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Details :
Category: Serial Killing
Location: Alaska, United States
Date: 1980 - 1983
Crime: Convicted of murdering 15 women, mostly prostitutes in his remote cabin in Alaska, Hansen is believed to have committed more than 21 murders during his time.
Biography: Born in Iowa, in 1939, Hansen was described as being quiet and very much a loner who had a contentious relationship with his domineering father. He stuttered and also suffered from excessive acne and was ridiculed through high school. He served a short time in the Army Reserve, then worked as a drill instructor at a police academy before marrying in the summer of 1960. Later that year he was arrested for burning down a bus garage, after which his wife filed for divorce. In 1967, he was married again and moved to Alaska. There, he appeared to flourish, being hailed as a local hunting champion until 1977 when he was again imprisoned for petty theft. He was then diagnosed as bipolar and was prescribed Lithium. Hansen, had a private plane and he used it to kidnap his victims and take them to his remote hunting cabin. There he raped them before letting them out into the wild where he hunted them down with either a knife or a
Ruger M-14 rifle. In the summer of 1983, a victim escaped and reported Hansen to the police. He was able to deny the allegations until the FBI became involved in the case and a profiler determined that Hansen should be considered a main suspect. A search of his cabin uncovered many 'trophies' including, victims clothing, jewelry and newspaper clippings. After his arrest, he cooperated with the authorities and plea bargained a life sentence.
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