It is time to see women as fully human—which includes the dark side of humanity. ~ Cathy Young
It’s no surprise that the majority of violent crimes committed are done by men. Women are definitely the minority in offender status and the majority in the victim category. But that doesn’t mean that women are incapable of committing some incredibly heinous acts of violence.
From 1902 to 1908, Belle Gunness brutally murdered what is believed to be over forty people. Many were lured to her murder farm with the promise of love and prosperity. But the only one prospering was Belle.
In 2013, Joanna Christine Dennehy went on a stabbing spree in Cambridgeshire, England. Killing three men and attempting to kill two more. What was her motive? She refuses to say.
Gesche Gottfried poisoned fifteen people in Germany between 1813 and 1827. Her victims were her parents, two husbands, a fiancé, and her children. Gesche was sentenced to death by decapitation and was the last person publicly executed in Bremen, Germany.
All three of these female killers had different modus operandi. But they all had one thing in common… murder.
Male Murderers, Female Murderers
Penn State at Harrisburg published a study in Science Daily attempting to explain the differences between male and female serial killers. Researchers found that male serial killers are “hunters” and female serial killers are “gatherers.” Meaning that the male serial killer tends to murder strangers and women serial killers murder familiar people around them.
Of course, there are exceptions to that theory. Just look at Gerald “Bobby” Hand. He was convicted of murdering his fourth wife and suspect in murdering wives one and two (three left before he got the plastic bag around her head).
And then there’s Aileen Wuornos, who shot and killed seven men. Aileen was a sex-worker and these men were strangers to her, just clients.
Associate Professor of Psychology at Penn State, Marissa Harrison, states, “Historically, men hunted animals as prey and women gathered nearby resources, like grains and plants, for food.” She continues, “As an evolutionary psychologist, I wondered if something leftover from these old roles could be affecting how male and female serial killers choose their victims.”
For the study, researchers used data on 55 female and 55 male serial killers from the U.S. After analyzing the data, they found male serial killers were almost six times as likely to kill a stranger, while female serial killers were nearly twice as likely to kill a person they already knew.
They also discovered that 65.4% of male serial killers stalk their victims, compared to 3.6% of female serial killers. Their sample revealed that there “were two female serial killers who engaged in stalking-like behavior during their crimes; interestingly, reports indicate that men were also involved in those crimes,” said Harrison.
Gender seems to influence methods of murder, as well.
It is thought that the biggest motivation for male serial killers is sexual compulsion. There is almost always a sexual element to their acts. But with female serial killers, there tends to be a form of “justification” for what they’re doing. Sometimes for women, it’s related to money, other times it could be revenge.
Women were known as poison aficionados for years. It was a low profile and covert way of murdering. Easy to mask as other ailments or maladies. And less messy!
One review on female serial murders stated that women are rarely motivated by sexual or sadistic reasons. But that psychopathic traits and a history of abuse are pretty consistent in their profile.
What male and female serial killers do have in common is that most serial killers kill simply because they want to.
Are gender roles inescapable? Even in murder?
Studies have now defended the “hunter” and “gatherer” gender roles in serial killers. Does society inadvertently propagate the stereotypes? It would seem so.
Just look at the names that are given to serial killers. The monikers tend to have some gender bias to them. Names like Jolly Jane, Tiger Woman, or the Giggling Granny describe the ruthless women killers in history.
Harrison continues by pointing out, “men were more likely to be given nicknames that suggest the brutality of their crimes, like the Kansas City Slasher.” Or more recently, BTK: bind, torture, kill.
Harrison makes it clear that their findings don’t necessarily mean that any one person is born to commit crimes. But that evolutionary psychology may help explain the differences between male and female serial killers. Which would lead to better methods of profiling.
Girl Power
Maybe the first step to understanding the serial killer is not to exclude anyone because of their gender from the possibility pool. Sure, there are some methods and motives that have proven to be favorites of men, and others that women are more fond of. But overall, humans in general can be pretty awful.
Cathy Young makes a thoughtful point in her article, The Surprising Truth About Women and Violence, in regard to the feminist’s initiative. Young states:
This woman-as-victim bias is at odds with the feminist emphasis on equality of the sexes. If we want our culture to recognize women’s capacity for leadership and competition, it is hypocritical to deny or downplay women’s capacity for aggression and even evil.
Perhaps for some, accepting that not all women are natural-born life-givers, but that there are those who prefer taking lives, is a bitter pill of strychnine to swallow.
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What’s Your Poison?
The dose makes the poison. ~Paracelsus
Poisoning has been a favorite tool of extinguishing lives for centuries, or rather a few millennia. Its origins are actually quite distinguished and impressive from an intellectually and historically admirable perspective.
Back When Men Wore Sandals
Going all the way back to the smarty-pants, Socrates, who technically took his own life, after he was sentenced to be executed. It seems folks had grown tired of hearing him go on and on about his daimonion and how important it is to examine your (miserable) life.
Socrates chose a hot cup of hemlock tea to aid in his farewell to the world. He threw it back like a frosty long-neck on a hot summer’s day, walked around until his legs became heavy, and then went horizontal allowing the poison finished the job.
And then there was the Queen of the Nile, the beautiful and brilliant Cleopatra. Enthralled in love and war, she had to either face her death by Octavian, losing Egypt to the Roman emperor, or take matters into her own hands.
Her love, Antony, was convinced that his army left him for Octavian because of something she said to save herself. Cleopatra, in an effort to thwart the enemy and prevent Antony from being mad at her, had her servants tell Antony that she was dead. Which backfired, he threw himself onto his own sword and died in her arms.
All that was left for Cleopatra to do was to off herself. And what better way than snake venom? We all know the story of her suicide by an asp, but historians are now thinking it was just some good old poison that did the job. Opium? Wolfsbane? Hemlock? Or perhaps a cocktail of all three.
The Dark and Bitter Ages
This poisoning thing was really starting to catch on. In 69 CE, Rome, there was the assassination trio, Locusta, Canidia, and Martina. And by the time we reached Medieval Europe, poisoning had taken a creative turn.
Catherine de Medici fancied gifting “sweet gloves” laced with more than just perfumed fragrant oils. And what a perfect gift for her soon to be in-laws. Catherine’s daughter’s future mother-in-law, Jeanne d’Albret, died suddenly before the wedding, and shortly after receiving the gifted wicked gloves.
But the Middle Ages’ love of all things poison wouldn’t be complete without the mention of the Roman Rock Stars of the time, The Borgias.
Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues. ~Ambrose Bierce
The Papacy of Poison
Daddy Borgias, Rodrigo, also known as Pope Alexander VI, and two of his children, Cesare and Lucrezia were all about poisoning for power and political gain. Their poison of choice was Cantarella, a mysterious arsenic like poison that is unheard of today. (But apparently popular with a few 13th century Templars.)
Lucrezia had a sweet little ring with a needle for pricking and a compartment for the Borgia venom to do away with those she had grown tired of, or who her brother and father wanted gone. Her loyalty to her dad and brother was extremely strong, even after they had her engaged at 11 years old and married for the first time at age 13.
Cesare and the Pope fancied lacing bottles of wine with a little Cantarella. Which eventually backfired. They drank their own deadly cocktail at a party which left the Pope for dead and Cesare fighting for his life; he survived, went to prison, escaped, and was killed during a siege. Karma is a mother effer…
It’s said that their father’s face, the now-dead Pope, was covered with creepy black spots, postmortem and that even priests were too frightened to look at him. He was shoved into a tiny crappy coffin so small that his miter had to be placed next to him. He was sent to the after-life packed up like a sardine.
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem
As we move through the centuries, poisoning remains the go-to for many. And it doesn’t discriminate. The wealthy, the working class, men, and women, with women mistakenly getting credit as the dominators in the field, poisoning had no prejudices.
Slipping a mickey or lacing some pudding was easy and didn’t leave a mess. Honestly, it really is the tidiest way to commit murder.
Mixology
Marie-Madeleine d’Aubray used Aqua Tofana, while others found their way with arsenic. And then there’s cantharidin, also known as Spanish Fly the aphrodisiac, but when overdosed proves fatal (there’s some irony in that one). Boston’s favorite Irish immigrant, Jolly Jane Toppan, found her best mix was morphine and atropine.
The options are vast, it’s all in the administering. Those who were less patient or had fewer connections with a chemist resorted to good old fashion rat poison. Either risking the bitter taste their victim was sure to detect, or masking it with enough sugar that if they didn’t die they were sure to get a diabetes diagnosis.
Who are These Poisoners?
Psychology Today offers a little insight into the personalities and psychological profile of the poisoner while pointing out that there is a reason why so little is written about the criminal poisoner. Whether it’s because of their skill, their intelligence, or because of public generated stereotypes, historically, poisoners are elusive.
Surprisingly, the majority of convicted poisoners are men. Their victims are usually women. But even men who have been murdered by poison are more likely to have been poisoned by men, statistically speaking. But we should stress the word convicted. Maybe women are just better at not getting caught?
Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink. ~Nancy Astor
Motives are something else to consider. Homicidal poisoners are “over-represented in the medical or care-taking professions,” according to Joni E Johnston Psy.D. in her Psychology Today article.
Dr. Johnston goes on to say, “the vast majority of poisoners knock off someone s/he knows, such as a child, spouse, friend, or acquaintance.”
But why?
What is the motive?
According to Dr. Johnston, “they are not much different from other homicides, in that they usually revolve around money (insurance); jealousy (“lover’s triangle”); removing an obstacle (she’ll marry me if I get rid of the kids) revenge (make them pay); sadism (make them suffer); conviction (political motives, e.g. assassination, terrorism); boredom (wants to have fun by having a challenge of wits with law enforcement); and ego (belief in mental superiority).”
So, poisoners are just fancier sociopathic/psychopathic killers?
Some poisoners revel the role of tender, self-sacrificing attendant to the victim they are slowly killing. ~ Dr. Joni E. Johnston Psy.D.
To Catch a Poisoner
Studies show that 1 out of 5 murders by poison will go unsolved. The ones that are solved prove the poisoners to be clever, methodical and bouncing around on the antisocial personality disorder spectrum.
Regardless of the ingredients they use, they have a flair for manipulation and disassociation. Not to mention morally stunted and lacking in the ability to feel anything other than their own thrill in the kill. Not someone you want to be a part of your supper club.
Gin and Juice
These little nuggets of wisdom should be tucked away in your gut sensors. Next time you’re out for a cocktail, watch the mustachioed person making the drink. If you get up from the bar or the table, take your tasty beverage with you.
And always tip your servers and bartenders!
Who Knew?
If you’d like to learn more about history’s unsavory characters who practiced the twisted art of poisoning, check out Poison a History by Jenni Davis.
And, of course, we feature a few notorious poisoners on our Wicked Women Podcast for your listening pleasure.
