The costume the Beast wore when attacking his victims.

1) Edward Paisnel, the Beast of Jersey - Serial Rapist

The Beast of Jersey was a serial rapist active from 1960-1971. Within that span of time he had at least 13 female and child victims, and was convicted for all of them. What made his case even more disturbing was the mask he wore while committing the crime. Once night came, the Beast would creep through windows wearing a terrifying off-color rubber mask that had odd facial features with matted hair. He was captured while attempting to escape police they found pieces of the beast costume in his vehicle. He would eventually be released from prison and was not allowed back into Jersey, being forced to move once residents heard he was attempting to come back to the town he terrorized.

The mask created by Ed Gein made from the skin of one of his victims.

2) Ed Gein - Serial Killer

Ed Gein was a truly disturbed individual. Gein was confirmed to have killed 2 victims and disturbed the corpses of countless others for his sadistic purposes. Gein would use different parts of his victims to fashion different items: bowls made from skulls, a female skin suit, a belt with severed nipples and a mask made from someone else’s face. His motives are still disputed but a court found him legally insane and would live out the remainder of his life in an asylum.

Sketch of Zodiac during his attack on Lake Berryessa.

3) Zodiac - Serial Killer

The unsolved serial killer who claimed responsibility for more then 20 murders would don a black executioner’s hood and a chest piece with Zodiac’s cross hair symbol stitched in white. There is only one account of the killer wearing the outfit and that is when he approached a couple in a serene hill side at Lake Berryessa. Zodiac would attempt to kill both but only the woman would die. The man would live to tell the story of what happened and give his creepy description of the hooded serial killer.

One of the masks worn in one of B.T.K.’s taunting photos.

4) B.T.K. - Serial Killer

Dennis Rader eluded investigators for decades. He would begin taunting police with letters, poems and terrifying images. The images would depict the killer, in various bondage states wearing different masks. Many felt he would never be captured but thanks to the cunning of Kansas law enforcement, they were able to trick B.T.K. in to revealing his identity through technology. B.T.K. was convicted of 10 murders and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.

The white hood as it appears within the film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

5) The Phantom Killer - Serial Killer

The Phantom Killer, also referred to as the Texarkana Moonlight Murders was the basis for the horror-slasher film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown. The killer would usually attack young couples and shoot them multiple times before disappearing. Those who were able to survive the ordeal would describe the suspect as a man wearing what looked like a pillow case with holes cut out for eyes. The Phantom was never caught and may still be living in Texarkana to this day.

Image taken from an ATM of the accused rapist.

6) The NorCal Rapist - Serial Rapist

Roy Charles Waller, 58 was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of being the NorCal Rapist. He is believed to have been responsible for the rape of at least 10 women from 1991-2006. Linked through DNA evidence recovered from some of the scenes of the crimes, Edwards has yet to enter a plea and additional hearing are set for later in the year. According to some of the victims, the Northern California man would wear a mask to disguise his face during the assaults, either a skull mask or a clear mask with different features painted on.

7) Peter Samuel Cook - Serial Rapist

Peter Cook was an infamous criminal from the UK who would break into unsuspecting University students home, then attack and rape them for approximately 8 months in the mid 70s. What made the attacks that much more chilling was the fact that Cook would put on a leather mask with a zipper for a mouth. Etched across the forehead was the word ‘rapist‘. As his attacks became more and more brutal, the search for the attacker became more active. He was arrested in 1975, charged with a number of crimes and given a life sentence. He would eventually die in the Winchester Prison in 2004 from natural causes.

8) The Geezer Bandit - Bank Robber

An “elderly man” is accused of robbing upwards of 16 California banks. It is entirely possible the man is elderly but many have theorized that in actuality it is a skilled makeup effects artist and not a man in his 70s, just an elaborate disguise. A complete transformation in attempt to pull off the perfect crime. So far, either the disguise is working or the older man has done a good job of concealing himself as he is still on the run. The Geezer Bandit is still at large and is still under investigation.

Composite of the masked G.S.K. after one of his many crimes.

9) The Golden State Killer - Serial Killer

One of the worst offenders on this list, the Golden State Killer (G.S.K.), also known as the East Area Rapist flew under authorities radar for decades and was initially thought to be two separate people. It wasn’t until 2001 when authorities found a DNA link between a string of home invasions in Southern California and a large number of rapes in Northern California. He was one of the most prolific criminals in California history, committing over 100 crimes including burglary, rape, assault, and murder from 1974-1986. G.S.K. would often times place a black ski mask over his head while committing the crimes to further confuse authorities by not allowing his victims to ID his face. In 2018 further DNA breakthroughs were made and the once elusive G.S.K. was identified as Joseph James DeAngelo.

Sheila Keen-Warren in handcuffs in the back of a police vehicle.

10) Clown Faced Cold Case - Murder

As previously covered in a previous article, Florida Clown Murder, the cold case in which Sheila Keen Warren was accused of dressing as a clown and murdering her lover’s wife. Detectives theorize that she was so infatuated with the man that she would do anything to have him for herself and prove her love to him. The case was cold for over 2 decades before authorities were able to arrest who they suspect in the crime. Multiple factors went into the arrest including new interviews and a DNA match from hair found in a car near the scene of the crime. Trial is still forthcoming and is expected to begin in 2019.