The serial killer holds a strange position within western society. On one level we see them as monsters who should be locked away forever, but on another we are fascinated by everything about them. But they are best ‘admired’ from a distance. Some people believe that they can be reformed, and eventually released back into society after being caught. Others believe it’s impossible to reform a serial killer – a person driven by the impulse to murder. Either way, there have been a number of serial killers released from prison. Some of these murderers do go on to kill again, and some melt back into society and are never heard of again. They change their names and never tell of their past. At any time there could be a serial murderer near you. Here are ten creepy serial killers released from prison.
Mary Bell
Mary Bell was a child killer. She killed children while she was also a child. In 1968, she was fund guilty of the murder of two boys much younger than her. She was released from prison 12 years later. She was just 23 when released. To guarantee her a new life, she was given a new name and court order forbid anyone from exposing her identity. So no one is sure where she is today. She has a daughter, who is also protected by court order. She was released early from prison as she was victim of abuse as a young child. Her mother was a prostitute and neglected her. There is something very chilling about a freed serial killer with a new identity. They could be anywhere.
Nikita Bergenstrom
Nikita Bergenstrom stole a bike a while ago. The owners of the bike chased him down, and as he was unable to escape, he shot them both dead. He then killed someone else and rode off on the bike. It does seem a bit extreme just for a bike but this was in the 1980s. He was soon captured and handed a hefty prison sentence. He successfully escaped from prison 4 times. Although his shortest prison break lasted just 19 minutes. In one of his attempts, he managed to escape from his Finnish prison cell and flee to Sweden with his wife. He was released on parole, only to be captured again, and he escaped again. He was recaptured and eventually released on parole again. He is now a free man.
Jurgen Bartsch
Jurgen Bartsch was a serial killer from Germany. He was born just after the second world war, and lived in West-Germany. If he were I East-Germany, perhaps he would have received a different sentence. He murdered 4 young boys, committing his first murder at the age of 15. He was soon captured and given a life sentence. But this sentence was changed due to the difficult circumstance of his upbringing. Because he sexually abused his victims – he was given a simple choice. A choice between a prison sentence or castration. He chose castration, but he died during the castration as the nurse was too inexperienced to take part in such operations. So he technically can be listed among other serial killers released from prison, even if it didn’t last long.
Nikolai Dzhumagaliev
Nikolai Dzhumagaliev is sometimes referred to as “the Soviet Cannibal”. This is for an obvious reason – he killed at least 10 people in the Soviet Union. Not only did he consume the flesh of his victims, but he also has metal teeth. So he’s a metal-toothed cannibal serial killer from the Soviet Union. He was released from prison after a decade of imprisonment. At one point he escaped from prison in 1989 and was only recaptured 2 years later. And that makes his eventual release from prison even more absurd. He was recently sent to a mental asylum once again. But last year he escaped, and is still on the run. He could be anywhere now, literally anywhere.
Genene Jones
Genene Jones is more well known as “Death Nurse” – a lot of these murderers value the name they’re given by the press. She was a nurse who may have killed over 40 young children. For this, she was given a 99 year prison sentence. But this was in Texas, where they have rules to prevent the overcrowding of prisons. So she is due to be released in two years. Maybe she doesn’t belong on a list of serial killers released from prison. Read this article again two years from now and it will make sense. There is a lot of controversy regarding the rules that demand her release from prison.
Karla Homolka
With her evil husband, Karla Homolka killed at least 3 people. It was said that her husband seduced her into the life of a serial killer, although she is definitely guilty also. She scored much lower on the psychopath test than him. She was a 5, he was a 35 – in a test out of 40. But there is some controversy surrounding that diagnosis. Video tapes of their crimes emerged after she was sentenced. The videos showed that she was the one who really seduced him into murder. She made a deal and received a short 12 year sentence. He was given life in prison, a sentence still being served. She was set free in 2005, and currently lives a normal life in Canada.
Charlene Gallego
Just like the previous case, Charlene Gallego killed people with the help of her lover. And she also testified against her lover in return for a lesser sentence. They kidnapped several young women and forced them into sex slavery before murdering them. This is why they were captured and given hard time in prison. They killed 10 people before being apprehended in 1980. She was given 16 years in prison and he was given death. She was released in 1997, and now lives a normal life at the age of 59.
Issei Sagawa
In 1981, Issei Sagawa was a Japanese foreign student in France. For some reason, he chose to murder his fellow student, a young Dutch woman. He shot her dead and then consumed her flesh as he believed it would give him some king of strength. He was soon apprehended, extradited and sent to a mental hospital. But he was released from the Japanese institution just 5 years later as they declared him of sound mind. A deceleration most find hard to believe. He is still a free man today. Since his release, he has become a celebrity in Japan, with Japanese society appreciating his claim to fame. He even has fans who admire him.
Arnfinn Nesset
We have here yet another serial killer who worked as a nurse. Arnfinn Nesset admitted murdering 27 of his medical patients, but some claim he killed over 100. He poisoned most of them, and was only given a 21 year prison sentence. That’s actually the maximum prison term length in Norway. That’s why so many monsters will soon be released in Norway. He’s now a free man living under an unknown new identity.
Pedro Lopez
Pedro Lopez is a serial killer from Colombia. He’s known to have killed at least 80 people, but he himself claims to have killed 300. He was found guilty of the 80 murders and given a 16 year sentence. He was released after 14 years and then recaptured. After being sent to a mental institution, he was released 3 years later. Like so many other serial killers released from prison, he disappeared back into society – and today his location is unknown.