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Australian Female Serial Killers

For a country settled by convicts its hard to believe, but also a blessing, that we have only witnessed seven female convicted serial killers (as at 2012).  Female serial killers are rare compared to their male counterparts.  A serial killer is defined as someone who kills three or more people with sufficient time intervals between each.  Male serial killers seem more pronounced as the media divulges the horriffic nature of their crimes, leaving one heck of an imprint on the general public.  Men usually seek attention from their crimes, often leaving trails so they can be 'outed' and revel in their notoriety.  The kill rate for men is higher than women, Ted Bundy confessed to killing 30 people but the true number remains unknown.  Women will use covert murder methods such as asphyxiation or poisoning to kill, and they chose victims who are easy to kill.  Women will act for personal satisfaction, often killing people close to them out of pure revenge or to attract sympathy and/or emotional support.  Australian women serial killers fall almost equally into the categories of mission, hedonism and power-control.  Women will plan meticulously. They will study about ways in which they can dispose of their victims without getting caught.  

Snapshot serial killer statistics for both men and women - USA 76%.  Europe 17%.  England 28%. 

female serial killers

male serial killers

SHE IS very difficult to profile.  Usually targets people she knows; more than 70 per cent choose family members or people dependent on them.  Meticulous in planning her murders.  Careful to not leave detectable traces of her crimes.
HE IS white, young and a loner, with a history of cruelty to animals, sexual abuse as a child, and perhaps bedwetting. Unlike other killers, he tends to pick on vulnerable women.  Half the time he knows his victims.

(Click on name below for more information)
MARTHA RENDELL

MARTHA NEEDLE

FRANCES KNORR

SARAH MAKIN

CAROLINE GRILLS

KATHLEEN FOLBIGG

CATHERINE BIRNIE
1891 - 1909

1863 - 1894

1868 - 1894

1845 - 1918

1888 - 1963

1967 - 

1951 - 
EXECUTED BY HANGING

EXECUTED BY HANGING

EXECUTED BY HANGING

LIFE IMPRISONMENT

LIFE IMPRISONMENT

40 YEARS IMPRISONMENT

NEVER TO BE RELEASED
Picture
Old Melbourne Gaol Gallows. Image by: Nic Hume Photography 2015

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