Sex of perps of mass/serial/spree killings

[mlp]

Jared Lee Loughner is already forgotten?

Yeah, I just now had to look up his name to place him.

Let's see, the names of the mass/serial/spree killers I remember off the top of my head:

Richard Speck
John Wayne Gacy
Ted Bundy
Bonnie and Clyde
Jesse James
Billy the Kid

There are others, like the Columbine kids and the Norwegian guy, that I remember the names when I see them, but not otherwise.

There are a few others, who I know by their nom de plume, so to speak, but don't remember their actual names, or their actual names aren't known. Jack the Ripper, the Boston Strangler, the Zodiac Killer, the Hillside Strangler (is that one right?) would fall into that category.

Others I remember the situations, but not their names or the names given them by the press. Ones that fall into that category are the guy who killed all the African American women and hid the bodies in his house and yard, the highway prostitute who shot a bunch of her johns, the older guy who brainwashed the kid (was that one called the Beltway Sniper?), the Arizona shooting, the shooting by the army psychiatrist, lots of school shootings, lots of employment place shootings, several courthouse/lawyer office shootings, a number of family *extinguishers* (only Andrea Yates by name), etc.

And of course I remember poor Lizzie Borden, who only killed two people, and has nevertheless lived on in infamy. So much for your theory that men are wrongly done by.

 

[kazyeeqen]

Who is the most prolific serial killer who's a female that you are talking about, MLP?

I must admit I really don't know serial killers at all, male or female and the only reason I know most of them is reading VB...

 

[das_nut]

Bathory, perhaps? But wasn't part of that a legend?

 

[kazyeeqen]

Bathory, perhaps? But wasn't part of that a legend?

Wikipedia says you're right, most prolific female serial killer...

It all sounds pretty fantastical, and horrible. And a long time ago, hard to know the truth. She probably didn't bath in blood though, sounds like.

 

[Muggle]

The only female serial killers that I (and probably a lot of other British people) can name from the top of my head are Myra Hindley and Rosemary West.
The male murders I can name are Ian Bradley, Ian Huntley and Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. (Only Ian Bradley is a serial killer out of that list. He and Myra Hindley murdered 5 children. Most British people will know their names. )

Interesting topic. It's also led to some rather strange late night reading because I've been googling most of the names in this thread because I have no idea who they are/were.

 

[das_nut]

I seem to recall that she didn't murder as many people as claimed either.

 

[beancounter]

Angry white men are to blame for everything.

 

[mlp]

Who is the most prolific serial killer who's a female that you are talking about, MLP?

I must admit I really don't know serial killers at all, male or female and the only reason I know most of them is reading VB...

Some aristocratic eastern European chickie who lived in the 16th century. She and some friends tortured and killed a lot of girls and women - hundreds.

 

[uno]

Angry white men are to blame for everything.

or should be.

 

[uno]

Some aristocratic eastern European chickie who lived in the 16th century. She and some friends tortured and killed a lot of girls and women - hundreds.

she like to bathe in virgin's blood so she could live forever.

 

[Calliegirl]

And the majority are white.

 

[mlp]

And the majority are white.

Well, the majority are white in white majority populations. I don't know that there have been any studies that show that any race is under represented among killers, based on the racial make up of the general population in which the killers operate.

 

[uno]

yeah, there are serial killers in all the countries across teh world.

 

[Blobbenstein]

The only female serial killers that I (and probably a lot of other British people) can name from the top of my head are Myra Hindley and Rosemary West.
The male murders I can name are Ian Bradley, Ian Huntley and Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. (Only Ian Bradley is a serial killer out of that list. He and Myra Hindley murdered 5 children. Most British people will know their names. )

Interesting topic. It's also led to some rather strange late night reading because I've been googling most of the names in this thread because I have no idea who they are/were.

don't forget Fred West.

I used to walk down the road adjacent to his street in the early 80s, as a kid. I might have even past him.....

 

[SuicideBlonde]

Question
I guess my subject title says it all: why are serial killers predominantly male? Is it a sadistic thing or a chemical/biological thing (eg excess in testosterone)?

Answer
It more in the nature of hormones and how male and female brains process information. Pet scans of brains
working you can tell a male brain from a female brain by the region of activity.
Men overall are far more likily to commit all types crime. Thus they commit more violent
crime. Murderers have no more or less
testosterone. As humans developed through evolution
males were hunter and the proctor of the home. Thus controled aggressiveness is built into males. Serial killer have no check on this. Nor do they have empathy.
Woman who kill really do not use extremely violent
methods of killing. Poisoning is mostly a female crime.
A male who kills in series is likily to be sexually motive.
A females who kill in series are far more likily to be motivated by money. It also often over looked but females anti-social personality disorder will manipulate a male to kill for her. Also while males commit most crime females disproportionly benifit from crime committed by males. Think drug dealer girlfriend for example. Female murderers are far more likily to kill the very young or very old. Basically because
it would be harder to kill healthy adults.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Criminol...gy-3379/serial-killers-predominantly-male.htm

Interesting.

Homicide Type by Gender, 1976-2005
Victims Offenders
Male Female Male Female
All homicides 76.5% 23.5% 88.8% 11.2%
Victim/offender relationship
Intimate 35.2% 64.8% 65.5% 34.5%
Family 51.5% 48.5% 70.8% 29.2%
Infanticide 54.6% 45.4% 61.8% 38.2%
Eldercide 58.1% 41.9% 85.2% 14.8%
Circumstances
Felony murder 78.4% 21.6% 93.2% 6.8%
Sex related 18.8% 81.2% 93.6% 6.4%
Drug related 90.2% 9.8% 95.5% 4.5%
Gang related 94.7% 5.3% 98.3% 1.7%
Argument 77.8% 22.2% 85.6% 14.4%
Workplace 79.1% 20.9% 91.3% 8.7%
Weapon
Gun homicide 82.7% 17.3% 91.3% 8.7%
Arson 56.4% 43.6% 79.1% 20.9%
Poison 55.3% 44.7% 63.5% 36.5%
Multiple victims or offenders
Multiple victims 63.3% 36.7% 93.5% 6.5%

Multiple offenders 85.6% 14.4% 91.6% 8.4%

http://askville.amazon.com/serial-killers-white-males/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=7332951- better view of the chart.

 

[kazyeeqen]

she like to bathe in virgin's blood so she could live forever.

Wikipedia told me that probably didn't happen.

Are you calling Wikipedia a liar?

 

[das_nut]

Men are also far more likely than women to suffer from antisocial personality disorder.

Which also appears to correlate with criminal behavior.

 

[mlp]

Men are also far more likely than women to suffer from antisocial personality disorder.

What do you think accounts for that?

 

[das_nut]

What do you think accounts for that?

The theory is that women internalize their feelings (thus more depression), while men externalize their feelings (thus more rage at the world).

I'm not sure if I agree with that or not. Girls do seem to be taught to be less assertive, while boys are taught to be more assertive. One could argue if that stems from a biological or cultural basis, but I'd argue culture until proven otherwise, just because there's plenty of previous behaviors and attitudes that were attributed to biology and later proven wrong.

 

[uno]

Wikipedia told me that probably didn't happen.

Are you calling Wikipedia a liar?

no effin way. Wikipedia is the modern day bible Kazyeeqen.