#7 - Rodney Alcala
With a reported IQ of 170, Rodney Alcala, the infamous California serial murderer dubbed “The
Dating Game Killer”, chose to represent himself during his eventual murder trial. Alcala,
who claimed the lives of at least 9 victims, garnered national notoriety for appearing
on the popular television game show “The Dating Game” in the midst of his killing spree. Although
the man had won the TV competition and thus earned a date with the episode’s bachelorette,
Cheryl Bradshaw, the latter refused to go out with him because she thought he was “creepy”.
It’s been theorized that Bradshaw’s rejection might have exacerbated Alcala’s homicidal
urges, as he went on to murder at least 3 more women following his television appearance.
During his trial, the man not only served as his own defense attorney, he also reportedly
had a bizarre outburst in which he cross-examined himself in the third-person. After each question,
he would respond to himself in an increasingly higher-pitched tone. The situation was described
as “a tad awkward” by Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno. In spite of his
supreme intelligence, Alcala was unsuccessful in his attempts to argue for his freedom. He
was convicted of several criminal charges, including 5 counts of first-degree murder,
and was consequently sentenced to death. On July the 24th of 2021, the man died of
natural causes while incarcerated at California State Prison in Corcoran.
#6 - Trevor Steven Summers
An estranged Florida couple, in the process of divorcing, was involved in a brutal domestic
violence incident in March of 2017, which resulted in the arrest of Trevor Steven Summers. According
to court records, the latter had broken into the home where Alisa Mathewson, his former spouse,
and 3 of their 5 shared children were sleeping on the night of March the 11th. Summers ambushed
Mathewson in her bed, assaulted her, and smothered her with a pillow until she fell unconscious. For
the next two days, he held her hostage by tying up her wrists and ankles with scarves and wrapping
her entire body in nylon rope. Summers also reportedly used Christmas lights to restrain
the woman to the bed frame. Eventually, Mathewson was forced into a car, which her estranged husband
used to run various errands across several counties. At one point, while they were stopped
at a Walgreens, Mathewson attempted to escape, but was caught by Summers, who sliced one of her
wrists as punishment. A store employee witnessed the altercation and subsequently called the
police. Shortly thereafter, the victim was able to flag down a police car. She was then rescued, and
her abuser taken into custody. During the ensuing court proceedings, Summers fired each of his
attorneys and ended up representing himself. The case subsequently gained international attention,
in August of 2022, after the defendant tormented his alleged victim by asking
her a series of questions during the trial’s cross-examination period. Summers was ultimately
convicted of 11 total charges, including attempted murder, kidnapping and assault.
#5 - Mariana Lesnic
The authorities in Iowa obtained a search warrant for a semi-truck parked at a rest
stop on Interstate 80 near Victor in September of 2017. Officers found the body of 60-year-old
Ernest Kummer inside the truck’s sleeper cab. The man had reportedly died after suffering a
gunshot wound to the head. His fatal injuries, it was subsequently reported, had been inflicted
by 44-year-old Mariana Lesnic, who admitted as much during a 911 call placed after the shooting
occurred. The woman claimed to have been “sick” over the incident, which had resulted in her
being taken into custody on a charge of murder in the first-degree. Lesnic chose to represent
herself during her case’s legal proceedings, a decision which 6th Judicial District Judge
Andrew Chappell vehemently discouraged. The latter appointed a standby counsel for the defendant,
who reportedly admitted “that she lacked the basic understanding of criminal procedure and the
rules of evidence”. Nevertheless, Lesnic served as her own defense lawyer for her murder trial,
during which it was revealed that she’d known the victim for 2 months prior to the shooting. He’d
allegedly wanted to develop a more intimate involvement with Lesnic, who, conversely,
wished to maintain a platonic relationship. The trial culminated with the woman being found guilty
of first-degree murder, and she was consequently sentenced to life in prison without parole.
#4 - Zebulum James
A Mississippi man went on a violent and deadly shooting spree on the night of November the 19th
of 2015. According to subsequent reports, the rampage began when Zebulum James gunned down
48-year-old Suzanne Hogan at a Jackson gas station in an attack that was determined to have been
completely random and unprovoked. On that same night, James allegedly murdered a second victim,
named as Kristy Mitchell, in the parking lot of a restaurant in Ridgeland. Mitchell,
a Missouri resident, had reportedly been in town on a business trip at the time of her tragic
demise. In the wake of the double homicide, James was arrested on capital murder charges. Although
he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he was deemed fit to stand trial, which he did,
first in 2019 for Hogan’s murder. James served as his own attorney in court, and it ultimately took
a Hinds County jury less than an hour to convict him of the crime. He was already staring down a
life sentence before the trial in connection to Mitchell’s slaying had even begun. The man once
again represented himself, and, at one point, was removed from the courtroom and charged
with obstruction of justice after reportedly arguing with a judge. In December of 2020,
James was convicted of the second murder and sentenced to yet another life term.
#3 - Nidal Hasan
On November the 5th of 2009, US Army Major and psychiatrist Nidal Hasan entered the
Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas, and opened fire,
killing 13 people and wounding another 30. The incident, reported as being the deadliest such
shooting to occur on an American military base, culminated with Hasan being hit by return fire
from base civilian police officers. The gunman sustained several gunshot wounds,
which resulted in him being left paralyzed from the waist down. In the aftermath, rumors began
to emerge that Hasan had been motivated to carry out his frenzied attack after having
developed “radical” political views, which many of his colleagues described as “anti-American”
in nature. An FBI investigation uncovered that, in the months prior to the shooting,
Hasan had been in contact with the Yemen-based imam Anwar al-Awlaki, who was labeled as a
militant Islamic extremist. 42-year-old Hasan served as his own defense attorney during the
case’s eventual court-martial trial in the summer of 2013. Military judge Tara Osborn ruled that
the defendant was mentally competent to stand trial. However, she also indicated “that he had
a clear disadvantage as he was up against a lead prosecutor with more than 20 years of experience”.
In court, Hasan claimed that he hadn’t committed the horrific attack “under the heat of sudden
passion”, but that it was his experiences during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan that had
caused him to “switch sides” and turn against the country for which he’d previously fought. Hasan
“declined to speak in his defense or question any of the witnesses” throughout his trial. The jury,
which consisted of nine colonels, three lieutenant colonels, and one major,
convicted him on all counts and recommended that he be put to death for his crimes.
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#2 - William Richard Bradford
California man William Richard Bradford was arrested in 1984 in connection to the brutal
slayings of his teenage neighbor, Tracey Campbell, and a Los Angeles barmaid named Shari Miller.
After investigators had identified Bradford as the perpetrator of the latter 2 murders,
they began to suspect that he might have several more victims who hadn’t yet been discovered. He
reportedly had pictures of 54 women in various modeling poses stashed underneath his bed. The
police postulated that Bradford had developed the modus operandi of luring young women to deserted
locations with the false promise of helping them build a modeling portfolio. The man was eventually
brought to trial on a pair of murder charges, but ended up firing his lawyer in order to serve
as his own counsel. In court, the prosecution sought to depict Bradford as a serial killer,
but offered very little evidence in support of the theory that he’d killed anyone other
than Campbell and Miller. However, Bradford chose not to dispute the unfounded claims
about his suspected victim count, instead promoting them by saying, “Think of how many
you don’t even know about”. He was ultimately found guilty of murder and sentenced to death,
but passed away of natural causes in March of 2008, while still awaiting his execution.
#1 - Ronnie Oneal III
In the late evening hours of March the 18th of 2018, a disturbing 911 call was placed
to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. The female caller,
believed to have been Riverview resident Kenyatta Barron, reportedly said, “I’m so sorry Ronnie”
while screaming hysterically. The voice of an unknown man was also heard in the background of
the call, which ended shortly thereafter. Eight minutes later, a second 911 call was placed,
this time by a man, believed to have been Ronnie Oneal III, who claimed to have been
attacked by “white demons” and accused Kenyatta of attempting to kill him. He gave the dispatcher
their home address, and officers were sent to the scene to investigate. Upon their arrival,
they found Kenyatta’s lifeless body in the yard in front of the house, which had been set ablaze by
Oneal. In the aftermath, it emerged that the woman had been fatally shot by the 29-year-old man,
whom she’d been dating at the time. The couple’s daughter had also been beaten to death with an
axe, and her body left inside the house to burn. During the course of his violent rampage, Oneal
had also reportedly stabbed his son, who, although critically injured, managed to escape the house
fire and tell a responding detective “My father shot my mother”. In a decision that garnered
national headlines, Oneal served as his own defense attorney during his subsequent prosecution
on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse,
and arson. In a memorable moment from the ensuing criminal trial, the defendant cross-examined his
own son, asking him, “Did I hurt you on the night of the incident?”. The boy replied,
“Yes. You stabbed me”. Oneal was ultimately convicted on all counts levied against him,
and he was consequently given 3 life sentences, plus 90 years, without the possibility of parole.
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