Infamous Killer Couples in History

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Serial killings and murders are typically a difficult thing to understand for those of us who do not commit them. Most of us respond to knowledge of these deeds with shock and disgust. How could a person behave so sinisterly? This feeling of shock is even worse when a couple commits the killings. How could two people like this find each other? How can both people be so sick that neither attempted to put a stop to it? Such was the case with the following killer couples. Two sick individuals managed to find each other and neither had enough conscious to stop the killings that followed.

Infamous Killer Couples: Caril Ann Fugate and Charles Starkweather

Charles Starkweather was 19 years old when he and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, went on a killing spree. Like many killer couples, the pair had a sort of twisted, parasitic relationship. They relied on each other for self-confidence and happiness, though neither would find it.

After Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate were dating for about two years, Charles committed a robbery/murder. Caril was not present for this crime, but she would be for the next. On January 21, 1958, Charles arrived at the house where Caril lived with her mother, stepfather and two-year-old sister. All three were murdered. Caril claims that she did not know that her family was killed. Some believe she was in the house when it happened. She almost certainly helped Charles hide the bodies in the backyard of the Nebraska home.

Charles and Caril stayed at the house for nearly a week before going on a road trip to Wyoming. By the time they were apprehended on January 29, 1958, the body count was up to eleven. Caril later claimed that she had nothing to do with the murders and that she feared for her own life. Her own testimony proved that she had numerous opportunities to escape. Charles was found guilty and executed. Caril was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. She was paroled in 1976.

Infamous Killer Couples: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, or simply Bonnie and Clyde, met in January of 1930. Bonnie had a thing for criminals. Though only 19 years old, she was already married to a man who was in jail for murder. Not long after she met Clyde, he was put in jail for stealing. Bonnie managed to get a gun to him and he escaped.

The crimes for which they are famous began in 1933. At that time, they were part of a five-person gang of robbers. It was only a matter of months before two of them were arrested and one was killed. Bonnie and Clyde were then on their own. They continued on their crime spree until they were shot and killed on May 23, 1934. Officers were forced to fire on their vehicle when they attempted to flee an ambush of sorts. The couple was responsible for an estimated thirteen murders, which were committed as they robbed banks, stole cars and conducted prison breaks.

Infamous Killer Couples: Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck

Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, "The Lonely Hearts Killers," met through dating advertisements. Raymond had been defrauding women through these ads when he met Martha, who he also attempted to swindle. In fact, he was living in the apartment of one of these women, who had willed him everything and then died under suspicious circumstances.

Raymond's attempt to scam the obese Martha Beck failed. She arrived with her two children (one from a short-lived marriage and one from an ill-fated fling) at his apartment in New York in January of 1948. He allowed her to stay, but told her that she had to get rid of her kids. She dropped them off at a Salvation Army and promptly returned to her new man. Soon after, Raymond confessed his deeds to Martha, who decided to join him in his crimes.

One of the first women they swindled together (Martha often posed as his sister) died when Raymond drugged her so she would sleep heavily enough to be robbed and placed on a bus. Martha beat another of their victims, 66-year-old Janet Fey, to death with a hammer in a fit of jealousy. Raymond helped her cover up the murder. In January of 1949, they met their last victim, Delphine Downing.

Delphine and Raymond carried on a relationship while Martha looked on jealously. One night, Raymond and Delphine had an argument and Martha convinced Delphine to take a sleeping pill to calm down. She agreed, but her two-year-old daughter began acting up. Martha tried to strangle the child and left marks on her neck. Afraid that Delphine would alert the police, Raymond shot her in the head. The couple buried her in the basement. A few days later, Raymond convinced Martha to kill the young girl. She did so by drowning her in a metal tub. The poor child was buried next to her mother.

Later that night, neighbors called the police, who came to Delphine's house and arrested Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez. Both were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. They were executed on March 8, 1951.

Infamous Killer Couples: Ian Brady and Myra Hindley

Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are certainly the most depraved murderers on this list. You may know them as the Moors Murderers. Between 1963 and 1965, the couple lured children in, sexually abused them (Myra had a lesser hand in this, but is equally guilty) and killed them in the Greater Manchester area. Five children were killed in total. The youngest was 10 and the oldest 17. The oldest may not have been sexually assaulted. One victim's torture was recorded on audio tape. Her tormented mother had to listen to it so police could identify the victim as her daughter.

Both Myra and Ian were eventually found guilty, Myra of two murders and Ian of three. Hindley has since died, while Brady continues to rot in prison. He is on hunger strike and has to be force-fed. Why authorities continue this farce is anyone's guess.

These couples remind us that relationships can be loving and wonderful, they can be difficult and abusive or they can be downright sadistic. These types of people feed off each other's criminality and unleash their sick kind of love for each other on society. On that note, remember that the "bad guys" are not always "guys" and they are not always alone.

Sources

Gado, Mark, The Lonely Hearts Killers, retrieved 11/14/10, trutv.com/library/crime/serial-killers/partners/fernandez/1.html

Bardsley, Marilyn, Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate, retrieved 11/14/10, trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/mass/starkweather/index_2.html

Bonnie and Clyde, retrieved 11/14/10, fbi.gove/about-us/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde