Hawkeye Farms said:

HH Holmes considered one of America's first serial killers. He was also considered a suspect of the Jack the Ripper murders. He is also one of the first to do insurance fraud on an epic level. Albert Fish now there is a scary man. He had killed two or three other children before Grace Budd. His letter he wrote to the Budd family was shocking for the time, and it still sickens me every time I read it. There was a really good movie called "The Grey Man" that was fairly accurate to the true crime. If you get a chance to watch it I recommend it. I also recommend "An American Crime" it's a child abuse case and it does get some of the facts wrong, but it was about one of the first child abuse cases really written about in the 1960's. Sylvia Likens... a sad story, but one I recommend for those who want to work with children along with "A Child Lost Forever" the Dennis Jurgens case. Belle Gunness again an interesting case. Her disappearing reminds me of the Bloody Benders of Kansas.

Caaldir Equestrian said:

I like to read about the more unknown killers. They tend to have the most messed-up stories and have more signs or backstory to truly push them (Which can be helpful for those in psychological fields), such as Richard Chase who was nicknamed "The Vampire of Sacramento" because he drank the blood victims. The stories of those are messed up so research with caution. I'm also glad nobody here romanticizes them, but rather is interested in learning for any possible future careers or just to teach others about them and investigate what makes them tick. My biggest peeve when broaching the topic of serial killers is that people romanticize and defend their actions. It puts a strain on the families/friends of the victims and others that were affected, and can make it seem like the victims were not important enough or that people can get away with the worst of things because of someone's strange fantasies (Such as those that even go to lengths to write love letters).