6 notorious murder duos
![Het echtpaar Ray en Faye Copeland](/images/blog/copeland.jpg)
Most murders are committed by a single killer. But in some cases, it turns out to be a partnership between lovers, friends, or even family members.
Ray and Faye Copeland
At the time of their conviction, Ray and Faye Copeland were the oldest individuals ever sentenced to death. They were 76 and 69 years old and convicted for five murders on their ranch in Missouri in 1989. To make money, Ray traded animals with fraudulent checks. He had been in and out of prison multiple times, becoming a well-known swindler, leading the couple to move from town to town to protect their reputation. Unable to continue his schemes in the same way due to his notoriety, Ray involved homeless people. After the transactions, Ray shot the homeless individuals with his semi-automatic rifle and buried their bodies in his barn. After an employee reported finding human bones on the property, the couple was apprehended. Faye turned against her husband, claiming to have been a victim of her husband for 50 years, but the jury didn't believe her. Both Copelands were sentenced to death. They both eventually died of natural causes.
Caril Ann Fugate and Charles Starkweather
Caril Ann Fugate was only 13 years old when she fell for the charms of 18-year-old Charles Starkweather. Shortly after this encounter, the infatuated Fugate became the youngest woman ever tried for premeditated murder. In 1956, Fugate returned home, where she witnessed the murder of her mother, stepfather, and half-sister by Starkweather. Soon after the murders of her family members, the couple fled and embarked on their killing spree. The enamored couple crisscrossed the country from Nebraska to Wyoming, killing six people. In 1959, the pair was arrested and quickly turned against each other. Fugate claimed almost complete innocence, stating she had only once held a gun while Starkweather robbed a few individuals. However, Starkweather claimed that Fugate had committed a significant portion of the murders. Starkweather was sentenced to death by electric chair. Fugate, who consistently claimed innocence, escaped the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison.
Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez
Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, also known as the Lonely Heart Killers, targeted victims who placed and responded to personal ads. Their crimes began with scams but ended in bloody murders. Fernandez was a con artist during World War II and saw himself as a master of voodoo, capable of seducing any woman. In 1946, he started writing letters to various women in Lonely Heart Clubs. Fernandez gained the trust of women, robbed them, and then disappeared without a trace. The victims often felt so ashamed of the situation that they chose not to report him. His crimes turned deadly when he met Beck. Fernandez fell in love with Beck and, as a result, honestly told her about his actions and didn't rob her. Beck then decided to assist Fernandez in his crimes. She posed as his sister or sister-in-law, and together, they swindled many older women. Despite Fernandez having no feelings for their victims, Beck grew jealous and decided that the victims should not only be swindled but also murdered. The murderous couple was apprehended after swindling and killing a woman and her daughter. The couple gleefully admitted to having killed around twenty women, but there was enough evidence to convict them of three murders. Beck and Fernandez were both sentenced to death.
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, known as the "Moors Murderers," committed some of the most infamous crimes of the last century in England. They met in 1961 at a factory where they both worked. Brady read Nazi-related books, which led Hindley to believe she had found a like-minded soul. Brady was obsessed with committing the perfect murder, and in 1963, they murdered their first victim, 16-year-old Pauline Reade, a school friend of Hindley's sister. After this, they together murdered four other victims before being apprehended.
Gwendolyn Graham and Catherine May Wood
Gwendolyn Graham and Catherine May Wood both worked as nurses in a care facility in 1986 when they became friends and soon fell in love. Two years later, they were both charged with murder for allegedly suffocating five elderly patients. According to Wood, in January 1987, Graham entered the room of a woman with Alzheimer's and suffocated her with a washcloth, with Wood acting as a lookout. The woman was too weak to fight back and became the first victim of the couple. The woman's death seemed natural, so no autopsy was conducted. Wood claimed that Graham killed the patient to "relieve her tension." Both believed that keeping the murder a secret would prevent the other from leaving, strengthening their bond. When Graham was transferred to a location with child patients, Wood confessed to the murder, fearing that Graham might start killing children.
Carol M. Bundy and Doug Clark
Carol M. Bundy and Doug Clark were known as "The Sunset Strip Killers." They met at a bar, where Clark introduced himself as the king of one-night stands. They quickly discovered they shared dark, sexual desires. Clark murdered prostitutes and brought the heads back to Bundy as trophies. The couple stored their victims' heads in the refrigerator and used them for their erotic games. Clark became jealous when Bundy had an affair with a country singer. He insisted that Bundy must murder her lover, and she did. Bundy lured her lover into a van with the promise of sex, where she shot and decapitated him. Ultimately, Bundy couldn't live with this and confessed to the crimes. Later, she told the police it was a situation that started as a fantasy and got out of hand.
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