The Wives of Serial Killers

 Their husbands became notorious in newspaper headlines, they were given murderous nicknames and went on decade-long killing sprees without being caught. These wives were sometimes showered in evidence, led straight to the crime scene and even washed their husband’s bloody clothes.

So here’s the question, how could she not have known?

Read about these six serial killer wives and decide for yourself “” were they innocent, ignorant or just under the thumb?

Fayina Chikatilo

If Fayina Chikatilo is one thing, it’s loyal. And maybe a little bit nutty. The wife of Russian serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo, says she never had a clue of her husband’s sickening double-life, despite the tell-tale signs of his crimes. Her husband became known as “The Butcher of Rostov” after he raped and killed as many as 100 people in 12 years, from 1978 to 1990.

It was said that only after the police presented mounds of evidence the “light bulb” finally went on and Fayina started to remember some of the tell-tale signs she overlooked. The sad reality is she believed her husband to be impotent because he always refused sex, and she was completely dumfounded when police told her his murders were of a sexual nature.

He was executed by a single gunshot on February 16, 1994.

Darcie Brudos

What would you think if your husband brought home a severed boob to use as a paper weight? Oh yeah, that’s normal, Can I get you a cup of tea, dear?

Darcie Brudos spent eight years married to serial killer Jerome Brudos, who between 1968 and 1969, bludgeoned and strangled four young women.

The only initial evidence was witness sightings of a large man dressed in women’s clothing, which Darcie knew her husband had a tendency for tramping around in drag, yet she never believed her husband was capable of the murders, never thinking the signs were evident enough.

Surly, Darcie knew something was going when she could not enter the attic or garage without first announcing her presence in an intercom and getting permission to enter.

Oh yeah, and then there’s that severed boob.

Jerome pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences on June 27, 1969. He died in prison on March 28, 2006.

Judith Mawson

If you were ever going to feel sorry for a serial killer’s wife, it would be for Judith Mawson. Her husband of 13 years, Gary Ridgeway, kept his murderous habits so well hidden, she absolutely refused to believe he had killed 70 people and was the person authorities nicknamed the “Green River Serial Killer” until he finally confessed.

The difference with Judith and all the other wives is that her husband acted the part of “The perfect husband”, and is on record telling the media “He made me smile every day”.

Judith’s only real hint something was fishy was the first time she went to his house and found there was no carpet and he had a mattress on the bare floor. He explained that his tenants had destroyed the carpets and an ex-girlfriend had taken the bed back. She trusted him and was later horrified to learn he’d removed the carpet and bed because they had bloodstains from some of his victims.

He was sentenced to 48 consecutive life terms on December 18, 2003

Next Page: More Wives of Serial Killers