24. The First Recorded Serial Killer
The first serial killer in recorded history lived in Ancient China in the 2nd century BC: Prince Liu Pengli, a member of the Han Dynasty‘s imperial family. Emperor Jing, Liu Pengli’s cousin, appointed him king of the city of Jidong and its surrounding district in 144 BC. That was bad news for the good people of Jidong: Pengli preyed upon his subjects, killing them for kicks and giggles. He actually enjoyed hunting human beings for sport. He murdered 100 people for his amusement, and the true number of his victims was probably much higher. His reign of psychotic terror lasted for 23 years, during which his subjects were too scared to come out of their homes at night. It only ended after one of Pengli’s subjects finally screwed up the courage to travel to the imperial capital, where he complained to the emperor.
Arrogant and Cruel
As described by Han historian Sima Qian: “Liu Pengli was arrogant and cruel, and paid no attention to the etiquette demanded between ruler and subject. In the evenings he used to go out on marauding expeditions with twenty or thirty slaves or young men who were in hiding from the law, murdering people and seizing their belongings for sheer sport. When the affair came to light … it was found he had murdered at least 100 or more persons. Everyone in the kingdom knew about his ways, so the people were afraid to venture out of their houses at night. The son of one of his victims finally sent a report to the [Han Emperor], and the Han officials requested that he be executed. The emperor could not bear to carry out their recommendation, but made him a commoner and banished him to Shangyong”.
