Prevalence of female serial killers¨ Females account for only 15% of all violent

crime¨ Female serial killers account for only 8% of

American serial killers¨ Among all the female serial killers

worldwide, American females account for 76%!

Contrasting the male and female

MALE:¨ Method of choice:

– Stabbing– Strangulation– Shooting

¨ Choice of victim:– Wide range, often strangers– Usually of same race as killer– Usually adults

FEMALE:¨ Method of choice:

– Poison/injection (80%)

– Suffocation (16%)– Drowning (5%)

¨ Choice of victim:– Family members or

lovers– Often children or

the elderly¨ Gets away with it

for a longer period of time!

Median length of killing period, in years

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 MaleFemale

Types of female serial killers:

¨ Black widow¨ Angel of death¨ Revenge¨ Murder for profit¨ Sexual predator

Sexual predator: Aileen Wuornos¨ 33-year-old prostitute¨ Killed 7 men in Florida¨ Method: shooting¨ Confessed to six murders, but claimed self-

defense in all¨ Sentenced to death and recently executed

Black Widow: Vera Renczi

¨ Active throughout her adult life¨ Motive: Jealousy; inability to deal with

rejection¨ Method: Poison (arsenic)¨ Victims: 2 husbands, 1 son, 32 lovers¨ Police found 35 zinc-lined coffins in her

wine cellar!¨ Sentenced to life in prison

Black Widow: Diana Lumbrera

¨ Born in Texas, 1957¨ Active killer, 1977 to 1990¨ Murdered six of her own children¨ Method: Strangulation and suffocation¨ Motive: Profit from life insurance policies¨ Sentenced to life in prison

Angel of Death: Terri Rachals

Angel of Death: Terri Rachals

¨ Born in 1962¨ Active from 1985 to 1986¨ Nurse, attacked victims between the ages of

3 and 89¨ Method: Injections of potassium chloride¨ Motive: ego, control¨ Acquitted of murder; sentenced to 17 years

in prison for aggravated assault

Angel of Death: Genene Jones

Angel of Death: Genene Jones

¨ Born 1951¨ Active 1978 to 1982¨ Number of victims unknown; believed to be

responsible for at least 11 murders and possibly as many as 46

¨ Victims were all children and babies¨ Method: lethal injection¨ Motive: ego, power, control

Revenge killer: Martha Wise

¨ The “Borgia of America”¨ Born 1885, active in 1925¨ Murdered three members of her own

family: mother, aunt, uncle¨ Method: Poison (arsenic)¨ Motive: Revenge for her family’s

opposition to her marriage¨ Sentenced to life in prison

Murder for Profit: Madame Popova¨ Born in Russia in the 1800s¨ Active from 1879 to 1909¨ Confessed to the murder of over 300 men¨ Method: Poison¨ Motive: Popova ran a business that would

“liberate” married women from their cruel husbands, for a modest fee

¨ Arrested in 1909 and executed by firing squad

Unexplained: Christine Falling

¨ Born in 1963¨ Active 1980 to 1982¨ Murdered at least 5

children and 1 elderly man

¨ Method: suffocation¨ Motive unexplained¨ Sentenced to life in

prison; eligible for parole in 2007