Serial Killer Characteristics
- A serial killer in the United States is defined as someone who has murdered three or more people over a period of time
- They have been known to be involved in petty crimes such as theft or vandalism
- Socially isolated at a young age
- Often abused emotionally, physically, and sometimes sexually
- Lack remorse/empathy
- Generally have a low or average IQ
- According to the FBI, many serial killers seem normal
- They blend in the community
- Are gainfully employed
- Have a home and sometimes a family
Female serial killer characteristics
- 95% of female serial killers are white
- Females often murder for material gain or power
- Known to have a relationship with the victim (Black Widow)
- Over 50% of female killers have murdered another woman
- Over 30% have murdered a child
- The preferred choice of killing is usually poison
- Usually have a low profile and remain under the radar for a long period of time
- If caught, it is usually several years after the first murder
- They have been known to be involved in petty crimes such as theft or vandalism
- Socially isolated at a young age
- Often abused emotionally, physically, and sometimes sexually
- Lack remorse/empathy
- Generally have a low or average IQ
- According to the FBI, many serial killers seem normal
- They blend in the community
- Are gainfully employed
- Have a home and sometimes a family
Female serial killer characteristics
- 95% of female serial killers are white
- Females often murder for material gain or power
- Known to have a relationship with the victim (Black Widow)
- Over 50% of female killers have murdered another woman
- Over 30% have murdered a child
- The preferred choice of killing is usually poison
- Usually have a low profile and remain under the radar for a long period of time
- If caught, it is usually several years after the first murder
Statistics
- Serial Murder is less than one percent of all murders committed in the United States
- 1 in 6 serial killers are female
- Female serial murders account for only 8% of all serial murders in the United States
- Though they account for 76% of female serial murders world wide
- 80% of female serial murders were committed by poison
- 74% of all female serial killers murder for money
- Over 75% of all female serial murders have been committed after the 1950's
- Women serial killers average 10 years before they are caught
- 1 in 6 serial killers are female
- Female serial murders account for only 8% of all serial murders in the United States
- Though they account for 76% of female serial murders world wide
- 80% of female serial murders were committed by poison
- 74% of all female serial killers murder for money
- Over 75% of all female serial murders have been committed after the 1950's
- Women serial killers average 10 years before they are caught
Why they are so good
- Women are often viewed as passive and nurturing
- Often unable to defend themselves physically
- Female serial killers turn their anger into a murder fantasy
- They spend a long period of time planning the fantasy until it is a vivid plan
- Often unable to defend themselves physically
- Female serial killers turn their anger into a murder fantasy
- They spend a long period of time planning the fantasy until it is a vivid plan
Examples
Delphine LaLaurie - Killed at least 10 and estimated up to 90 people- A wife to a wealthy New Orleans physician and slave owner in the early 1800's.
- Was apart of the community with many connection and was known for her glamorous parties.
- Charge with cruelty to her slaves and believed to have fled to Paris till she died after being run out of town by her peers.
- Known for beating a slave to death in her garden.
- Scared some so much that they would take their own life by jumping from the second floor windows.
- Was not caught or made public until a fire broke out in her mansion and firefighters found what was in her attic.
- There, firemen found dead men and women chained to the walls
- A women with her mouth sewn shut
- Half dead men and women in cages
- A man who received a forced sex change
- Women without skin
- Eviscerated slaves
- Body parts laying around the attic
- Bodies where also found which showed signs that had been buried alive
- Delphine LaLaurie escaped never to be seen again and received no punishment for her crimes.
Juana Barraza - Killed at least 10 and estimated up to 40
- Was known for achievements in the mexican wrestling circuit
- Later known as The Old Lady Killer
- Pretending to be a social worker, she would knock on the doors of the elderly in Mexico City
- Once inside she would grab whatever she could in order to strangle her victims
- Captured in 2006 after strangling an 82-year-old women
- It took police so long to catch her because they could not tell if she was a male or female based on the amount of force used
- Finger prints linked her to 10 crime scenes
- Though there are 40 cases that match her crime scenes based not the fact that she would strangle her victims till they would bleed from their ears
- She was punished to 759 years in prison
Amelia Dyer - Killed 6, estimated up to 12
- A single women in England during the late 1800's
- She would place ad's stating she was a married women who lived with her Christian husband wanting to adopt children
- When women would answer her ad's Amelia would return to her home and strangle the infants
- She then would dump her victim into the river
- She was captured when a bargemen came across a floating package with a baby girl inside
- Police investigated the ad's and responded to her
- Once arriving to Amelia's house, police found baby items all over the house but found no children
- Many women began to come forward and state that they had given their baby to Ms. Dyer
- She was sentenced to death by hanging on June 10, 1896.
Marie Noe - Killed 8, estimated up to 10
- In 1948 Marie and her husband had their first baby boy on March 7
- One month later Mrs. Noe rushed her child to the hospital because he was not breathing
- Doctors attributed this death to SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome
- September 1950 Marie had a second child, Elizabeth
- February 1951, Elizabeth was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead due to SIDS
- This happened every year until 1968 and she had given birth to 10 children
- None of her children lived passed the age of 2
- In 1998 a reporter wrote that she must be investigated
- Out of all ten children only two were deemed to be natural causes
- In 1999 she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years probation with five years under house arrest
Belle Gunness - Killed 40
- Started as a farmhand in Norway during the late 1800's where she became pregnant by the son of the land lord
- Unwilling to marry her, she was beaten until she miscarried
- A year later the boy died of an illness resembling poisoning
- She soon emigrated to American and married Mads Sorenson who became violently ill and died in 1890
- Coincidentally dying two days after overlapping his life insurance polices giving Mrs. Gunness $8,500
- After Mr. Gunness was determined to die of an enlarged heart condition she moved to Indiana
- There she married Peter Gunness in 1900 and became a stepmother to his children
- Soon his young son died of a sever illness while they were left alone
- Afterwards an iron meat grinder fell on Peter and crushed is skull
- Once known as a widow, men began showing up to her home money in hand to pay off her mortgage in exchange for married
- Although she never married again, Ms. Gunness stated that the men that showed up would leave her in the middle of the night
- Shortly after she fired her handyman that was seen digging holes around the house and near the pigs a fire broke out in her home
- In 1908 authorities found four bodies in the basement all decapitated
- No conclusive evidence proved she died there, though her dentist was able to identity a piece of bridgework that was recovered form the yard
- Upon investigation police uncovered the body parts of 40 different people scattered randomly though out her yard and pieces of human bone around the pigs that she owned
- Was apart of the community with many connection and was known for her glamorous parties.
- Charge with cruelty to her slaves and believed to have fled to Paris till she died after being run out of town by her peers.
- Known for beating a slave to death in her garden.
- Scared some so much that they would take their own life by jumping from the second floor windows.
- Was not caught or made public until a fire broke out in her mansion and firefighters found what was in her attic.
- There, firemen found dead men and women chained to the walls
- A women with her mouth sewn shut
- Half dead men and women in cages
- A man who received a forced sex change
- Women without skin
- Eviscerated slaves
- Body parts laying around the attic
- Bodies where also found which showed signs that had been buried alive
- Delphine LaLaurie escaped never to be seen again and received no punishment for her crimes.
Juana Barraza - Killed at least 10 and estimated up to 40
- Was known for achievements in the mexican wrestling circuit
- Later known as The Old Lady Killer
- Pretending to be a social worker, she would knock on the doors of the elderly in Mexico City
- Once inside she would grab whatever she could in order to strangle her victims
- Captured in 2006 after strangling an 82-year-old women
- It took police so long to catch her because they could not tell if she was a male or female based on the amount of force used
- Finger prints linked her to 10 crime scenes
- Though there are 40 cases that match her crime scenes based not the fact that she would strangle her victims till they would bleed from their ears
- She was punished to 759 years in prison
Amelia Dyer - Killed 6, estimated up to 12
- A single women in England during the late 1800's
- She would place ad's stating she was a married women who lived with her Christian husband wanting to adopt children
- When women would answer her ad's Amelia would return to her home and strangle the infants
- She then would dump her victim into the river
- She was captured when a bargemen came across a floating package with a baby girl inside
- Police investigated the ad's and responded to her
- Once arriving to Amelia's house, police found baby items all over the house but found no children
- Many women began to come forward and state that they had given their baby to Ms. Dyer
- She was sentenced to death by hanging on June 10, 1896.
Marie Noe - Killed 8, estimated up to 10
- In 1948 Marie and her husband had their first baby boy on March 7
- One month later Mrs. Noe rushed her child to the hospital because he was not breathing
- Doctors attributed this death to SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome
- September 1950 Marie had a second child, Elizabeth
- February 1951, Elizabeth was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead due to SIDS
- This happened every year until 1968 and she had given birth to 10 children
- None of her children lived passed the age of 2
- In 1998 a reporter wrote that she must be investigated
- Out of all ten children only two were deemed to be natural causes
- In 1999 she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years probation with five years under house arrest
Belle Gunness - Killed 40
- Started as a farmhand in Norway during the late 1800's where she became pregnant by the son of the land lord
- Unwilling to marry her, she was beaten until she miscarried
- A year later the boy died of an illness resembling poisoning
- She soon emigrated to American and married Mads Sorenson who became violently ill and died in 1890
- Coincidentally dying two days after overlapping his life insurance polices giving Mrs. Gunness $8,500
- After Mr. Gunness was determined to die of an enlarged heart condition she moved to Indiana
- There she married Peter Gunness in 1900 and became a stepmother to his children
- Soon his young son died of a sever illness while they were left alone
- Afterwards an iron meat grinder fell on Peter and crushed is skull
- Once known as a widow, men began showing up to her home money in hand to pay off her mortgage in exchange for married
- Although she never married again, Ms. Gunness stated that the men that showed up would leave her in the middle of the night
- Shortly after she fired her handyman that was seen digging holes around the house and near the pigs a fire broke out in her home
- In 1908 authorities found four bodies in the basement all decapitated
- No conclusive evidence proved she died there, though her dentist was able to identity a piece of bridgework that was recovered form the yard
- Upon investigation police uncovered the body parts of 40 different people scattered randomly though out her yard and pieces of human bone around the pigs that she owned