Who was the first Serial Killer?

Serial killers are tremendously scary and their origins are rooted in the past.

A serial killer is, in simple terms, a person who murders three or more people for different motives, usually an insane psychological gratification and with a calculated period of time between each murder or group of murders.

There have been so many cases of serial killers in history that entire books have been written about them and sadly there are still many of this hideous and dangerous people around. Some of the most reknown killers include: Gary Ridway, Albert Fish and Leonarda Cianciulli.

However the history of serial killers is rooted in time and the homicidal maniac was actually a woman: Locusta of Galt. She was a poisoner hired by Agrippina the Younger, Emperor Nero’s mother. Her mission was to kill important members of the imperial family, like Claudius, Agrippina’s husband, in order for Nero to gain power and ascend to the throne. Nero was the last emperor of a time of upheaval and discord in the cities and between the population.

Noone actually knows how many people she killed, but they sure were a good number and she was well paid for her job. In the end, she was executed by Galba, who gained power thanks to the Vindex’s coup in 69 A.D.

Poison was commonly used in those times and many other famous killers of history relied on this method to kill important figures, heads of State and noblemen.