Female Serial Killers

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FEMALE SERIAL KILLERS
The female serial killer often remains unobserved, hidden in the background and obscured by her male counterpart. Her actions are rare and uncommon, but never fail. She acts in a more subtle and precise way and she is lethal and merciless. The majority of her heinous crimes have not been apprehended. The concept of the female serial killer herself still lies within the sphere of ambiguity. It is time, however, to apprehend this quiet serial killer and bring her crimes to the forefront of our attention.
Before entering any detailed discussion of the female serial killer, it is essential to identify what distinguishes a serial murderer from any other murderer. A murderer is usually defined as serial based upon two factors: one, the number of murders that take place; and two, the time framework within which the perpetrator operates and hence the period that elapses between each killing. The number of murders committed may range between the minimum of two to as many as four and more. Although the time period within which the killer is acting may be the subject of controversy, criminologists and researchers usually agree on an interval of thirty days as adequate to define a number of murders as being serial in nature and hence the perpetrator as a serial killer. Thus, according to Kelleher, one common definition of serial murderer is the person that engages in “the act of murdering three or more individuals in a period of thirty days or more” (Kelleher, 4).
Although this definition is sufficient in identifying the serial murderer, it does not distinguish between male and female perpetrators. There is however, a fine line separating the serial killers of opposite sexes. For instance, the average period of active killing for the females is eight years whereas for the males it is only four. Female serial killers rarely torture their victims or commit any atrocities on their victims’ bodies. They prefer more sub...