5 Of The Most Shocking Sex Crimes

"In Ice Cold Blood" hosted by Ice-T looks into true stories involving sex, money, murder – or a fatal cocktail of all three. The show, which premieres April 1 at 7/6c on Oxygen, is hosted by  Ice-T. In the world of true crime, those involving sexual acts are often the most shocking due to twisted motives, abject brutality and culprits living double lives.

Here are 5 of the most shocking sex crimes.

Night Stalker

Richard Ramirez a.k.a. the Night Stalker is one of  the most notorious serial killers. Ramirez’s killing and home invasion spree began in June of 1984 and lasted until August of 1985. He used different weapons (including knives, handguns, a machete and a tire iron) and a variety of methods to break into his victims’ living spaces. On November 7, 1989, he was sentenced to death after being found guilty on 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries.

"I am beyond good and evil. I will be avenged. Lucifer dwells in us all," he said in court, according to CNN.

Jeffrey Dahmer

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Looks can be deceiving. Over twenty-five years ago, Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was tried and convicted of 17 gruesome murders. The shocking nature of his crimes – luring young men into his home, where he drugged, sexually violated, killed and eventually consumed his victims – showcased a madman not at all like his mild-mannered, handsome appearance.

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BTK Killer

Dennis Rader, better known as the BTK Killer, terrorized Wichita, Kansas for decades. The seemingly normal Rader was married with children, a Boy Scout troop leader and an active church leader. But he hid a ghastly side. On August 18, 2005, he received 10 consecutive life sentences for a series of murders.  His moniker stood for "bind, torture, and kill," which included acts of sexual perversion. In one instance, he strangled his victims while he masturbated, as Kansas.com reported. In another, prosecutors showed the court photographs of Rader that he took of himself and hanging from a tree or lying in a grave while wearing a woman’s wig and a dress he had taken from a victim, as NBC News reported.

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Killer Clown

John Wayne Gacy, known as the “Killer Clown," sexually assaulted, tortured and killed at least 33 young men, including teens, between 1972 and 1978. Gacy, like many serial killers, lived a double life. Not only was he married with kids, but he was a successful business contractor. A charmer, he was well known and respected, according to Psychology Today. He was even involved in local politics and unbelievably escorted President Jimmy Carter’s wife on one of her visits to Chicago!

During parades and children's parties, he would dress up as "Pogo the Clown.” Meanwhile, he tortured and killed his victims, burying their bodies in the crawl space of his own home.  

Jon Benet Ramsey

In 1996, JonBenét Ramsey was found murdered in her family home. The 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant was discovered strangled and struck in the head in her parents' basement in Boulder, Colorado on Christmas Day. After much speculation, her family was cleared as suspects in 2008 through DNA testing. One of the biggest motives in this shocking crime against a child was her very adult image. Some have pointed to in the cold case was the hypersexualization of Ramsey as a beauty pageant contestant and if that was related to the sexual trauma, as Fox News reported, on her body.  

Schoolteacher John Mark Karr confessed to the murder but his DNA was later cleared. Some speculate he had fantasized about the six-year-old.

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[Photo: Getty Images, Oxygen File]