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The stupidest ways serial killers were busted – as Josh Hartnett stars in wild true story

A serial killer known as The Butcher finds himself stuck at a concert with his daughter unaware it is a set up by police to catch him in the new M Night Shyamalan psychological thriller, Trap.

Starring Josh Harnett, the movie was partly inspired by real life Operation Flagship, a 1985 US sting where 101 wanted men were invited to a convention centre thinking they were getting free tickets to an NFL game.

Here we look at some of the stupidest ways serial killers were busted…

*Trap hits cinemas on August 9.

Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy admitted 30 killings
(Image: Bettmann Archive)

Steering in the wrong direction: He managed to dodge the authorities for quite a while but when Ted Bundy was eventually pinned down, it was after being pulled over for speeding – in a stolen car. He was near the Alabama state line when officer David Lee ran a check on the Volkswagen Beetle. As he was taken in, Bundy – who admitted to 30 murders in the seventies but is thought to have been behind many more – is said to have declared: “I wish you had killed me”.

Eric Edgar Cooke

Eric Edgar Cooke made rifle error
(Image: Fairfax Media via Getty Images)

Gunning for trouble: A killer in 1960s Perth, Australia, known as The Night Caller, left his rifle in a bush where police were able to prove who owned it. They switched it for a fake and tied it to a fishing line so when Eric Edgar Cooke, responsible for eight deaths, returned 17 days later he was caught – hook, line and sinker.

Jeffrey Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer movie error
(Image: Getty Images)

What a smacker: After telling his intended victim he planned to eat his heart, Milwaukee Cannibal, Jeffrey Dahmer, was finally apprehended when Tracy Edwards managed to do a runner because Dahmer let him watch The Exorcist III together and go to the toilet alone. Tracy managed to punch the nutter in the face, got out the front door where he raced into the street and was found by two police officers.

Albert Fish

Slippering mistake: Not only was he a serial killer but Albert Fish was also one of the evilest rapists, child molesters and cannibals who was a fan of writing. The fool sent an anonymous letter to the parents of 10-year-old Grace Budd confessing, “the blood lust seized me”. His mistake was using stationary he found in a boarding house, left by a janitor, which had the insignia of the New York Private Chauffeurs Benevolent Association on it. When detectives went to the boarding house, they were led to Fish.

Dennis Nilsen

Dennis Nilsen had plumbing problem
(Image: Getty Images)

Flushed away: Creepy Scottish killer and necrophile Dennis Nilsen had a habit of chucking bits of his dismembered victims down the bog. He was arrested for 15 murders due to flooding of the building where he had a flat. Not only did the neighbours complain, leading to the plumbers being called out, but the idiot Nilsen – who was played by David Tennant in the 2020 mini-series Des, also did too!

Israel Keys

ATM (A Total Moron): Suspected of murdering between 11-20 people along with bank robbery and sexual assaults, Israel Keys set himself up for a fall when he thought he’d cash in by using his last victim’s debit card – using a machine which had an excellent camera recording his actions.

Charles Manson

Charles Manson’s gang member boast
(Image: Bettmann Archive)

Gloating goon: A member of Charles Manson’s “family” Susan Atkins was arrested in October 1969 for her involvement in car thefts. She then lined herself right up for convictions for her part in eight killings including the Tate murders in 1960 by boasting in prison to career criminals Virginia Graham and Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Howard about stabbing and tasting victim Sharon Tate’s blood. The pair were given a chunk of the $25,000 reward money put up by film director Roman Polanski, who himself was later convicted for sex offences.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk


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