Title: Serial Killer Myth #3: They Are All Men | Psychology Today
Headings: Serial Killer Myth #3: They Are All Men
Serial Killer Myth #3: They Are All Men
Female serial killers exist, and they’re as lethal as males.

Content: She used a gun which is atypical of female serial killers who more often use either poison or smothering to kill their victims. Following her conviction, Wuornos was sentenced to death and she was executed by lethal injection in 2002. She rose to infamy after the release of the 2003 blockbuster Hollywood film Monster in which she was played to great critical acclaim by Charlize Theron. Prior to Aileen Wuornos, the term "female serial killer" was generally considered to be an oxymoron, even among law enforcement authorities, despite numerous well documented incidents of female serial killers throughout history. The lack of public awareness of female serial killers prior to Aileen Wuornos is due to earlier stereotypical depictions of deranged male serial murderers in the news and entertainment media. Prior to Wuornos, the mass media almost always depicted a serial perpetrator as a man, largely due to the erroneous and paternalistic societal notion that women could not commit such crimes. I believe that Wuornos rose to infamy because she was atypical of female serial killers. Ironically, she became a celebrity monster and popular culture icon because she killed like a man. I offer many other shocking insights into the minds and actions of deranged serial predators in my new book Why We Love Serial Killers which will be released by Skyhorse Press on October 7. Pre-order my book now, save 20%, and you won't pay until it ships in October.