Apart from the death penalty, life imprisonment is the most severe punishment imposed on inmates. Life imprisonment means that the incarcerated individuals must serve a prison sentence for as long as they have lived or for the rest of their lives indefinitely until they are forgiven, released, or converted to a certain term.
Even though life imprisonment is not applied in all countries, it is still an effective way to punish serious crimes in some countries, such as murder, child abuse, drug and human trafficking, treason, etc. Since life imprisonment is actually true, we’ll definitely show you at least 12 phenomenal cases of life imprisonment in the world. Let’s check them out!
1. Albert Fish
Albert Fish was an American serial killer and cannibal who committed sadistic crimes across the United States in the early 1900s. He received a life sentence for another crime, but he was finally sentenced to death in one case in 1936.
Fish was responsible for committing a series of murders against children. The astonishing fact is that he was also the mastermind behind the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Grace Budd. His deviant thoughts caused by a mental illness have made him a true monster—one of the most famous serial killers in the world.
2. Moors Murders
The Moor Murders were a series of highly publicized crimes committed in the 1960s in Manchester, England. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were a couple involved in a series of murders that targeted children and teenagers.
To carry out their attacks, they lured the victims with promises of rides, offered food, or pretended they needed help and took them to Saddleworth Moor, a remote area near Manchester, where they were tortured, sexually abused, and killed. Finally, they were sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in the murder.
3. Marc Dutroux
Marc Dutroux is a Belgian pedophile and serial killer who received life imprisonment in 2004. He was involved in the kidnapping and killing of children in the 1990s. He was arrested and charged with the kidnapping, murder of several young girls, and sexual abuse.
In fact, Dutroux’s crime also involved several accomplices, including his then-wife, Michele Martin, who was convicted of complicity. His criminal cases actually led to significant reforms in the Belgian legal system, especially in relation to child protection. To date, the case remains one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Belgian history.
4. Fred and Rosemary West
The fourth life sentence happened to Fred and Rosemary West in England. Fred and Rosemary West were a married couple involved in a series of murders and sexual assaults in Gloucester, England, in the 1970s and 1980s.
They were responsible for at least 12 murders, including those of their own children. Their victims were subjected to extreme acts of sexual abuse, violence, and dismemberment. His crimes were uncovered in 1994. However, Fred West committed suicide before being tried, while Rosemary West was sentenced to life in prison in 1995.
5. Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian far-right extremist and mass murderer who carried out a terrorist attack in Norway, targeting youths in an encampment and a government building. The attack left 77 people dead.
After the bombing, he went to the island of Utoya, where a youth camp organized by the Norwegian Labor Party was taking place. There, he disguised himself as a police officer and opened fire on the tributes, killing 69 people, mostly teenagers, and injuring many others. In 2012, Breivik was found guilty of terrorism and premeditated murder and sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, the maximum sentence in Norway.
6. Peter Scully
Peter Scully is an Australian convicted pedophile who committed his criminal enterprise primarily in the Philippines. He targeted vulnerable children from impoverished backgrounds. He lured victims by promising them jobs, including modeling.
Once the victims are under his control, he then sexually abuses, tortures, and kills those whose sadistic actions he himself recorded to sell to other pedophiles online. Scully was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison in 2018.
7. Mikhail Popkov
Mikhail Popkov, also known as “The Werewolf,” is a Russian serial killer and former police officer. During the time he committed his crimes, he served as a police officer, allowing him to gain the trust of his victims and avoid suspicion. He targeted women in the Siberian region who went out late at night, including sex workers.
To lure victims in, he would approach them, offer them rides in his police car, and drive them to remote areas where victims were raped, mutilated, and killed by various methods, including beating and stabbing. Popkov was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison in 2018.
8. Charles Scott Robinson
Charles Scott Robinson is an Oklahoma child rapist who has a record for the longest prison sentence on multiple counts. He was responsible for the rape of children and for five other rape-related crimes.
Initially, he was sentenced to life in prison for 5,000 years, but eventually District Judge Dan Owens found six counts in a row for which he was given a prison sentence six times that, or 30,000 years, without parole.
9. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán
The ninth life sentence occurred for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. He is a Mexican drug lord and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most notorious and powerful drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. Known for his ability to evade capture for years, he is one of the world’s most wanted fugitives.
El Chapo’s criminal activities spanned decades and are believed to have played a key role in the drug-related violence and conflict that have plagued Mexico. He has been arrested three times and managed to escape twice, until he was finally sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for drug-related crimes and violence.
10. Golden State Killer
The nickname “Golden State Killer” or “East Area Rapist” refers to Joseph James DeAngelo, who was a serial killer and rapist who was involved in a series of crimes in California in the 1970s and 1980s. He targeted single women and couples by entering victims’ homes at night, wearing masks, and holding firearms.
He was known for his meticulous planning in carrying out his crimes by stalking victims and for his ability to evade capture. The case remained unsolved for decades, but police finally caught Joseph on the basis of DNA evidence and genealogical research in 2018 and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2020.
11. Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann, who was a high-ranking Nazi official and involved in the planning of the Holocaust during World War II, He was a leading figure in implementing the “Final Solution,” which aimed to systematically kill European jawans. He was in charge of transporting victims to concentration camps and overseeing their mass extermination.
After World War II, Adolf hid in Argentina under a false identity. But in the end, Israeli intelligence agents managed to find and arrest him. He was charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes against the Jewish people. His crimes have received widespread international attention to this day. Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death and executed by hanging in 1962.
12. Dennis Rader
The last life imprisonment that we explained here happened to Dennis Rader, also known as “BTK Killer,” in Kansas, United States, from 1974 to 1991. “BTK” here stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill,” where he would break into the homes of his victims, especially women, tie them up, torture them, and finally kill them.
Rader managed to evade arrest for years, but in 2005, police were able to find and arrest him after metadata he submitted to them apparently linked him to the church’s computer where he worked. Ultimately, he was sentenced to ten consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
