Aileen Wuornos: The Female Serial Killer

Many people believe in the common misconceptions that surround serial killers. One of the most common misconceptions states that all serial killers are white males, which could not be farther from the truth. Women make for better serial killers because their victim selection and method of killing help them get away with their crimes (Schurman-Kauflin).

of stress for a killer. This can be the loss of a job, the end of a

Serial killers are like an ocean. It is so big, that human managed to discover only ten percent of it. It is so mysterious and scary at the same time. Serial killers are the same, especially knowing that they breathe the same air as us will just make us think that we should just lock ourselves up in our house and never go out anymore. For over centuries, serial killers have captured the public eye because of their so called “masterpiece work”. From Jack the Ripper to the ever handsomely psycho man, Ted Bundy, the horror and thrills that will send chills down your spine of how scary they kill people is just makes serial killer more popular. Society always misunderstood between a serial killer, a mass and also a spree murderer, claiming that

Many homicides are related to conflict or disputes between family members, friends and lovers. Thus, law enforcement officials are able to connect and link the victims to someone that they know. But in the case of serial killers, due to their aggressive and impulsive behavior, they usually do not have a set motive for their killings, so their victims can range from loved ones to complete strangers. Their constant drive for fulfillment and fantasy makes them even more susceptible to horrendous crimes against many different individuals. This makes it difficult for police to track serial killers and link them to the crimes. Thus, this often leads to higher crime rates among serial killers and places them in a different category.

Feminist criminology has been around since the late 1960's and started out centered on speculations brought upon traditional theories of crime. Most traditional theories didn't necessarily ignore women in the criminal justice system yet they generalized crime and what causes a person to turn to crime so that women who commit crimes are overlooked by the generalization. Not only are the numbers skewed when you look at gender in criminal justice offenders but there is also a certain bias in the criminal justice systems workers. In the movie Vera Drake there is a clear example of this when the investigator and the officer come into the movie. While watching you can easily assume that the female officer is treated and thought of much differently

Most sexual offenders are male, and nearly all known serial killers are also male. Aileen Wuornos is one of history’s highest-profile female serial murderers. She was imprisoned and sentenced to death for the murder of six men. During her childhood, Wuornos was exposed to abandonment by her biological parents, seclusion and physical and emotional abuse from her grandparents. The conspicuous lack of attention and communication from her caregivers along with the violent and toxic environment she endured forged a pattern for Aileen’s early-on criminal nature and violent behavior. This would be the path that would ultimately drive her towards the murder of at least six truck drivers along Florida's highway. Wuornos confessed to having committed

Ted Bundy was a notorious serial murderer who’s reign of terror lasted from 1974 to 1978. Bundy was convicted of three homicides and was sentenced to death for all three charges. However, at the time of his execution, Bundy confessed to 30 murders however the exact number of victims is still unknown. Bundy’s crimes evolved over time but he was both a sexual sadist and a necrophiliac serial killer. At the beginning of his rampage, Bundy would sneak into the victims house in the middle of the night, violently attack them while they were sleeping with a blunt object and then Bundy would usually sexually assault them. However, as Bundy evolved, he utilized several different ruses (such as being injured or as an officer of the law) to lure the

Serial killers are driven by many things. It’s not hard to tell what drove a serial killer crazy. There is nature and nurture in their lives. Estimated, up to 60% of what

Serial killers have different characteristics describing their way of murder. A power junkie, manipulator, egotistical bragger, superficial charmer, and an average joe are characteristics of a serial killer. A power junkie wants to take control over their victims (Woollaston 1). The victims are easily hypnotized by their killer and can not understand what they might be doing. Another serial killer is the manipulator who makes their victims do what they want them to do (Wollaston 2). The people taken by these serial killers can not find a way out of the killers demands. As important as the others, the egotistical bragger likes to brag about the actions they have done (Woollaston 2). The bragger can get arrested easily due to their constant bragging. The bragger is the type of serial killer that wants to be caught, which is why they constantly brag about their crimes. Another type of serial killer is the superficial charmer who love to use their looks and soft words to obtain the victim’s empathy and make them fall in love (Woollaston 3). The last characteristic of a serial killer is the hardest one to spot. The average joe is a normal, everyday citizen (Woollaston 4). Many people do not realize that a serial killer could be living right next to them. A serial killer does not have to stand out in the crowd. These

A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people. The murders take place within a certain period of time and takes a break (cooling off period) between murders. The FBI believe it’s two or more murders which are done as separate events, and may be done with a second offender. Being a seriel killer also may have some sort of psychological gratification with the murder committed. The number one reason a serial killer murders is for some sexual reason others are motivated by anger, thrill, finanxial gain and because they crave the attention. Murders can be attempted or completed in the same manner. Victims would have either

The car pulls over onto the side of the road. The man rolls down the window, knowing exactly why a woman would be on the side of the highway dressed in barely anything in the middle of the night; however, the man does not know what will become of this encounter. He argues about the price, and is met with a handgun. Eventually, his body is found in a junkyard without a wallet or a watch. This man is Richard Mallory, and the killer is Aileen Wuornos. She later goes on to kill several other men. The FBI defines serial murder as the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Male and female serial killers alike have plagued the world for centuries, but criminal

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Serial Murder is “the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events” (Morton, 2005); therefore, a person or persons whom kill two or more individuals in separate events are considered to be “Serial Killers” (Morton, 2005). Of those individuals whom have received the infamous title of “Serial Killer”, Aileen Wuornos, in my opinion, may be one of the most notorious killers. Born in Rochester, Michigan on February 29, 1956, Aileen grew up in a broken home with her mother abandoning her and her brother, Keith, at their grandparents’ house after her abusive father left her mother (A&E Biography). Aileen’s childhood was a very rough one where her mother

Female murderers are more unheard of than males. Aileen Wuornos was born in Michigan in 1956 (Biography.com Editors, n/d). She had a very harsh childhood. Her father was in jail for child molestation charges and killed himself there. Her mother abandoned her and her brother, Keith. Their grandparents ended up raising them from that point in their lives. Wuornos’s grandpa was sexually abusive and her grandma was believed to be an alcoholic. Wuornos later stated that she also had sexual relations with her brother and was pregnant in her teens; the baby was given up for adoption. Not much later, Wuornos was kicked out of her grandparent’s home and went on to live in the woods (Biography.com Editors, n/d). It is easy to see that Wuornos did not have an easy childhood, and that could have played a role in the murders she committed.

In a similar way, pursuing illegal immigrants is like targeting minorities, it attracts far less attention than killing Caucasians. Immigrants are often reluctant to come forward and report of suspicious behavior, and there are even times when no one notices the victim’s disappearance. This makes easy prey for the killer. If the killer goes through the trouble of hunting those crossing the border in the darkness, he can abduct them, take his time, and then dump the body in the desert in a secluded area. These murders do happen, and they occur much more often than people would like to think. Female serial killers are a different case, and carry out their deeds in a way that draws far less

Hey You! Yeah I’m talking to you, do you know about serial killers, about their mindsets and motives. Serial killers are “people who have murdered three or more people over a month period with a down time between each death.” Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer were both notorious serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer had a worse childhood, which could have led to the life he choose to live in, Whereas Ted Bundy’s sneaky and articulate ways made it more difficult to capture him. Serial killers are influenced more by their heredity, the culture they're surrounded by, mentality and personal background, which causes them to act out in abnormal ways. The purpose of this research paper is to help the readers understand the lives of these notorious serial killers,