The deadliest Sagittarius serial killers of all time
Sagittarius, the fire sign ruled by Jupiter, is often associated with restlessness, boldness, and a thirst for adventure. The archer of the zodiac is symbolised by the bow and arrow – a weapon that, in myth, strikes its target with deadly precision.
While most Sagittarians channel this energy into travel, philosophy or exploration, in darker cases, that same drive manifests as manipulation, cruelty and an appetite for risk that can spiral into violence.
When Sagittarian energy turns malevolent, the result can be chilling. From killers who roamed highways and truck stops to those who cultivated secret double lives, these murderers carried the sign’s trademark intensity and fearless pursuit of their goals into some of the most horrifying crimes of the modern era.
Below, Crime+Investigation lists some of the most notorious Sagittarius serial killers – individuals who remind us that the line between fearless adventure and dangerous obsession is thinner than we’d like to think.
Robert Ben Rhoades – born 22nd November 1945
Robert Ben Rhoades is one of America’s most disturbing travelling predators. Operating throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the long-haul trucker converted the cab of his lorry into a rolling chamber of horrors, complete with chains and handcuffs fixed to the interior.
At least two couples were tortured and murdered between 1989 and 1990, but investigators believe Rhoades may have killed as many as 50 women. Like a dark mirror of the Sagittarian wanderer, he turned the open road into a hunting ground, using his mobility to mask his crimes. His sadism and predatory nature earned him the moniker 'The Truck Stop Killer'.
Dennis Nilsen – born 23rd November 1945
Across the Atlantic, Scotland produced one of the UK’s most infamous murderers: Dennis Nilsen. Between 1978 and 1983, Nilsen lured at least 12 young men and boys back to his London flats, where he strangled or drowned them before engaging in necrophilia and dismembering their bodies.
Sagittarians are known for their need for connection — and in Nilsen’s twisted psychology, that need turned grotesque. He admitted to keeping corpses in his home for days, even conversing with them, in order to avoid loneliness. His murders shocked Britain, not only for their brutality but for the sheer detachment with which he described them in later confessions.
Ted Bundy – born 24th November 1946
Few names are as synonymous with serial murder as Ted Bundy. Charismatic, intelligent, and outwardly charming, Bundy embodied many positive Sagittarian traits – only to pervert them in horrifying ways.
Between 1974 and 1978, Bundy abducted, raped and murdered at least 20 women, though he confessed to 30 and is suspected of killing many more. He targeted young women who resembled one another, often luring them with fake injuries or appeals for help – showcasing his manipulative precision.
Bundy’s restless energy also defined his crimes. He killed across multiple states, escaped custody twice, and continued his spree until his final capture in Florida in 1978. For many criminologists, Bundy represents the archetype of the 'charming predator' – and a grim reminder of how charisma can mask monstrous violence.
Richard Cottingham – born 25th November 1946
Richard Cottingham’s crimes earned him the nickname 'The Torso Killer' after several victims were discovered mutilated and dismembered. Active across New York and New Jersey, Cottingham was convicted of 18 murders but later confessed to many more – claiming responsibility for at least 80 killings of women between 1967 and 1980.
Sagittarius is often drawn to extremes, and Cottingham embodied that intensity in his sadism. His brutality shocked even seasoned investigators, and his late-life confessions continue to expand the known scope of his crimes.
Sergey Golovkin – born 26th November 1959
In the Moscow region, Sergey Golovkin preyed on boys aged 10 to 16, luring them with promises of help or gifts before subjecting them to rape, torture, and murder. Between 1986 and 1992, he killed at least 11 victims, and his crimes left a scar on post-Soviet Russia.
Known as one of the most sadistic killers in Russian history, Golovkin epitomised the darker side of Sagittarian persistence – his crimes were calculated, repeated and brutally methodical.
Juana Barraza – born 27th November 1957
Perhaps the most notorious female killer in Mexican history, Juana Barraza was a former professional wrestler who turned into a serial murderer of elderly women. Active from 1998 to 2006, she strangled at least 16 victims, though some estimates suggest the toll could be much higher.
Barraza’s wrestling persona – 'The Silent Lady' – gave way to her real-life identity as 'The Little Old Lady Killer'. Analysts believe she targeted her victims due to resentment of her abusive mother, projecting personal trauma into lethal rage. Her crimes stunned Mexico City, where elderly women lived in fear for nearly a decade.
Timothy Krajcir – born 28th November 1944
Convicted of nine murders and suspected of more, Timothy Krajcir confessed to killing women across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Pennsylvania between 1977 and 1982. His crimes went unsolved for decades until DNA evidence linked him to multiple scenes, eventually leading to his arrest and life imprisonment.
Thierry Paulin – born 28th November 1963
In Paris during the 1980s, Thierry Paulin terrorised elderly women, murdering between 18 and 21 victims in their homes. Known as 'The Monster of Montmartre', Paulin lived a flamboyant lifestyle, funding his nightlife through robbery and murder.
His spree came to an end when he was diagnosed with HIV, and he died of AIDS-related complications in 1989 at 25 years old, before he could face full trial.
Rose West – born 29th November 1953
Rose West stands alongside her husband Fred as one of Britain’s most infamous killers. Together, they tortured, raped and murdered at least 10 young women between 1973 and 1987, including their own daughter, Heather.
Rose herself is thought to have directly committed several murders and was known for her shocking cruelty, both to her children and victims. Her case demonstrates the Sagittarian edge of passion and destructiveness turned inward – loyalty to her partner fused with a shared lust for control and violence.
Carl Großmann – born 13th December 1863
Operating in Berlin during the early 20th century, Carl Großmann is believed to have killed at least 20 women, with suspicions of many more. He lured victims from train stations and was rumoured to have sold their flesh as meat on the black market – a detail that horrified war-weary Germany.
Yvan Keller – born 13th December 1960
Known as 'The Pillow Killer', French murderer Yvan Keller confessed to smothering over 150 victims across France, Switzerland and Germany. Though convicted of at least 23 killings between 1989 and 2006, Keller’s own admissions suggest a scale far larger than authorities were able to prove.
George Chapman – born 14th December 1865
George Chapman, born Seweryn Kłosowski, was a Polish-born serial killer in Victorian London. He poisoned three wives with antimony and was once considered a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case due to his proximity to the Whitechapel murders.
Raymond Fernandez – born 17th December 1914
Alongside Martha Beck, Raymond Fernandez carried out a series of murders in the late 1940s that became known as the 'Lonely Hearts Killings'. The pair targeted vulnerable women through personal ads, ultimately killing up to 20 people before their capture and execution in 1951.
Edmund Kemper – born 18th December 1948
Standing at 6’9” with a chillingly calm demeanour, Edmund Kemper is one of the most studied serial killers in criminology. He murdered his grandparents at 15, before embarking on a killing spree between 1972 and 1973 that claimed the lives of six college students, his mother and her best friend.
Kemper’s crimes involved necrophilia, decapitation, and dismemberment, and his intelligence – with an IQ of 145 – made him both fascinating and terrifying. He frequently gave detailed interviews in prison, offering unsettling insights into his psychology.
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