What is a Serial Killer?
When we talk about “serial killers,” we are not just using a dramatic label; there is actually a formal definition behind it. The FBI defines serial murder as two or more killings committed by the same offender(s) in separate events. Earlier definitions required three or more victims, but that threshold has shifted to better reflect how these cases unfold in reality.
At its core, serial murder involves three key components:
- Multiple victims
- A cooling-off period between offenses (meaning the killings are separated by time rather than occurring in one continuous event)
- Some form of patterned behavior, whether in victim selection, method, or motive.
In other words, serial murder is not defined by brutality alone; it is defined by repetition, separation, and behavioral consistency.
So, is serial killing a “man’s business”?
Statistically speaking, it largely is. The overwhelming majority (85-90%) of identified serial killers have been men (Hickey, 2015). When people think of serial murder, they often think of highly prolific male offenders such as Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgway (the “Green River Killer”), or John Wayne Gacy. But that does not mean female serial killers do not exist. They do — and in ways that often look different from the stereotypical image of the serial murderer. Ignoring them because they are numerically less common risks reinforcing the very myths that make them harder to detect and understand in the first place.
The Fascination with Female Serial Killers
Female serial killers occupy a strange space in the public imagination. When women commit repeated homicide, the reaction is often shock, not necessarily because the crimes are more brutal, but because they collide with long-standing ideas about femininity, caregiving, and moral restraint.
Media coverage tends to emphasize their appearance, sexuality, motherhood status, or mental health in ways that are less common in coverage of male offenders. They are framed as manipulative seductresses, “black widows,” or psychologically unstable women who snapped.