Gender and Serial Killers Essay - 2474 Words

The stereotype that exists for individuals who commit serial murder is one that mainly includes males of a specific race. However, it is now known that white males are not the only individuals who commit serial murder. Men and women from all racial and ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic statuses have been found to be serial murderers. Although this information has been presented to society, the cultural schema of the white male serial killer is still prevalent. The assumptions that involve serial murderers often include two aspects, the serial murderer is male and the serial murder is a type of â€Å"lust murder†, often involving sexual crimes by a sadist (Keeney and Heide, 1995). Keeney and Heide (1994) define serial murder to be the†¦show more content†¦According to Jurik and Russ (1990) compared to men, women frequently kill intimates or people they had very close, social relationships with such as family or friends. Additionally, there is hardly any overkill w ith victims of female serial murderers. Many victims of female serial killers often have no signs of sexual assault, body mutilation, or dismemberment. Women who murder often do not torture their victims prior to their death, unlike males who are seen to engage heavily in torture. For their choice of weapon, many female serial killers used some form of poison or suffocation, known as covert methods, to kill off their victims. Also, female murderers often do not engage in the traditional stalking behavior that is found in the phenomenon of serial killing. For female serial killers, the organization of the crime scene displayed characteristics of both organized and disorganized crime. Organized crime scenes are usually the result of intense planning of the crime by the offenders, whereas disorganized crime scenes are the result of spontaneous murders with little planning (Schurman, 2000). Females often have different reasons for committing serial murders than men. These reasons are mainly thought to be instrumental goals, meaning that they would receive something in return for murdering the victim such as insuranceShow MoreRelatedSerial Killers And Gender Differences Essay974 Words   |  4 Pageseywords: Serial killers, females, psychopathy, archival research Motivations of Serial Killers Gender Differences Serial killing is a topic that has long fascinated those who study psychology, criminal behavior, and even the general public. Figures such as Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, and Jeffrey Dahmer have been the subject of numerous studies, documentaries, and books. Females do not readily come to mind when one thinks of serial killers because it is a rare phenomenon. Aileen Wuornos is one female whoRead MoreSerial Killers And Gender Differences950 Words   |  4 PagesMotivations of Serial Killers Gender Differences Serial killing is a topic that has long fascinated those who study psychology, criminal behavior, and even the general public. Figures such as Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, and Jeffrey Dahmer have been the subject of numerous studies, documentaries, and books. Females do not readily come to mind when one thinks of serial killers because it is a rare phenomenon. Aileen Wuornos is one female who brought the concept of a female serial killer to the public’s attentionRead MoreKiller Vs. Serial Killers929 Words   |  4 PagesKiller vs Killer Countless people especially, criminologist have researched serial killers because they are so fascinating. Many disagree as to what the legal definition of a serial murder, which is, â€Å"[t]he unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. (Morton et al. 9). 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Retrieved July 28, 2016 fromhttp://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Serial%20Killer%20Information%20Center/Serial%20Killer%20Statistics.pdf This article covers serial killers statistics. Many table reports are illustrated with the sole purpose to demonstrate accurate information about serial killers. The tables indicate the frequency (by decade) and the number of separate serial killers operating in any given year in the USA. Beasley II, J. O. (2004). Serial Murder in