Last update:09 November 2024, 18:15 IST

John Childs reportedly killed six people, including a 10-year-old boy who saw him kill the boy’s father.

Hitman Joseph Barboza was killed in an encounter at the age of 43 in 1976.

We’ve all seen the chilling portrayal of contract killers in movies, but behind the scenes, some real-life assassins have become infamous for their brutality and the staggering number of lives they’ve taken. From using everyday tools like chainsaws to inconspicuous weapons like cyanide, these assassins have left a trail of terror across the globe. Today, we take a closer look at some of the deadliest assassins in history, one that even claimed the lives of 492 people.

The ice man

Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, his real name was Richard Kuklinski. He was a notorious American assassin who killed over 200 people over a 30-year period. He used everything from a bow and arrow to chainsaws and even cyanide nasal sprays to kill his targets. He died in prison in 2006 at the age of 70.

The animal

Joseph Barboza earned the name “The Animal” after he killed a man by biting him on the cheek during a nightclub brawl. He worked for the Patriarca crime family in Boston and killed around 26 people. Barboza often used silenced weapons and car bombs. He was killed in an encounter at the age of 43 in 1976.

The Superkiller

Alexander Solonik was a Russian assassin who killed around 40 people. A former Soviet soldier and martial arts expert, he could shoot with both hands. In 1994, he was caught by the police during a shootout, but escaped from prison the following year. In 1997, while in Greece, he is believed to have been strangled to death by a fellow assassin.

Harry schooled

Active in America in the 1930s, a gang known as Murder Inc. committed hundreds of murders under contract for the mafia. One of their assassins, Harry Strauss, was reported to have killed around 500 people. He was sentenced to death in the electric chair in 1941 at the age of 31.

Brutal British

John Childs, known as the “Brutal Brit”, was a British hitman active between 1974 and 1978. He reportedly killed six people, including a 10-year-old boy who saw him kill his father. He burned his victims after killing them. Since 1979, he has been serving a life sentence.

Julio Santana

A Brazilian assassin, Santana is known as one of the most dangerous in history, having killed 492 people. He started killing when he was only 17 years old.