Female serial killers are literally more likely to get away with murder than male serial killers are. Murderesses can kill for years without getting caught because they're driven by different motivations; murderers tend to get caught before too much time has passed. Female killers have different psychological disorders, which may affect rates of female violence, motivation, and modus operandi. Motives are why femal serial killers kill - and why they don't get caught right away.
Serial Killer Robert Pickton on Trial
Killing's been on my mind a lot lately – and not because my husband leaves the toilet seat up. Serial killers have been on my mind because of the Robert Pickton trial in New Westminster, BC, which is less than an hour from my little island off the west coast of Canada. Pickton allegedly murdered, chopped up, and buried many female prostitutes at his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, BC. Pickton's currently on trial for murder; this trial will hear 240 witnesses over a year and perhaps reveal more information about the victims and his motivations.
How Female Serial Killers Are Different Than Male Serial Killers
We know of many male serial killers: Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacy – and their reasons for killing are as varied as their own personalities and methods. They kill because of voices in their head, bad childhoods, prison stints, and accidents. Male serial killers suffer from a variety of psychological disorders.
Why Female Serial Killers Kill
We don't hear of many female serial killers, and that may be partly because women aren't as prone to commit any type of crime as men. Men are more aggressive and violent than women are, which is why female serial killers are less common. Women account for 14% of violent offenders (men are 6 times more likely to commit violent crimes).
Because women don't kill for the same reasons as men, forensic psychologists find the term "female serial killer" controversial. This term is defined by sexual motivation and the desire for power over victims, which are characteristics that murderesses don't usually display. Female serial killers kill for other reasons.
Following are the significant differences between male and female serial killers.
Characteristics of Female Serial Killers:
- Female serial killers have long killing sprees, lasting up to 8 years (males' sprees almost never last longer than 4 years and usually end after several months).
- Female serial killers kill more quietly and less "violently", with poison or other less undetectable methods, like suffocation. Males tend to batter, strangle, stab, and shoot.
- Female serial killers kill for profit most of the time, while male serial killers kill for sexual reasons about half the time.
- Female serial killers generally kill people close to them, such as husbands, family members, or people dependent on them. Males kill strangers more often.
Three Similarities Between Male and Female Serial Killers
- They look, act, and sound normal – which makes people trust them.
- They are psychopaths, but they're not insane.
- Neither male nor female serial killers have a conscience.
Female serial killers are divided into nine categories: black widows, angels of death, sexual predators, revenge killers, profit killers, team killers, killers whose sanity is in question, killers whose motives defy explanation, and unsolved crimes.
Past abuse, struggles with depression, feelings of anxiety may all contribute to female violent crimes and violence, but the overriding psychopathology goes beyond these "normal" struggles that we all face.
If you found Why Female Serial Killers Kill interesting, try:
- Fight Club for Girls
- Psychological Bullying
- 9 Tips for Coping With Stalkers
- Psychological Disorders
Source: The Crime Library.
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen - Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time writer and blogger in Vancouver, BC, and the creator of the Quips and Tips blog series.
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