Who was the first serial killer in recorded history?

Question

HH Holmes and others are usually cited as the first serial killers, but I've also read that as far back as the 1600s - the Blood Countess - of Hungary was regarded as a serial killer. Anyone have an earlier documented, defined serial killer?

Answer 1

Cain killed Abel - and it was long before anyone else mentioned above - I don't know what you consider Cain to be "serial"

The First Book of Moses, called Genesis
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

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The Story of the Two Sons of Adam
The Koran
Recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam.
Truly when they offered an offering, and it was accepted from one of them, and was not accepted from the other, that one said, "I will surely kill thee."

He said, "God only accepts from those who fear. If thou dost stretch forth to me thine hand to kill me, I will not stretch forth mine hand to kill thee. Verily, I fear God, the Lord of the worlds. Verily, I wish that thou mayest draw upon thee my sin and thy sin, and be of the fellows of the Fire, for that is the reward of the unjust."

But his soul allowed him to slay his brother, and he slew him, and in the morning he was of those who lose. And God sent a crow to scratch in the earth and show him how he might hide his brother's shame [bury his naked corpse], he said, "Alas, for me! Am I too helpless to become like this crow and hide my brother's shame?"

And in the morning he was of those who did repent.

Answer 2

The Servant Girl Annihilator or Austin Axe Murderer is the given name of a notorious serial killer or killers who terrorized Austin, Texas between 1884 and 1885.

It is thought that at least seven women, mostly servant girls, died at the hands of the killer, who typically dragged his victims from their beds and raped them before slashing or axing them to death. Several victims were stabbed by some sort of spike in the ears or the face, leading to suspicions that they had been lobotomized to quiet their struggle. His first victim was Mollie Smith who was killed on New Year's Eve, 1884.

Though many people were arrested (often without sufficient cause) for the crimes, none were ever convicted, and the killings stopped mysteriously almost exactly one year after they started, with the murder of two wealthy white women, Eula Phillips and Sue Hancock, in downtown Austin on December 24, 1885.

The crimes represented the first recorded serial killer in the US, occurring approximately three years before Jack the Ripper wreaked a far better-known series of crimes on London. Some have even attempted to prove that the Annihilator and Jack the Ripper were one and the same person.

The crime spree was depicted in fictionalized form in the Stephen Saylor book A Twist at the End. William Sydney Porter, better known as the short story writer O. Henry, was living in Austin at the time and is presented as the protagonist. Though the murders themselves are depicted accurately, there is no evidence that Porter was actually involved in the mystery or knew the victims. He did however make a contribution to the story: he coined the term "Servant Girl Annihilator" for his friends working at the Austin Daily Statesman (now the Austin American-Statesman).

Serial killers are people who kill on at least five separate occasions (according to the FBI handbook), taking breaks between murders. The crimes committed are a result of a compulsion that may have roots in the killer's (often dysfunctional) youth and psychopathological disorders, as opposed to those who are motivated by financial gain (e.g., contract killers) or ideological/political motivations (e.g., terrorism, democide).

Some of the other names mentioned thus far do not fall under this catagory. They are mass murderers, or have committed genocide, but are not true serial killers.

Answer 3

Documentation is a hard word. And what truly defines a serial killer?

What about that family that lived in the hills of Ireland (The Beanes?) and ate the errant passerby?

Answer 4

It’s absorbing throughout; showing a serial killer who you may not have heard of, but now you will remember him well. Reinforcements come in mighty quickly with Making of H.H. Holmes where Borowski demonstrates in 20 minutes what Hollywood should do with the making-of featurettes on their DVDs. The Trailers section shows that Borowski has impressive marketing savvy. Man, is he good!” - Rory Aronsky

Answer 5

Jack the ripper may have actually been a women. There's something to think about buddy.

Answer 6

Caligula - Ancient Rome

Answer 7

King Maelgwn of Gwynedd (NW Wales) (died 547).

From Gildas's "De Excidio" (written c546AD) (para 35)
< that stiff neck of thine (already laden with sins) is now burdened with two monstrous murders, the one of thy aforesaid nephew, the other, of her who once was thy wedded wife>

And that is only a little of it.

Answer 8

The boggie man ??