The Birth Of Evil: These Infamous Killers Were Born In Iowa

Many movies, documentaries, and other forms of media cover the life and history of infamous serial killers. Many cities and Towns are tied to these serial killers. Iowa has some history tied to different serial killers, the most notorious is John Wayne Gacy, but Gacy was not born in Iowa. We will be looking at criminals born in the state of Iowa.

Iowa Serial Killers Born In Iowa

Here is something crazy, the first three names on this list are all Robert. More than half of this list are men named Robert.

Robert Hansen - Estherville, Iowa

Robert Christian Hansen, known in the media as the Butcher Baker, was an American serial killer. Between 1971 and 1983. He committed many terrible acts against his victims. It is reported that he murdered at least seventeen women in and around Anchorage, Alaska.

Robert Was Born on February 15th, 1939 in Estherville Iowa. He died on August 21, 2014, in Alaska. You can learn more here.

Robert Ben Rhoades - Council Bluffs, Iowa

Robert Benjamin Rhoades was known as The Truck Stop Killer. It is suspected that 50 women between 1975 and 1990 fell victim to Robert. Most things tied to him are in Texas and Utah.

Rhoades was convicted of the first degree murder of Regina Kay Walters and was slated to be tried for two more before charges were dropped due to the wishes of victims' families.

He was born in 1945 in Council Bluffs Iowa. He is still alive to this day. You can learn more here.

 Robert Spangler - Des Moines, Iowa

This tragic tail is just as twisted as the others. Spangler murdered his wife and children on December 30, 1978, in Arapahoe County, Colorado. While born in Des Moines, Spangler was raised in Ames, Iowa.

This Robert was born January 10, 1933, in Des Monies. He died on August 5, 2001, in Springfield, Missouri. You can learn more here.

Gayno Smith - Keokuk County, Iowa

This is the first killer on the list to be born in Iowa and to have committed his crimes here too. He is known for the awful killings of six of his family members in Iowa between 1961 and 1962.

Gayno was born on January 23, 1938, in Keokuk County, Iowa. He died May 16th, 2005  at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. You can learn more here.

This is a tragic list. We want to send out our thoughts and prayers to the families of all the victims. It is sad that every state has monsters. Iowa was home to plenty of them, but these 4 truly stand out for their awful crimes.