Female Serial Killers

MAJ 6609 Violent Crimes

Research Paper

Female Serial Killers

Submitted by

Valiant C. Carter

October 2, 2012

Instructor

Mark Santiago

Wilmington University

Most people have some sense of immediate recognition when names like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson or David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) are mentioned in casual conversation. These men are but a few of the infamous serial killers who have made history via headlines in American news media (Fox & Levin, 2005). Quite naturally, to be classified as a serial killer each offender’s murder pattern must meet specific criteria. By definition, a serial killer is a person who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than thirty days with notable down time between killings (Holmes & Holmes, 2009). Their motivation for killing is usually based on some sort of psychological gratification. A sexual element is frequently connected to the killings as well. The FBI believes motives for serial murder include anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking (Ressler & Shachtman, 1993). The murders may have several components in common like the method or weapon used. The victims tend to have similarities as well such as race, appearance, sex, or age group (Holmes & Holmes, 2009). Serial killers are sometimes confused with mass murderers or spree killers. These offenders commit murders in two or more locations with virtually no break or down time between their killings. Cases of successive killings over periods of weeks or months with no distinct cooling off period have prompted serial killer experts to create a hybrid category combining the two types of killers known as the spree-serial killer (Fox & Levin, 2005).

The various types of serial killers are differentiated by their motives. It is important to note; these motives can and will often overlap. More than one motive can cause an offender to fall within one or more serial killer classes accordingly....