Who are the most famous Aries serial killers? Born from March 20 to April 19, Aries are the first sign of the zodiac. Because of this, Aries are in many ways the trailblazers of their own destinies. They're known for being impulsive, quick-tempered, and easily frustrated. But they can also be highly passionate, endearing, and determined. These qualities certainly fit the below Aries criminals.
Looking at serial killers based on zodiac, you can find some pretty fascinating connections. Many serial killers born in March and April fall under the Aries sign, and they all happen to share a few key personality traits. For one, they have a tendency to resort to violence when things head south. As fire signs, these Aries serial killers heat up quickly, and lash out due to their quick temper.
For more information on the signs as serial killers, check out our list of Scorpio serial killers.
Jane Toppan's mother died when she was young, and her father was soon sent to an asylum for trying to sew his own eyelids shut.
In nursing school, Toppan was a devoted and driven student. However, her supervisors were concerned about her obsession with autopsies.
Her killings began in the homes where she worked as a nurse for the sick, administering patients lethal doses of morphine.
She was finally caught in 1901, and by 1902, Toppan had confessed to 31 murders
Toppan was very ambitious in her desire to "kill more people — more helpless people — than any man or woman who has ever lived." This testimony led to her being declared insane, and living out the rest of her days at the state asylum at Taunton, Massachusetts.
Born in Montella, Leonarda Cianciulli had a rocky start. She attempted suicide twice, and when she married a man her family did not approve of, she had a curse put on her by her own mother. Their house was destroyed in an earthquake, and Cianciulli lost a total of 13 children (three in childbirth, 10 in young age). She became very protective over her four remaining offspring.
Her eldest son was to join the Italian army, and so Cianciulli felt her son needed mystical protection in battle. And so she became determined to kill three middle-aged women in town as human sacrifices.
Faustina Setti, Francesca Soavi, and Virginia Cacioppo were the three women Cianciulli murdered. In a disturbing twist, she used their bodies and blood to make soap and tea cakes, which she would give out to her friends and neighbors as gifts.
When her crimes were discovered, Cianciulli remained full of pride. In 1946, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and three years in a criminal asylum.
Cianciulli died of cerebral apoplexy in October of 1970, in Pozzuoli.
Alexander Pichushkin had a rough childhood, suffering from brain damage at a young age. He became very withdrawn after the incident, although he remained highly intelligent. His grandfather taught him how to play chess, which Pichushkin picked up very quickly.
While still a student, Pichushkin began experiencing violent urges. He committed his first murder in 1992, when he pushed a child out of a window. His later targets were often elderly, homeless men.
He was finally arrested in 2007 in Moscow, and was convicted of killing 48 people. His goal was to murder 62, one for each space on a chessboard. His gruesome acts elicited such disgust that Russia considered reinstating its death penalty.
Pichushkin was very self-assured in his crimes, and told the press in his confession, "For me, a life without murder is like a life without food for you."
He was sentenced to life in prison, where he continues to live to this day.
Birthplace: Mytishchi, Russia
Photo: Clark County Sheriff's Department
Keith Hunter Jesperson
Birthday: April 6th, 1955
Serial killer name: The Happy Face Killer
Aries qualities:
Keith Jesperson grew up in British Columbia. He was neglected by his father, and ostracized by his peers, meaning he lived much of his young life alone. He took out his pent-up rage on innocent animals and other boys, and was also known to start fires.
By 20, his seemingly normal life was back on track. He was married and gainfully employed as a truck driver. But in 1989, that all changed. His wife left him, and he got injured during police training, disabling him from fulfilling his dream of becoming A Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer.
In 1990, his killings began. His isolated life on the road provided the perfect scenario for a fledgling killer. He lured home Taunja Bennett from a bar one night, but after an abrupt argument, Jesperson impulsively strangled her.
Surprisingly, a woman named Laverne Pavlinac gave a false confession to the murder, in order to escape her abusive boyfriend. She was sent to jail for 10 years. Jesperson sent in his own confession to the police, now powerless, with a hand-drawn smiley face.
After seven more confirmed murders, Jesperson was arrested in 1995. He continues to serve his life sentences to this day, at the Oregon State Penitentary.
Donald Harveykept to himself growing up, dropping out of high school in the ninth grade, and working as an orderly in a hospital at the age of 18. He later admitted to having killed a dozen patients over the next 10 months.
He insisted that he killed terminally ill patients to put them out of their misery, though he later blamed it on anger towards his victims. His methods of killing included the administering of arsenic, cyanide, morphine, insulin, and even Hepatitis B.
Harvey was arrested in 1987, after 17 years of going undetected. When asked for an estimate of how many people he killed, he guessed around 70. He ended up being convicted of 23 cases of first degree murder, eventually pleading guilty to 37.
He was determined to avoid the death penalty, stating that he would accept a life sentence and confess to all of his murders if this was achieved. His wish was granted, and he began his sentence in October 1987.
Harvey was found fatally beaten in his cell in March of 2017, just four years after his first parole hearing. He died a few days later from the injuries.
Joseph Paul Franklin was born James Clayton Vaughn, Jr., but changed his name out of admiration for Benjamin Franklin and Nazi Joseph Goebbels. He grew up with an abusive father, and dropped out of high school to get married. However, with his short temper, he started to commit minor felonies.
He was obsessed with white supremacist ideology since he was a teen. He became more and more confrontational towards minorities, as his desire to kill grew stronger. He was very firm in his beliefs, using his extremist mindset to justify his crimes.
His killing spree spanned from 1977 to 1980. He targeted people of color and members of the Jewish faith, bombing a synagogue and shooting civil rights leader Vernan Jordan. He killed upwards of 20 people, and injured six more.
He was arrested in Florida in October of 1980, after being spotted at a blood bank. Over the next two decades, he was convicted of multiple murders and attacks.
Franklin was eventually executed in November of 2013, by lethal injection, putting an end to his racist brutality.
