The deadliest Taurus serial killers of all time
Steady, grounded and unshakeably stubborn, Taurus is a sign often associated with loyalty and patience. But when those traits twist into obsession, fixation and slow-burning rage, they can form something far more dangerous. Taurus serial killers may not be the most common across the zodiac, yet their crimes are often chillingly methodical – carried out with a determination that’s almost impossible to interrupt.
Below, Crime+Investigation explores the most notorious Taurus killers in history: individuals whose relentless persistence turned lethal.
Robert Black – born 21st April 1947
Robert Black’s crimes terrorised Britain throughout the 1980s. A Scottish delivery driver, he abducted young girls while on his work routes, targeting victims aged between five and eleven. He raped and murdered at least four children, though suspicions linger that his true victim count is far higher.
Black’s consistency – travelling extensive distances, striking opportunistically yet predictably – made him one of the most dangerous predators of his era. His cold, habitual methods remain a haunting example of Taurus persistence gone dark.
Steve Wright – born 24th April 1958
Known as the Suffolk Strangler, Steve Wright murdered five women in Ipswich in 2006, targeting sex workers operating near the town’s red-light district. Within a short six-week window, Wright killed each victim with chilling efficiency, depositing their bodies in rural locations around Suffolk.
His calm exterior and controlled, repetitive pattern of offending align disturbingly well with Taurus’s reputation for steady – and in this case deadly – determination.
Paul John Knowles – born 25th April 1946
Dubbed The Casanova Killer, Paul John Knowles was as charismatic as he was violent. In 1974, he embarked on a spree that left at least 18 victims dead across multiple US states. Knowles claimed to have murdered 35 people, a number investigators cannot confirm but also cannot rule out.
His crimes were unpredictable in choice of victim but consistent in brutality, blending charm, manipulation and explosive violence. Knowles’ combination of confidence and relentlessness made him one of the most dangerously persuasive killers of the 1970s.
Martha Beck – born 6th May 1920
Martha Beck was one half of the murderous duo known as the Lonely Hearts Killers, operating alongside lover Raymond Fernandez. Between 1947 and 1949, the pair preyed on vulnerable women they met through personal ads, conning them before ultimately killing at least three victims.
Beck’s devotion to Fernandez became the engine behind their crimes – her jealous, all-consuming loyalty turning deadly when she believed other women threatened their relationship. She remains one of the most infamous female killers of mid-20th-century America.
David Carpenter – born 6th May 1930
The Trailside Killer, David Carpenter hunted hikers across the San Francisco Bay Area between 1979 and 1981. He raped, tortured and murdered between eight and eleven victims, stalking remote trails and wooded areas with chilling patience.
Carpenter’s quiet demeanour masked a deeply sadistic streak. As of 2025, he remains on death row at age 95 – the oldest death-row inmate in California – a grim testament to a long life overshadowed by some of the state’s most unsettling crimes.
Earle Nelson – born 12th May 1897
Earle Nelson, known as the Gorilla Man due to his strength and unsettling behaviour, is considered one of America’s earliest modern serial killers. Between 1926 and 1927, he raped and murdered between 22 and 29 landladies across several states, often renting rooms before attacking.
Nelson’s crimes were disturbingly consistent: he targeted similar victims, used similar methods and repeated his pattern with eerie reliability. His case cemented him as one of the most notorious killers of the early 20th century.
H.H. Holmes – born 16th May 1861
A con artist, fraudster and murderer, H.H. Holmes constructed his macabre 'Murder Castle' in Chicago – a labyrinth of trapdoors, secret rooms and hidden chambers designed to facilitate murder. Holmes confessed to killing 27 victims, though only nine were confirmed. Historians believe the real number may have been far higher.
For years, he was even considered a possible suspect in the Jack the Ripper case due to his travel history and methods. His controlled, deliberate cruelty makes him one of the most infamous killers in American history.
Levi Bellfield – born 17th May 1968
Levi Bellfield is among Britain’s most reviled murderers. Known as the Bus Stop Killer, he murdered three young women between 2002 and 2004 – Marsha McDonnell, Amélie Delagrange and 13-year-old Milly Dowler.
Bellfield’s ability to blend into everyday life while harbouring monstrous violence shocked the nation. He remains a suspect in numerous other attacks, including attempted abductions. His fixation on women walking alone became his deadly signature.
Albert Fish – born 19th May 1870
Albert Fish – the Werewolf of Wysteria – is one of the most infamous and disturbing killers in American criminal history. A sadist, cannibal and child murderer, Fish confessed to killing three children between 1924 and 1928, though authorities suspected him in many more disappearances.
His crimes were grotesque, ritualistic and meticulously planned. Letters he sent to the families of his victims remain among the most horrifying documents in criminal archives. Fish’s blend of patience, perversion and cruelty made him a uniquely terrifying figure.
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