Female Serial Killers (The Kelleher Typologies)
Female serial killers are first divided into two groups: those who act alone and those who act in partnership. Those two categories are then further divided.
Acting in partnership – characteristics:
Killers of this type tend to be younger, aggressive, vicious in their attack, sometimes disorganized, and usually unable to carefully plan. They usually attack victims in diverse locations. They tend to use guns, knifes, or torture:
Team Killer – kills or participates in the killing of others in conjunction with at least one other
Question of Sanity – kills in apparent random manner and later judged to be insane
Unexplained - kills for reasons that are totally inexplicable or for unclear motives
Unsolved - a pattern of unsolved killings that may be attributed to a woman (or women)
Acting alone – characteristics:
Killers of this type are often mature, careful, deliberate, socially adept, and highly organized. They usually attack victims in their home or place of work. They tend to favor a specific weapon, like poison, lethal injection, or suffocations:
Black Widow - systematically kills multiple spouses, partners, or other family members
Angel of Death - systematically kills people who are in her care for some form of medical attention
Sexual Predator – systematically kills others in clear acts of sexual homicide
Revenge - systematically kills out of hate or jealousy
Profit or Crime – systematically kills for profit or in course of committing another crime
