Female serial killers: characteristics and case studies

Female Serial Killers

Investigate criminal profiling used by the F.B.I. Of female serial killers and provide law enforcement with information on identifying them.

While it is a fact that a male serial killer would commit murders based on sex, in other words, sex related crimes, a female serial killer is a much more complicated and complex character, whose motivations in committing the crime of murder is manifold and range over a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the female serial killer often goes unnoticed and goes on committing her crimes, undetected, over a great number of years. She is quiet, methodical, and is able to plan and execute with precision, so successful at remaining hidden that, in all the years of American history, there has only been a single female serial killer who was identified as a serial killer. In general, a female serial killer rarely, if ever, commits murder over some sexual motive, and her motives are generally subtler, and by their very nature, allow the killer to be hidden from the eyes and the arm of the law for many years. The female serial killer's victims are generally children or the elderly, since it is these people who can be overpowered easily by a single woman. (Kelleher; Kelleher, Female Serial Killers)

Within the age bracket of 14 to 55 years a female serial killer made her first killing. The archetypal female serial killer stated taking lives past the age of 25. The persons behind the killing those who were exclusively part of a team usually started with their deadly profession when they were less than the age of 25. The typical age of the serial killers was significantly different subject to her intention and procedure. Those women who were engaged as contract killers -Black Widow and Profit and Crime were in the killing for an amazingly extended period of time before they were held for killing that has been committed for certain other reason. The two types of Black Widow and Profit and Crime can be strongly linked. On the other end of the spectrum, a killer's professional long life was the categorization of sexual assertion. These executors of crime develop a propensity of killing over a small interval of time, usually took the life of their victims in a messy, and improperly thought manner. While women joined a man to be engaged in sexual homicide in the United States, the normal time-frame of execution was below two years. Outside the U.S., female associates of a homicide group were usually capable of evading arrest for an extended period of time. (Kelleher; Kelleher, Female Serial Killers)

In some cases, a female can take more females as partners, and the crimes will be asexual, or she can team up with a single man, in which case the crimes become sexual in nature. (Kelleher; Kelleher, Female Serial Killers) Female serial killers connive with their male accomplices in forty to forty-five percent of the cases, whereas in fifty-five to sixty percent cases they do it all by themselves. (Types of Serial Killers) Though killings at the hands of a female serial killer must have been going on from time immemorial, it is only from the year 1960 onwards that serious notice was taken of the phenomenon of the serial killer, when the number of murders began to rise at an alarming rate, and it was in the 1980's that the FBI began to think up a system of identifying and studying the psychology behind a serial killer. The 'Behavioral Science Unit' of the FBI came out with the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, also known as the VICAP, which was, in effect, a program that linked the various ways and the manner in which the crimes were committed with the killer who committed them, and his feelings at the time of the crime, and was prepared from a large bank of data collected from interviews with victims of crimes and convicted serial killers. (Types of serial killers)

It is in this manner that a 'signature' is prepared and a crime can be linked to the criminal. However, the FBI cannot rely on this signature, as it may vary from crime to crime in some cases. The FBI's 'Crime Classification Manual' classifies serial crimes under the following categories: Organized Sexual Homicide, Disorganized Sexual Homicide, and the Mixed Sexual Homicide. The Organized sexual serial killer is more often than not a productive member of the society and is happily married with a family. This type of person is capable of planning a murder for many years and of organizing all the intricacies of the crime to the minutest detail. When they set out to commit the crime, they will go well prepared with the tools needed, as well as important information about the investigative procedures that will be utilized by the police team, and this enables them to completely destroy any evidence that would point towards them. This is the type of people who are the most difficult to capture and be punished.

The disorganized serial killer can be defined as the total opposite of the organized killer, in that he or she has no set behavior patterns and has no organized plans to commit their crimes. This low intelligence level person is very spontaneous and chooses his victims at random, and is nevertheless extremely difficult to capture. The mixed serial killer combines the method of operation of both the other categories and is usually a drug abuser or somebody with a similar background. The 'visionary' killer is one who is severely psychotic and listens to his inner voice when he commits the crime, while the 'mission oriented' killer feels that it is his mission in life to rid the society of a particular kind of person and kills them, and the 'hedonistic' killer who indulge in acts that are related to the victim, like drinking his blood, etc. The 'power' or 'control' killer is the most common type, and this is the type that likes to feel a sense of power over the dead body of the victim and is sexually aroused by it. They use various means of torture to kill. (Types of serial killers)

Sexual Predator, Black Widow, Angels of Death, Revenge, Profit, and unsolved categories will be discussed.

Among the Sexual Predators who do it all by themselves are so exceptional that just one case has been reported in U.S. To their acclaim, the Kelleher's endeavor to make a link with incidents in different nations, but the issue is worth noting if the episode of Aileen Wuornos was just only the proverbial tip of the iceberg or a foreshadow of approaching events. This is just an assumption, however akin to their male associates, female sexual predators typically are aged around 30 years of age or middle-aged, and travel from one place to another, are caught in a dream to murder, and normally have killed 6 individuals at the minimum prior to being held at some point of time during their usual 3-year in the killing job. Sexual Predator Aileen Wuornos, 33 years of age and a long-time whore, murdered 7 men in Florida, with every encounter beginning as a usual solicitation for sex. (Female Serial Killers- http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/)

Subsequently, during different stages in the act of sex, she would feel the relationship as coming to a stage of being offensive, fish out a 22-caliber pistol, and open fire on her victims many times in the chest, or at times in the rear part of the head. Thereafter, she would steal all the dead man's possessions and conceal their corpses in the forests close to the I-95 corridor. Her first victim was a familiar rapist; two of the victims were retired or police officers belonging to the reserve police, one being a rodeo worker, the other being a missionary and the remaining were truck drivers or deliverymen. Police doubted her of 2 more murders, but the corpses could not be traced. She was caught with ease by the help of police drawings and the casual clues through which she was cracked down while pledging the property of her victims. She admitted having killed 6 people, but asserted that she had to commit the murders for her personal safety.

During the 1992 hearing, she was betrayed by her lesbian aficionado of six years who gave evidence against her, devastating her self-protection declaration. The adjudicators did not show any compassion for her record of childhood sexual and physical maltreatment. She was executed by electric chair for committing the 4 of the total killings. It is observed that the Black Widows generally start their criminal profession after attaining the age of 25 and thereafter they begin a decade or longer period of methodically murdering spouses, associates, family members, and in fact, anybody with whom they grow a personal bond. The usual sequence is 6-8 fatalities over a time frame of 10-15 years, however in places where law enforcement is slipshod; the number of fatalities might increase to 13. Toxic substances is the chosen arsenal, making the victim consume medicines laced with deadly substances to show more clinically suitable and detectable diseases to lap up insurance and the victim's assets and properties through legacy. Angles of Death normally start their criminal profession from 21 years of age and carry out their activities in a restricted area, usually a nursing home, hospital, or other region where frequent incidences of deaths happen. (Female Serial Killers- http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/)

In these areas, killings can be veiled with least effort, the criminal has a control over whom to kill and spare, and the killer has easy reach to every type of life-supporting and endangering instruments and provisions. The usual sequence is 8 victims in a time-frame of 1-2 years, however the criminal does not remain stationary, and the number of may go up to 16 or higher. Their profession of limited time period is generally because of their habit of showing-off their deeds. Revenge Killers among the female and recurrent criminals are infrequent. More widespread are single-event offense of passion guided by vengeance. The reasons for these serial killers being typical is due to the fact that they are obsessed by an intense, increased degree of rage, treading on the pathological, with scanty of no respite for calmness, indicating that some type of fanatical linkages to the murkier nature of vengeance that transcend what we usually understand by provoked by vengeance. These people normally start their unlawful activities from attaining the age of 22 years and their targets may be members of the family or representatives of a criminal establishment. There is a marked uniformity in the victimology.

The characteristic method is approximately 3-4 victims throughout a normal time-frame of 2 years or below even though several killers might be engaged in this profession may go up to 5 years. Even though the vengeance murderer is normally capable of checking their craze sufficiently to effectively cover-up their crimes, at times they are callous and exhibit an absence of preparation. Paradoxically, when caught, they exhibit extreme repentance, nearly as if to offset for their too much getaway into the gloomy world of vengeance. Profit or Crime Killers those who are female and recurring criminals are few or unidentifiable. Several of them are alleged to be planned killers who are paid for the job and can be engaged in case somebody plans to kill their spouses and professional rivals. Others have established a regional scandal activity to cheat victims of their properties and kill them. (Female Serial Killers- http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/)

They are branded to be the cleverest, having the right connections, and are methodical serial killers. They start their professional killing roughly from the age of 25 to 30 which goes on for nearly 10 years. They generally take the lives of approximately 10 people prior to rake in sufficiently to call it a day, but the quest for more killing may take the toll to a high of 25 lives. They employ several ways to kill, and are extremely unruffled regarding the killings they make. More reported cases have come to light in the foreign shores compared to United States. Team Killers embody approximately one-third of all female serial killers, and three categories are found: male and female groups, all female groups, and family groups. The most widespread is the group comprised of a male and a female, and the offense involves sexual characteristic, with the female associate aged about 20 years and the profession spanning a mere 1-2 years.

The all-female groups are likely to be on the run for 2-4 years, with the associates are more in age, about 25 years. Family teams have a tendency to be active for a lesser duration, approximately 1 year or like that, and the female murderers are characteristically of tender age of 20 years. In case of these three classes of team killers, the usual number of dead ranges from 9-15, and several procedures are employed, comprising firearms and knifes. The issue of reasoned murderers who are serial killers and female are less. Angel of Death offenders are usually able to initiate an efficient resistance for madness, particularly if the psychological defect is Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, a usual manifestation within this category. Normally, nevertheless, the resistance for madness in a serial killing event is hardly ever fruitful. Much counts on which madness experiment is employed, and if the adjudicator can be considerate or otherwise. Unexplained female serial killers are unmotivated murderers. Neither them, nor the authorities are ready with any clarification behind their action. (Female Serial Killers- http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/)

The methods and motives will also be investigated.

Motivations are the cause of every action. The psychological inklings are left by the criminals. Specialists state that the intentions behind the killings are personal. They bask in the glory of being mysterious and the iconic status. Their self-image and the wish to get noticed, inspire them to overstate and own up the murders in which they were absolutely not involved. Several of them desire to come to the limelight as dreaded murderers and hate to be removed from their position. In case of each of them, their motives are likely to be complete, intense and individualistic according to Mike Rustigan, professor of criminology at San Francisco State University. They have no sense of responsibility, no regrets and nurse an attitude of complete disregard to the sufferers. (Serial Killers) Even though episodes of serial murders committed by women who killed their victims are a lot less often compared to her male associate, 100 female serial killers are present who took the lives of their victims from the year 1900. More than 50% of these women did their offense in America. (Kelleher; Kelleher, Female Serial Killers)

A majority of the female serial killers employ toxic substances, harmful medicines, asphyxiations as their procedure of murder, save the "team killers"; but, they are likely to be operational in a lesser degree while really murdering even though they do help and assist in the wrongdoing which could be wrongly construed for normal reasons. (Dressed to Kill: the Modern-day Female Serial Killer) The intentions for women reveal a varied compared to males: financial advantages, relieving themselves of an encumber, vengeance, abhorrence, demands from a bunch of criminals, looking for authority, obeying directives, misunderstandings, enjoyment, self-protection, reacting due to past record of mistreatment, sexual coercion, internal characteristics of a group, psychopathy, mislaid clemency, immorality and competition. (Bad Girls)

The women who kills several individuals during a time span, hardly ever does a sexual murder. Her intentions are to a greater degree a lot more varied and often quite sly. She is often a lot more efficient at avoiding being held for an extended period of time compared to the normal male serial killer. The female serial killer, who operates solo, shows a pre-planned choice for victims who are children, old aged people, and a lover of a spouse. It is exceptional for a female murderer to assault an adult alien who in majority of the situation bears the brunt of a male serial murderer. While a female serial killer assaults an unfamiliar individual, in most of the cases, the victims are a young child or an old aged person, to put it differently, people who can be effortlessly be subjugated and that the person will be reliant on the killer. Women, who commit their criminal activities in association with other associates, will at times be involved in serial killing which has sexual overtures. The female serial killer can turn out to be a grotesque sexual killer in association with multiple persons who by themselves are always engaged in sexual killings. During situations while two or more team up to constitute a murderer gang, their intentions are seldom sexual. (Kelleher; Kelleher, Female Serial Killers)

Female serial killers can be classified into two groups, those who are involved in sexual activities all by themselves and those who team up with one or multiple killers. Female serial killers who commit their crimes in a group setting display totally distinct features, as compared to the criminals who commit with solo effort. Little resemblances are observed between the killer who commits the act all by himself and the offender who teams up with a partner, especially in case her partner is a male sexual killer. It is evident that the female serial killer who commits her crime coupled with one or multiple associates must be identified as a separate type of killer, whose intentions are frequently a combination of herself and of her offending associate or associates. Murdering in gangs suitably recognize those female serial killers who team up with one other criminal at the minimum were shared. It is seen that female constituents of a murderous gang embark on their criminal activities for a narrow array of causes, and their intentions are normally fused with those of the other criminals in the group. Even though it is seldom the case when female serial murder to be adjudicated mentally unbalanced, it happens at times. Criminals who are considered to be officially mentally imbalanced ought to be taken into account in addition to those criminal acts that are obviously not mentally imbalanced. (Kelleher; Kelleher, Female Serial Killers)