If you believe that they are evil, heartless, or simply mentally ill, then you are still part of a society that both repels and attracts the lives and minds of serial killers. Who are they, and what motivates them? Below are some of the most horrifying serial killers of the 20th century....

A trial took place in Ukraine against serial killer Anatoly Onoprienko. After seeing an interview with him on television and hearing his arguments about connections with higher powers that commanded him to kill, I felt a desire to communicate with this person. I sent a letter to the Ukrainian Department of Corrections requesting permission to meet with Onoprienko as an independent journalist. I soon received a response. It was stated that "Onoprienko A.Yu. refuses to meet with representatives of the media." The officials in the department also presented themselves as ardent defenders of the rights of the convicted murderer, for whose sake they were forced to deny my request....

Two hostages were released in the Ryazan region, who had been held captive in a garage basement for over three years. "Employees of the criminal police in the city of Skopine detained a worker from an automotive aggregate plant, who, on September 30, 2000, in the city of Ryazan, on the street, together with a non-functioning vehicle, threatened physical violence and kidnapped students from the PGU-39 and evening school, and has since been holding them captive in the basement of his garage, subjecting them to beatings and sexual assault," said a police officer, according to RIA "Novosti"....