue "Melani" Bunting (28)
The fascination with serial killers is always amazing and the interest in their stories and backgrounds will forever peek the curiosity of most Americans. There have been some insanely abysmal crimes in U.S. History. These five individuals live in the murderous lore of New York State history for years to come.
13 Of New York State's Most Wanted Criminals- October 2024
Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler
New York's Top 10 Halloween Costumes of 2024
Gallery Credit: Megan
New York's 9 Most Dangerous Cities of 2024
Gallery Credit: Megan