The "Fairer" Sex?; An Examination of Female Serial Killers and Their Victims

• In Event: Gender & Violent Offending

Abstract

The phenomena of serial homicide has long been a subject of fascination for academics and the wider public alike. However, despite the numerous studies and theoretical articles on serial homicide, the scope of these papers has been incredibly narrow. Investigations into the life histories of serial killers have repeatedly examined a small sample, consistently limited to male perpetrators of sexual homicides in the United States. Such a sample has led to a narrow understanding of life prior to and during the series by perpetrators. The present study aims to remedy this dearth of research by examining the lives and victims of confirmed female serial killers that were active between 1800 and 2020, and in multiple countries. Initial results indicate unique patterns of homicide that conform to previous findings regarding financial motives for female serial killers. However, findings also indicate that motivations for homicide by women are not monolithic but diverse even within the same perpetrators. The analysis is ongoing, and future directions are addressed.

Authors

• Mira Dhaliwal, Simon Fraser University

• Eric Beauregard, Simon Fraser University