20 Serial Killers Who Served in the Military

When you think of military veterans, you probably picture discipline, sacrifice, and service
not headline-making serial killers. And that’s exactly how it should be: the overwhelming
majority of people who serve never commit a violent crime, let alone serial murder.

Still, true-crime history shows a chilling overlap in a small number of cases. Some serial
killers passed through basic training, wore uniforms, and collected medals before they
went on to destroy lives back home. This list of 20 serial killers who served in the military
looks at who they were, how they used (or ignored) their training, and what their cases
reveal and don’t reveal about the connection between military service and
serial murder.

This isn’t about glamorizing monsters or smearing veterans. It’s about understanding a
disturbing pattern in a handful of high-profile cases, separating fact from myth, and
exploring how systems meant to build discipline sometimes failed to spot serious
warning signs.

When Military Service and Serial Murder Intersect

Criminologists have long noted that serial killers don’t come from one background.
You’ll find them among accountants, nurses, factory workers, and yes, former soldiers.
Military veterans who became serial killers tend to fall into a few broad patterns:

• They often learned structure and skills shooting, logistics, or
  navigation that later gave them confidence in planning crimes.
• Some served without major incident, even earning commendations,
  while hiding serious personality disorders.
• Others struggled badly in uniform, with alcohol problems,
  disciplinary issues, or mental-health concerns that led to discharge.

None of this means that military training “creates” serial killers. At most, service can
become one chapter in a much longer story of trauma, childhood abuse, personality
disorders, or long-standing fantasies of control and violence. With that in mind, let’s look
at 20 of the most notorious serial killers who also wore a uniform at some point in their
lives.

20 Serial Killers Who Served in the Military

1. David Berkowitz – “Son of Sam” (U.S. Army)

David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam,” terrorized New York City in the mid-1970s with a
series of late-night shootings that killed six and wounded several others. Before becoming
a household name in true-crime history, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1971, serving at
Fort Knox and in South Korea.

By most accounts, Berkowitz was an adequate soldier who received an honorable discharge
after three years. After leaving the Army, he struggled with identity issues and growing
paranoia, eventually channeling his internal chaos into a shooting spree that paralyzed
New York’s nightlife. His case is often cited as an example of how seemingly ordinary
service doesn’t necessarily reveal the depth of someone’s psychological problems.

2. Jeffrey Dahmer – “The Milwaukee Cannibal” (U.S. Army)

Jeffrey Dahmer is infamous for the murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys
between 1978 and 1991. Less widely known outside true-crime circles is that Dahmer
served as an Army medic in West Germany from 1979 to 1981.

Initially rated as an average soldier, Dahmer’s military performance quickly deteriorated
due to heavy drinking. He was eventually deemed unsuitable for service and honorably
discharged. Years later, fellow soldiers would claim he assaulted them while drunk,
suggesting his violent and predatory behavior was already taking shape long before his
post-Army killing spree.

3. Gary Ridgway – “The Green River Killer” (U.S. Navy)

Gary Ridgway, often described as one of the most prolific American serial killers, pleaded
guilty to dozens of murders in Washington state and admitted to far more. As a young
man, Ridgway joined the U.S. Navy and served aboard a supply ship in Vietnam.

During his service, Ridgway reportedly engaged in frequent sex with sex workers and
contracted sexually transmitted infections, which he later said fueled deep resentment
toward women. After leaving the Navy, he led a seemingly ordinary working-class life
while becoming a predatory killer targeting vulnerable women and sex workers along the
Green River corridor.

4. Dennis Rader – BTK (U.S. Air Force)

Dennis Rader better known as BTK (for “Bind, Torture, Kill”) murdered 10 people in
Kansas between 1974 and 1991. Long before he became a suburban family man, church
leader, and security technician, Rader served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1970.

His Air Force record has been described as unremarkable, and nothing in his official file
signaled the sadistic fantasies he nurtured in private. After returning to civilian life, he
leveraged his understanding of security systems and his meticulous, rule-following nature
to stalk and murder his victims while taunting police with letters.

5. Randy Steven Kraft – “Freeway Killer” (U.S. Air Force)

Randy Steven Kraft, one of several killers nicknamed the “Freeway Killer,” was convicted
of 16 murders but is suspected of many more. After college, he joined the U.S. Air Force
and was stationed in California, eventually reaching the rank of Airman First Class.

Kraft’s Air Force career ended when he disclosed his homosexuality at a time when
LGBTQ+ service members were routinely pushed out. Following his discharge, he led a
double life as a computer programmer and sexual predator, targeting young men and
dumping their bodies along major highways.

6. Arthur Shawcross – “The Genesee River Killer” (U.S. Army)

Arthur Shawcross served in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Vietnam where he later
claimed to have experienced and participated in extreme violence. After returning to the
U.S., he eventually murdered multiple victims, first children and later sex workers in New
York state.

Shawcross often blamed his brutality on wartime trauma, but investigators and
psychologists point to a mix of pre-existing problems, including childhood abuse and
antisocial traits. His case is frequently used as a cautionary example of how trauma and
long-standing pathology can interact, rather than a simple “war made him do it” story.

7. Leonard Lake – Torture Bunker Architect (U.S. Marine Corps)

Leonard Lake served as a Marine in Vietnam, working as a radio operator. His time in
uniform ended with a medical discharge following psychiatric issues. Years later, he built
an off-grid compound in California, where he and accomplice Charles Ng kidnapped,
tortured, and killed multiple victims.

Lake kept extensive journals describing his fantasies of domination and “survivalist”
ideology. While his Marine background gave him familiarity with weapons and fieldcraft,
his crimes were driven more by deeply rooted sadism and control fantasies than by
anything he learned in boot camp.

8. Charles Ng – Leonard Lake’s Accomplice (U.S. Marine Corps)

Charles Ng, a Hong Kong–born killer who partnered with Leonard Lake, briefly served in
the U.S. Marine Corps after lying about his citizenship status. He was quickly dishonorably
discharged after stealing weapons and ammunition from a base armory.

Following his discharge, Ng reconnected with Lake in California. Together they tortured
and murdered victims in a remote compound. Ng’s military record is short and chaotic, but
it did put him in proximity to the tools and weapons he later used during their crimes.

9. Robert Lee Yates – “The Spokane Serial Killer” (U.S. Army)

Robert Lee Yates seemed like a picture-perfect soldier and family man. He served almost
two decades in the U.S. Army, flying helicopters and earning multiple commendations.
Colleagues remember him as competent and composed.

At the same time, Yates was secretly killing. He targeted sex workers in Washington state,
often picking them up in his van, murdering them, and leaving their bodies in rural areas.
The contrast between his decorated Army career and his long series of murders remains
one of the most jarring examples of a double life in modern true-crime history.

10. John Allen Muhammad – “D.C. Sniper” (Army & National Guard)

Technically a spree killer rather than a classic serial killer, John Allen Muhammad is still
often grouped into this category because of his pattern of repeated, planned shootings.
A veteran of the Louisiana Army National Guard and the U.S. Army, Muhammad served as a
combat engineer and earned an expert rifle qualification.

In 2002, Muhammad and teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo carried out a series of sniper
attacks around the Washington, D.C. area, killing 10 people and wounding others. His
military training in marksmanship and field craft clearly played a role in how confidently
he set up and executed the shootings.

11. Israel Keyes – Meticulous Predator (U.S. Army)

Israel Keyes is often described as one of the most methodical modern killers. He enlisted
in the U.S. Army in 1998, serving as a specialist with an infantry division and earning an
Army Achievement Medal.

After leaving the Army, Keyes traveled frequently across the United States, burying
“kill kits” stashes of weapons and supplies long before he chose victims. He is
confirmed to have killed multiple people and strongly suspected in more. Investigators
point to his military experience as one factor behind his planning skills, comfort with
travel, and ability to remain calm under pressure.

12. Donald Harvey – “Angel of Death” (U.S. Air Force)

Donald Harvey, a hospital orderly who admitted to killing numerous patients in Ohio and
Kentucky, briefly served in the U.S. Air Force. His time in uniform lasted less than a year
and ended after mental-health crises, including suicide attempts.

Harvey’s crimes occurred years later, in medical settings where he quietly poisoned or
suffocated vulnerable patients. His case highlights that simply having worn a uniform
doesn’t mean someone’s crimes are directly tied to military training; in his case, access
to hospitals and medicine mattered far more than anything he did in the Air Force.

13. John Joubert – Child Killer in Uniform (U.S. Air Force)

John Joubert murdered young boys in Maine and Nebraska in the early 1980s. At the time
of some of the Nebraska murders, he was serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force,
stationed at a base outside Omaha.

Joubert’s work schedule and access to a vehicle gave him the opportunity to stalk
neighborhoods and abduct victims. His case underlines a harsh truth: someone can pass
security checks, earn rank, and still harbor extremely dangerous fantasies and compulsions
that are invisible to casual coworkers.

14. Joseph Naso – “Alphabet Killer” (U.S. Air Force)

Joseph Naso, sometimes dubbed the “Double Initial” or “Alphabet” Killer, was convicted of
murdering several women whose first and last names began with the same letter. Long
before his arrest, Naso served in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s.

After the military, he lived a seemingly ordinary life as a photographer and drifter, using
his camera work to meet and manipulate vulnerable women. Diaries, lists, and photo
evidence later tied him to multiple killings across decades, demonstrating how long a
serial offender can operate behind a façade of normalcy.

15. William Henry Hance – Killer at Fort Benning (U.S. Army)

William Henry Hance was an Army soldier stationed near Fort Benning, Georgia, when he
murdered multiple women in the late 1970s. He taunted authorities with letters allegedly
from a group calling itself the “Forces of Evil,” trying to mislead investigators and complicate
the case.

Hance’s crimes occurred in and around military communities, raising difficult questions
about how violence against women particularly sex workers is sometimes minimized
or dismissed until a pattern becomes impossible to ignore.

16. Ronald Gray – Soldier on Military Death Row (U.S. Army)

Ronald Gray was an active-duty Army soldier at Fort Bragg when he raped and murdered
women, including fellow soldiers and local civilians. He was tried in both civilian and
military courts and received multiple life sentences plus a rare military death sentence.

Gray’s case underscores that military justice can and does prosecute service members
who commit violent crimes, though critics point out that early warning signs are often
overlooked before killers escalate.

17. Jorge Avila-Torrez – Former Marine Serial Killer

Jorge Avila-Torrez, a former U.S. Marine, murdered a Navy petty officer near a base in
Virginia and was later linked to the earlier killings of two young girls in Illinois. The
crimes spanned several years and locations, with his Marine service placing him inside
tightly knit military communities that were horrified once his crimes came to light.

Ultimately, Avila-Torrez received extremely long sentences, including a federal death
sentence later commuted to life without parole. His case illustrates how a service member
can use the relative trust of a military environment to get close to victims.

18. Itzcoatl Ocampo – Veteran Targeting the Homeless (Marine Corps Veteran)

Itzcoatl Ocampo, a veteran who had served with U.S. forces, was charged with murdering
homeless men in Orange County, California, along with two family acquaintances. Ocampo
was arrested before trial but died by suicide in jail.

Friends and relatives later reported that he struggled with mental health after service,
including paranoia and disturbing behavior. His case often appears in discussions about
veteran mental health, homelessness, and the difficulty of distinguishing between trauma
and emerging psychosis.

19. Darren Deon Vann – Former Marine with a Hidden History

Darren Deon Vann, convicted of killing multiple women in Indiana, once served in the U.S.
Marine Corps but was discharged “other than honorably” after less than two years of
service. Years later, he was arrested when police traced a murder at a motel back to him.

Once in custody, Vann led authorities to the bodies of several more victims in abandoned
homes. Investigators subsequently examined earlier unsolved crimes to see whether his
pattern extended further back, highlighting how one arrest can suddenly unlock a wider
picture of serial offending.

20. Andrew Urdiales – Marine Turned Cross-State Serial Killer

Andrew Urdiales served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including time at Camp Pendleton in
California. During and after his service, he murdered women in California and Illinois over
a decade-long period.

Urdiales targeted women he encountered in everyday settings college campuses, bars,
or city streets and used his familiarity with weapons and physical control to overpower
them. He was eventually convicted of multiple murders in two states and sentenced to
death, later dying by suicide in prison.

What These Cases Really Tell Us

Put side by side, these 20 cases can look like a pattern: disciplined training on one side,
calculated violence on the other. But experts caution against drawing simple conclusions.
Among these killers you’ll find:

• Men with chaotic childhoods and long histories of cruelty to animals or bullying.
• People who showed early signs of sadism, sexual violence, or obsession with control.
• Individuals whose mental health issues were visible long before enlistment.

In some cases, the military may have offered structure that temporarily kept behavior in
check. In others, it may have placed troubled people in environments with weapons, stress,
and easy access to vulnerable populations. But the core drivers personality disorders,
escalating fantasies, and profound lack of empathy were already there.

For readers deep in the true-crime rabbit hole, the takeaway isn’t that “the military
creates serial killers.” It’s that even highly structured systems can miss red flags, and that
our stereotypes of both “the perfect soldier” and “the obvious villain” don’t always match
reality.

Experiences and Reflections Around Military Serial Killers

Beyond the headlines, the cases of serial killers who served in the military are shaped by
the experiences of people around them victims’ families, fellow service members,
investigators, and communities that suddenly learned a neighbor or base buddy was a
monster in disguise.

Former unit members often describe a strange mix of hindsight and confusion. A soldier
remembers the guy who was “quiet but fine” during field exercises, then years later reads
that the same man was secretly burying bodies or confessing to dozens of murders. Some
recall small unsettling details cruelty to animals, disturbing jokes, an obsession with
weapons or pornography that seemed odd at the time but not alarming enough to report.

For military investigators and civilian detectives, these cases can be uniquely complicated.
Bases have their own jurisdictional rules, and crimes that cross state lines or move
between on-base and off-base communities require careful coordination. When the killer
is a service member, investigators may have to navigate both military justice and civilian
courts, juggle classified information, and work around deployments or transfers that scatter
witnesses across the country.

Families of victims in military-adjacent cases often describe a painful sense of betrayal.
There’s a cultural expectation that people in uniform are trustworthy, disciplined, and
protective. Learning that a soldier or Marine used that same uniform to gain access to
victims or to deflect suspicion adds another layer of trauma. For some families, the
killer’s status as a veteran becomes a lifelong source of anger; for others, it’s largely
irrelevant compared to the loss they live with every day.

At the same time, veteran communities are often among the first to push back when these
stories are used to stereotype everyone who has served. Many veterans stress the
importance of recognizing that these 20 names represent a microscopic fraction of the
millions of people who have worn a uniform and that blaming “the military” for serial
murder distracts from deeper issues like childhood trauma, untreated mental illness, and
systemic failures in how we respond to early acts of violence.

From a policy perspective, these cases have quietly influenced how militaries think about
mental health and misconduct. Modern screening processes, counseling programs, and
reporting systems are far from perfect, but they’re often shaped by historical failures:
the soldier whose violence off-base was dismissed as “bar fights,” the medic whose
drinking problem was treated as a nuisance instead of a red flag, the young recruit who
openly talked about wanting to hurt people yet slipped through the cracks.

For true-crime readers, the uneasy lesson is this: uniforms, medals, and honorable
discharges can coexist with some of the darkest human behavior imaginable. Understanding
how that happens without demonizing everyone who serves is crucial. It pushes us to
look beyond simple narratives, to ask harder questions about warning signs, accountability,
and what “background checks” really mean when someone is determined to hide who they
are.

Ultimately, “20 Serial Killers Who Served in the Military” is less a story about the armed
forces and more a story about human complexity. Service, like any other life chapter, can
coexist with kindness or cruelty, courage or cowardice. In these rare and horrifying cases,
the people who once swore an oath to protect others chose instead to destroy and the
real work for society lies in learning how to spot that danger long before the body count
begins to rise.