When it comes to chilling messages left by killers, notorious cases like those of Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, and The Manson Family captivated the world with their cryptic letters and eerie taunts. These cases are seared into the public’s consciousness, their letters and symbols becoming infamous. But beneath the surface of these famous crimes lie others, no less disturbing, whose haunting messages tell stories of chaos and cruelty. In this article, we uncover some of these unsettling cases—ones that slipped through the cracks of global notoriety but left a lingering dread all the same.
William Heirens – “For heaven’s sake catch me before I kill more. I cannot control myself.”
The case of William Heirens, often referred to as the “Lipstick Killer,” leaves an unsettling mark on the city of Chicago’s history. In 1946, three brutal murders rocked the city, with the second victim, Frances Brown, found with a note smeared in lipstick on her apartment wall. The message wasn’t just a cry for help—it was an admission of spiralling madness. Heirens, who remains adamant about his innocence, was sentenced to life imprisonment, but the chilling tone of the message endures as if echoing from the killer’s fractured mind. Whether he penned those words or not, they reveal a chilling psychological unravelling.
The Beltway Snipers – “Call me God”
The sniper attacks terrorizing Washington D.C. in 2002 were as precise as they were heartless. John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo turned the region into a war zone, killing victims at random. After the shooting of Iran Brown, they left behind a tarot card at the crime scene, but it wasn’t just any card—it was the Death card, starkly inscribed with, “Call me God.” The phrase, bold and unforgiving, felt like a cruel taunt, but also a declaration of their twisted sense of omnipotence. What made it worse? The killers demanded it not be released to the press, as if their power relied on the secrecy of their twisted narrative.
Explore the most intriguing unexplained deaths in history and discover the mysteries and theories behind these baffling cases.
Hasib bin Golamrabbi – “Sorry, my first kill was clumsy”
Hasib bin Golamrabbi’s actions were as cold as they were baffling. After shooting his parents in their own home, he left behind a note by their bodies that almost defied comprehension: “Sorry, my first kill was clumsy.” It’s not just the confession that shocks—it’s the casual, almost flippant tone. The note gives us a terrifying glimpse into a mind dissociating from the brutal reality of his actions, reducing two lives taken to a clinical misstep.
Mary Bell – “I Murder So That I May Come Back”
At just ten years old, Mary Bell shocked Britain with her chilling murders of two young boys. In fact, in a note left for police, Bell’s childish handwriting delivered an adult’s malice: “I murder so that I may come back.” Moreover, the message reads like a perverse mission statement, one that haunted the police investigation. What’s even more disturbing is the idea that a child could articulate such a thought—much less act upon it—which adds a profound layer of horror to an already tragic case. Ultimately, this shows that the coldness of violence truly knows no age.
Prince Hepburn – “This is what cheaters get”
When Prince Hepburn murdered Nellie Brown-Cox in 2012, he left a machete at the crime scene, marked with an ominous message: “This is what cheaters get.” The blunt simplicity of the statement, etched into a murder weapon, distils his crime into a twisted rationale. The rage embedded in those words reveals a man so consumed by betrayal that he wanted to leave no doubt as to his motive. It was personal, cold, and shockingly methodical.
Richard Ramirez – Spray-Painted Pentagrams
Richard Ramirez, the notorious “Night Stalker,” left a terrifying symbol in his wake: spray-painted pentagrams. His spree of home invasions and murders in the 1980s coincided with the height of Satanic Panic, and Ramirez weaponized that fear, scrawling the pentagram on his victims’ walls. To onlookers, it wasn’t just a symbol of occultism—it was a direct assault on their sense of safety and sanctity. Even after his capture, Ramirez proudly flashed the pentagram in court, further cementing his calculated embrace of evil.
Micah Johnson – “RB”
The tragic 2016 shooting in Dallas that left five police officers dead also left behind a perplexing message: the letters “RB,” written in the shooter Micah Johnson’s blood. While the true meaning remains a mystery, some speculate it refers to a biblical passage about righteous blood. Johnson’s cryptic message, created in his final moments, adds a layer of bafflement to an already painful event—one that haunts investigators as they continue to search for its true significance.
David Kalac – “She killed me first”
After David Kalac strangled Amber Coplin in 2014, he scrawled “she killed me first” on the wall of her bedroom. This darkly ironic note, accompanied by other unsettling graffiti, reads like a defense written by a man desperately trying to justify the unjustifiable. Kalac’s attempt to shift blame not only falls flat, but it adds a new layer of horror—this was someone who wanted to control the narrative, even in the face of damning evidence.
Ed Gein – A House of Horrors
Ed Gein’s crimes transcended mere murder—they became the stuff of nightmares. When authorities entered his rural Wisconsin home, they found a grotesque collection of body parts repurposed into household items. From skin-covered chairs to skulls used as bowls, the sheer scope of his desecration is mind-boggling. Though Gein left behind no written message, his ghastly creations were a statement in themselves—an unspoken horror that still fuels urban legends today.
JonBenet Ramsey’s Murderer – “S.B.T.C”
The cryptic ransom note left in the JonBenet Ramsey case contained a puzzling acronym: “S.B.T.C.”
The meaning behind these letters remains elusive, with theories ranging from military training centers to religious connotations. This unsolved case continues to baffle investigators, and the note only adds another layer of confusion, leaving the public wondering what connection these letters might have to the truth.
Ricky McCormick’s Cipher
In one of the most baffling unsolved mysteries, Ricky McCormick’s body was found in a Missouri field with a coded message in his pocket. Despite years of cryptanalysis by the FBI, the cipher remains unsolved. Much like the infamous Zodiac Killer, McCormick’s message holds tantalizing clues, but until the code is cracked, the identity of his killer remains hidden in plain sight.
Also, don’t miss Carly Gregg: The 15-Year-Old Who Calmly Murdered Her Mother.
