We have all heard of Geniuses. History has showcased insanely gifted people that have dedicated their life to the pursuit of knowledge. The people on this list used their powerful minds for something other than academic success …murder.
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale says that having an IQ of 130-144 is considered “gifted”. Of the thousands of people that take this test annually, only 2.3 percent have hit such a score. Moreover, less than one percent hit an IQ score of 145 to 160. Perhaps one of the most notable examples of this one percent was Albert Einstein. His accomplishments in Physics continue to aid new generations make outstanding work.
The serial killers on this list ranked higher or equal to the 160 IQ Einstein tested. Nevertheless, their brains showcase just how dangerous a gifted mind that is applied to crime can truly be.
Charle Gallego- IQ 160
Charlene Adelle Gallego- originally born Charlene Adelle Williams was born in October 10, 1956. She was categorized as one of the most intelligent and manipulative serial killers ever to exist.
She was known as “The Love Slave Killer” or “The Gallego Sex Slaves Killer”. Charlene was eventually convicted for terrorizing Sacramento, California between 1978 and 1980.
She tested with an IQ of 160, and was described as a violin prodigy. Moreover her character was often depicted as shy and unsure prior to starting her life of crime.
After marrying her third husband; Gerald Gallego, the pair kidnapped, tortured and killed about a dozen young women together. Eventually when they were caught, Charlene managed to make a plea deal. She convinced detectives that she was a victim of love. The deal consisted of her testifying to all the horrific crimes her husband had committed. She eventually walked away with only a 17 year sentence.
We believe someone capable of manipulating her way out of 10 murder convictions could manipulate the most gifted of geniuses.
Rodney Alcala- IQ 135–170 (undetermined)
Born in San Antonio, Texas in August 23, 1943. From 1977 to 1979, Rodney murdered eight women and is suspected of having killed up to possibly 100 more.
With an estimated IQ of approximately 170, he is most known for entering a dating show and winning it in the middle of his killing spree. This gave him the nickname of “The Dating Game Serial Killer”.
What is perhaps most shocking is the amount of evidence found against him. Not only were there over 1000 photos taken by Rodney showcasing his crimes found by police; but, despite said findings he was only convicted of five murders.
On his fist trial for the murder of four women, it was his crazy IQ that got him off on a technicality. He was sentenced to death a total of three times, having two of those sentenced overturned. To this day, he remains one of the most intelligent and horrifying serial killers in history.
Theodore John Kaczynsk- IQ 167
Born on May 22, 1942 in Chicago, Theodore was most known as “The Unabomber”. Considered as probably the ultimate serial killer genius, he was accepted in Harvard at just 16. Notably in his formative years he was a part of the chess, mathematics and German clubs.
His biggest issue lay with modern technology. It was this dissatisfaction that lead him to send bombs to several professors resulting in 23 injuries and 3 deaths.
Kaczynsk enjoyed the chase more than anything. He would leave messages encrypted with mathematical codes that seem to stump even the FBI.
He managed to escape capture for 17 years, something most killers are incapable of achieving. What was his demise? His manifesto was released to the public and his brother and sister-in-law recognized the writing style tipping off the FBI of Kaczynsk’s whereabouts. Had this not occurred, who knows if he would have ever been captured.
In Conclusion:
These group of individuals prove that not all gifted people dedicate their lives to knowledge. From striking deals to escaping a death sentence on a technicality, it is undeniable they were cunning, manipulative, and outstandingly smart. We think based on their cunning and highly unpredictable nature, it would be plausible to assume they could have outsmarted even one of the biggest brains, i.e.. Einstein.