Every state has endless crimes, some unsolved and some even sparking important movements. It’s difficult to rank the worst or most heinous ones, and while a few states don’t report crime to the FBI, we were able to identify the most famous crime or series of crimes that occurred in each U.S. state.
1. Alabama
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Famous crime: 1888 Hawes Murders
The infamous Hawes Murders transpired in late 1888 in the young city of Birmingham, Alabama, becoming one of the most well-known crimes in the state. In fact, this triple murder made national headlines, painting Birmingham as a violent city. Though no witnesses were present during the crime, officials found Richard Hawes guilty of murdering his ex-wife and two young daughters. This notorious murder even led to a deadly riot.
2. Alaska
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Famous crime: The Butcher Baker
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, serial killer Robert Hansen went on a killing spree that shocked the nation. Known as the “Butcher Baker,” Hansen stalked, kidnaped, raped, and murdered his female victims in Anchorage, Alaska. One of the strangest parts of his killing spree is that he would abduct the women (primarily exotic dancers), set them free in the wilderness, and then hunt them like prey before murdering them.
3. Arizona
Famous crime: The Murder of Travis Alexander
One of the most famous crimes in Arizona was the murder of Travis Alexander at the hands of his ex-girlfriend. Jodi Arias was charged with first-degree murder after killing Alexander in 2008. Alexander’s body showed multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound in his head. Though she quoted her motive as an act of self-defense, Arias was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
4. Arkansas
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Famous crime: Ronald Gene Simmons’s Killing Spree
In late 1987, retired military serviceman Ronald Gene Simmons went on a week-long rampage, murdering 14 of his immediate family members and two of his coworkers. Two of the victims included his daughter, whom he sexually assaulted, and the child they allegedly had together. This killing spree went down as the worst mass murder in Arkansas history.
5. California
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Famous crime: The Night Stalker
American serial killer Richard Ramirez became infamous for his rape and murder spree throughout California during the mid-1980s. As a self-proclaimed Satanist, Ramirez killed at least 13 victims. Many referred to him as the “Night Stalker,” as Southern California residents were encouraged to lock their doors and windows each night during his rampage.
6. Colorado
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Famous crime: Columbine High School Massacre
Touted as one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history at the time, the Columbine High School massacre left 13 dead and over 20 wounded. This fatal shooting occurred in Columbine, Colorado in April of 1999, when two teenagers went on a murder spree at a local high school before committing suicide. The devastating event sparked an urgent conversation about gun control within the nation.
7. Connecticut
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Famous crime: Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting
Another tragic school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the Sandy Hook massacre took place in 2012 and left 20 children and six adults dead, as well as two individuals injured. The shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, originally murdered his mother at home before embarking on a shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He then committed suicide before he could be held accountable.
8. Delaware
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Famous crime: The Route 40 Killer
One of Delaware’s most famous crimes involves Steven Brian Pennell, also known as the Route 40 Killer. Pennell had a history of abducting and killing women off Route 40 near Bear, Delaware. He was convicted of murdering two victims, but sources say he likely killed at least three more.
9. Florida
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Famous crime: Casey Anthony Case
In 2008, Casey Anthony murdered her nearly three-year-old daughter, Caylee, and buried her in a nearby wooded area in Orlando. Officials found Caylee’s skeletal remains several months after she was reported missing. The toddler was discovered in a laundry bag and multiple garbage bags with duct tape over her mouth. This horrendous crime took the nation by storm, and Casey was eventually charged with first-degree murder.
10. Georgia
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Famous crime: Atlanta Child Murders
Over the span of a few years (1979 to 1981) in Atlanta, Georgia, 29 children, adolescents, and young adults — all of whom were African American — were mysteriously killed in an eerily similar manner. Most of the murders were later attributed to Wayne Bertram Williams, who was originally convicted for two of the murders but linked to 20 more.
11. Hawaii
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Famous crime: The Xerox Murders
In 1999, a Xerox service technician named Byran Koji Uyesugi shot eight of his coworkers, killing seven. This fatal shooting occurred in a Xerox Corporation building in Honolulu on Nimitz Highway. Uyesugi later revealed that he feared being let go of the company before opening fire in one of the conference rooms.
12. Idaho
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Famous crime: The University of Idaho Murders
A more recent crime that shook the entire nation in 2022 is the University of Idaho murders. This heartbreaking story involves four students who lived in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student at Washington State University, was arrested for murder after fatally stabbing his four victims after breaking into their home. His motive and connection to the victims remain unknown.
13. Illinois
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Famous crime: John Wayne Gacy’s Killing Spree
Also known as the “Killer Clown,” John Wayne Gacy was a rapist and serial killer who targeted boys and young men throughout Cook County, Illinois. Starting in 1968, Gacy lured his victims to his home in Norwood Park (usually under the guise of employment, such as construction work). He then would sexually assault, torture, murder, and bury most of the men beneath his house.
14. Indiana
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Famous crime: Murder of Sylvia Likens
In 1965, 16-year-old Sylvia Likens died at the hands of her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, Baniszewski’s children, and Baniszewski’s neighborhood friends. The group tortured her for three months via avenues like neglect, sexual humiliation, starvation, dehydration, laceration, and burning. Eventually, Likens died in Indianapolis as a result of her injuries and malnourishment.
15. Iowa
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Famous crime: Villisca Axe Murders
In 1912, a family of six and their two visitors were murdered in their Iowa home. This unsolved crime occurred in the town of Villisca. It’s said the victims were “bludgeoned to death” in their sleep after they arrived home from a program at their local Presbyterian Church. Originally, Rev. Lyn George Jacklin Kelly was arrested for the crime and even confessed to it. However, he later retracted his confession and was cleared at two trials. To this day, no other individual has been tried for the mysterious, evil murders.
16. Kansas
Famous crime: Clutter Family Murders
An eerily similar story to the Villisca Axe murders is Kansas’s infamous Clutter Family murders. In November of 1959, a family of four — including husband, wife, and two teenage kids — were killed in their own home outside of Holcomb, Kansas. Several weeks later, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were arrested for the gruesome murder. Allegedly, they heard of the family’s wealth from an inmate while in prison, which fueled their motive to rob the family. However, they could not find what they were looking for upon searching the home, and the killings were possibly a form of anger or revenge.
17. Kentucky
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Famous crime: Angel of Death
Between the years of 1970 and 1971, healthcare resident Donald Harvey killed 13 patients at the now-demolished Marymount Hospital in London, Kentucky (and was convicted of 37 murders in total). He poisoned most of his victims using arsenic, cyanide, rat poison, and petroleum distillate by mixing them into food and beverages. Additionally, he smothered others with pillows or refused to fill their oxygen tanks, leading to their suffocation. When confessing to the murders, Harvey claimed to have simply put his patients out of their misery.
18. Louisiana
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Famous crime: Death of Bonnie & Clyde
The infamous criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde went on a robbery and killing spree across multiple states for years, gaining public attention and multiple warrants for their arrest. In fact, many individuals even romanticized their connection. On May 23, 1934 law enforcement ultimately ambushed and murdered the couple near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
19. Maine
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Famous crime: Black Bear Bed & Breakfast Murders
In 2006, Christian Charles Nielsen murdered multiple individuals (including an inn keeper and her daughter) at or nearbyy Black Bear Bed & Breakfast in Newry, Maine. The massacre shook the small town and the entire state of Maine. To add to this disturbing story, Nielsen dismembered three of the four people he shot. He is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes.
20. Maryland
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Famous crime: Joseph Roy Metheny
Perhaps one of the most troubled murderers on this list is Baltimore’s Joseph Roy Metheny, a serial killer and rapist who murdered multiple individuals and cooked their flesh. In addition to eating them himself, Metheny also made burgers out of his victims and sold them to unsuspecting buyers from a roadside barbecue stand.
21. Massachusetts
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Famous crime: The Boston Strangler
The Boston Strangler murdered at least 11 women between the years of 1962 and 1964. This violent killing spree occurred in the Boston area and involved mostly older women, many of whom were sexually assaulted before being strangled to death. The exact identity of the Boston Strangler is up for debate, but many suspect it to be Albert DeSalvo, an American murderer and rapist who confessed to the above crimes.
22. Michigan
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Famous crime: The Murder of State Senator Warren G. Hooper
In 1945, Michigan State Senator Warren G. Hooper was shot to death while driving home to Albion. Though the murder is unsolved to this day, many suspect the killers were part of Detroit’s Purple Gang. Not only that, but this wild case shed light on the corruption of countless politicians, lawyers, and prison guards.
23. Minnesota
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Famous crime: The Vampire Murder
In 1988, 18 and 19-year-olds Timothy and Mark Erickson murdered a homeless man. Afterward, Timothy went as far as to drink his victim’s blood, inspired by the film “The Lost Boys.” This shocking, vile murder occurred in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
24. Mississippi
Famous crime: The Murder of Emmett Till
In 1955, 14-year-old African American Emmet Till was visiting family in Mississippi when he was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, who later discarded his body in the Tallahatchie River. While the two killers were tried for murder, an all-white jury ruled them not guilty. This disheartening case gained national attention and led many to join the Civil Rights Movement.
25. Missouri
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Famous crime: Gypsy-Rose Blanchard Case
The recent release of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has gained international attention for her unconventional story. Blanchard, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of her mother and served eight years in prison, lived under her emotionally abusive mother’s care for most of her life. Her mother convinced her she was ill with various diseases and required intense medical procedures as well as a wheelchair. Eventually, Blanchard grew fed up and planned her mother’s murder with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, who committed the gruesome killing in Blanchard’s Missouri home. Blanchard is now an advocate for other victims of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP).
26. Montana
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Famous crime: The Missoula Mauler
Wayne Nathan Nance, otherwise known as the Missoula Mauler, allegedly murdered six individuals between the years of 1974 and 1986. These killings took place in Missoula and Ravalli counties. While attempting to claim yet another victim, Nance was shot and killed during a home invasion.
27. Nebraska
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Famous crime: Charles Raymond Starkweather’s Killing Spree
Active in both Nebraska and Wyoming, Charles Raymond Starkweather was a serial killer who murdered 11 people in the late 1950s. Starkweather, who was only 19 years old when he went on his killing spree, eventually received the death penalty. These crimes haunt residents of Nebraska to this day, and Starkweather went down as one of the first spree killers in America.
28. Nevada
Famous crime: Murder of Tupac Shakur
Famous rapper Tupac Shakur was brutally murdered in Las Vegas in 1996. After falling victim to a drive-by shooting, Shakur died days later from complications. This unsolved case haunts the state of Nevada as well as the hip-hop community to this day.
29. New Hampshire
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Famous crime: The Bear Brook Murders
The bodies of multiple female victims were found at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire — two in 1985 and two in 2000. Officials believe the victims died between the years 1977 and 1981 and suspected Terry Peder Rasmussen (father of one of the girls) to be the killer.
30. New Jersey
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Famous crime: John List murders
In 1971 in Westfield, New Jersey, John Emil List killed his wife, mother, and three children at their home. After committing the murders, which he claimed to do so his family could go to heaven, List fled the scene and assumed an entirely new identity. He remained a fugitive for almost two decades and became America’s Most Wanted. Eventually, List was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
31. New Mexico
Famous crime: The West Mesa Murders
In 2009, 11 women were found buried in West Mesa in Albuquerque. Many people blamed the killings on a possible serial killer while others believe they had to do with sex trafficking. The case remains unsolved to this day.
32. New York
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Famous crime: Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme
The infamous Berne Madoff scandal went down as the largest Ponzi scheme in American history. Lasting for at least 17 years (potentially much longer), the investment scandal defrauded tens of billions of dollars from investors. Madoff was later sentenced to 150 years in prison, where he died at age 82.
33. North Carolina
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Famous crime: Murder of the Lawson Family
A heartbreaking family murder occurred in Germanton, North Carolina when Charles Davis Lawson murdered his wife and six of his children. Lawson, a sharecropper, shot and bludgeoned his immediate family to death on Christmas Day in 1929. The only survivor was his oldest son, who was out running errands at the time.
34. North Dakota
Famous crime: The Wolf Family Murders
Yet another harrowing family tale, the Wolf Family Murders ended with the death of a husband, wife, five daughters, and one hired boy. The mass murder took place in Turtle Lake, North Dakota in April of 1920. While the family’s neighbor confessed to the murder, uncertainty still swirls about the legitimacy of his confession.
35. Ohio
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Famous crime: The Cleveland Strangler
Cleveland, Ohio is notorious for its serial killer history. One of the most recent killers and rapists was Anthony Edward Sowell, who was convicted in 2009. Also known as the Cleveland Strangler, Sowell was found guilty of murdering 11 women after their bodies were found in and around his Cleveland home.
36. Oklahoma
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Famous crime: George “Machine Gun” Kelly’s Kidnapping
In 1933 in the state of Oklahoma, a man who went by the name George “Machine Gun” Kelly (not to be confused with the famous rapper) kidnapped an oil tycoon and his buddy. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Kelly held them both for ransom and demanded $200,000. Due to his own negligence, he was discovered by the FBI and arrested later that year.
37. Oregon
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Famous crime: Hells Canyon Massacre
Way back in 1887, one of the deadliest U.S. attacks against Chinese Americans took place in northeast Oregon. At the time of the surprise ambush, around 30 Chinese men were mining gold at Hells Canyon. A group of white horse gang members suddenly gunned down the miners, robbing and killing them in cold blood. Unfortunately, none of the murderers — though identified — were ever convicted. This served as a hallowing reminder of the unpunished and unremorseful prevalence of violence against Asian immigrants.
38. Pennsylvania
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Famous crime: House of Horror
Equally disturbing and devastating, the story of the “House of Horrors” serial killer is one of the most haunting crimes in Pennsylvania. In 1986, Gary Michael Heidnik kidnapped, raped, and tortured serval victims — killing two — in his Philadelphia home. Survivors recalled how he would treat them like sex slaves and even feed them dog food and bits of their fellow victims’ flesh.
39. Rhode Island
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Famous crime: Christopher Hightower
Christopher Hightower was a Sunday School teacher at the Barrington Congregational Church in Rhode Island. Many community members liked and respected Hightower, never expecting the gruesome murder he would eventually carry out. In 1991, however, Hightower broke into Ernest Brendel’s (his former friend) home and murdered him, his wife, and their eight-year-old daughter, Emily. There are many details and uncertainties surrounding this case, with some people even believing Emily was buried alive. The grisly murder haunts the town to this day.
40. South Carolina
Famous crime: Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins
One of the most famous serial killers in South Carolina’s history is Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins. After a troubled childhood and criminal past, Gaskins went on to rape, torture, and murder over a dozen — if not more — victims (many of which were under the age of 25). He received the death penalty via electric chair in 1991.
41. South Dakota
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Famous crime: Mathis Family Murders
The Mathis Family murders involve the gruesome killings of a woman and two young children. Originally, John Mathis was accused of murdering his wife and two sons in 1981 on their. However, Mathis was ultimately found not guilty. This unsolved case remains a mysterious and haunting terror in South Dakota.
42. Tennessee
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Famous crime: The Fast Food Killer
Paul Dennis Reid, also known as the “Fast Food Killer,” robbed and murdered employees at multiple fast food restaurants across Metropolitan Nashville and Clarksville in 1997. Though he originally moved to Nashville to become a country music star, he ended up convicted of seven murders (though suspected of more elsewhere) at local Captain D’s, McDonald’s, and Baskin Robbins.
43. Texas
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Famous crime: Erin Caffey, family murderer
Back in 2008, 16-year-old Erin Caffey was home with her family in Texas when two men broke in and murdered her mother and two young siblings, as well as shot her father multiple times. It was later revealed that Caffey had planned the murder with the two men, one of whom was her boyfriend at the time, and even sat in the car during the killings. Caffey claimed that killing her family was the only way she could save her relationship, as the family disapproved of how quickly it was progressing. Her father is still alive and in touch with her to this day.
44. Utah
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Famous crime: Hi-Fi Murders
Ogden, Utah was the scene of the horrific Hi-Fi Murders that occurred in 1974. During this murder, several male robbers brutally tortured five individuals and killed three in the Hi-Fi Shop, an electronics store. The victims included two Hi-Fi employees, a teenager running errands, and two concerned parents of the employees.
45. Vermont
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Famous crime: East Middlebury Murders
An unsolved case, the East Middlebury Murders involved a woman and two young boys who were likely shot to death and left for dead in the woods. Their bodies were found in 1935 after two women originally stumbled upon a human skull during an outdoor adventure. It was evident that each victim was shot in the head, but no killer was identified.
46. Virginia
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Famous crime: Virginia Tech shooting in 2007
The Virginia Tech Shooting was a mass murder that shook the entire country in 2007. Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old university student, killed 32 people on campus before shooting himself in the head. Many of his peers and even one of his professors noted he had a disturbing history, writing violent plays and even referencing other school shooters.
47. Washington
Famous crime: Ted Bundy’s Killing Spree
Though he committed gruesome assaults and murders across various states throughout the 1970s, Ted Bundy was especially active in Washington. Bundy kidnapped, raped, and brutally killed several women in Washington, some of whom were students at the University of Washington. After multiple arrests and escapes, Bundy finally confessed to 30 murders and eventually received the death penalty.
48. West Virginia
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Famous crime: Murder of Skylar Neese
The heartbreaking death of Skylar Neese occurred in 2012. Neese was only 16 years old when she disappeared from her West Virginia home, leaving her parents to assume she was on the run. Months later, it was revealed that her two “best friends” Sheila Eddy and Rachel Shoaf murdered her, claiming they simply didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. Both girls stabbed her multiple times and left her for dead.
49. Wisconsin
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Famous crime: Jeffrey Dahmer’s Killing Spree
For over a decade (between the years of 1978 and 1991), serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer would lure men to his Wisconsin home and drug, kill, and dismember them. He murdered at least 17 boys/men and even admitted to acts of cannibalism. In prison in 1994, a fellow inmate killed Dahmer by beating him to death.
50. Wyoming
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Famous crime: The Disappearance of Amy Joy Wroe Bechtel
An infamous and unsolved missing person’s case took place in 1997 in the state of Wyoming. Amy Joy Wroe Bechtel supposedly disappeared while jogging, but the exact time and location of her disappearance are unclear. When she didn’t return home later that evening, her husband reported her missing. She still has not been found to this day.
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