tend to kill individuals who are emotionally and physically closest to them such as spouses, lovers, or parents.These killings often stretch over lengthy periods because they are carefully planned. Moreover, the “modus operandi” or method of killing employed by a female serial killer is typically very different than that of a male serial killer. Female serial killers tend to use quieter and less messy methods of murder, such as poisoning and smothering, than their male counterparts. Male serial killers, on the other hand, are much more likely to employ a more violent and messy method such as a stabbing or shooting. Because female serial killers normally use more subtle and less gory methods of murder than their male counterparts, their killings are more likely to go undetected and unsolved for longer periods of time. Also, it is important to recognize that the killing methods selected by female serial predators are linked to their motives which, as mentioned, tend to vary significantly from male serial killers. In chapter 5, the significant differences in serial killer motives by gender are discussed in detail.
Perhaps the most infamous female serial killer in US history is Aileen Wuornos, a highway prostitute who killed seven men in Florida during 1989 and 1990. She is a unique exception to the typical profile of female serial killers. Wuornos was driven to kill men out of rage and a desire for vengeance. She sought retaliation for a lifetime of being raped and beaten by men, so she killed clients who picked her up along Florida highways. She used a gun to kill her male victims which is atypical of a female serial killer. Following her conviction, Wuornos was sentenced to death and she was executed by lethal injection in 2002. She rose to infamy after the release of the 2003 blockbuster Hollywood film Monster in which she was played to great critical acclaim by actor Charlize Theron.
I believe that Wuornos rose to infamy because she was atypical of female serial killers. Ironically, she became a celebrity monster and popular culture icon because she killed like a man.
Myth #2: All Serial Killers Are Caucasian.
Reality: Contrary to popular mythology, not all serial killers are white. Serial killers span all racial and ethnic groups in the US. The racial diversity of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall US population. There are well-documented cases of African-American, Latino and Asian-American serial killers. African Americans comprise the largest racial minority group among serial killers, representing approximately 20 percent of the total. Significantly, however, only white and normally male serial killers, such as Ted Bundy, become popular culture icons. Although they are not household names like their infamous white counterparts, examples of prolific racial minority serial killers are: Coral Eugene Watts, a black man known as the “Sunday Morning Slasher,” who murdered at least seventeen women in Michigan and Texas; Anthony Edward Sowell, a black man known as the “Cleveland Strangler” who kidnapped, raped, and murdered eleven women in Ohio; and Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, a Mexican national known as the “Railroad Killer,” who killed as many as fifteen men and women in Kentucky, Texas, and Illinois.
Aileen Wuornos in court. (photo credit: Associated Press)
The myth that all serial killers are white is related to another commonly held myth that most murders, including serial murders, are inter-racial in nature—that is, that the perpetrator and victim are from different races. The reality is that homicides of all types in the US are generally intra-racial in nature. By a wide margin, most murder victims, including serial murder victims, are from the same race as their killer. In approximately 90 percent of all homicides the killer and victim are from the same race. This is the reality of race and homicide in the US.
The myth that all serial killers are white is routinely fueled and