Wicked Women

I grew up very intrigued by crime and serial killers. For a period of time, I was interested in forensic psychology though thank God I did not pursue that because it would have taken me down the completely wrong path. I did really enjoy watching Deadly Women because it was one of the few places to spotlight women as killers. Over the next three days, I am going to take what I think are some of the most evil women killers and highlight them. Some of them I’m not entirely sure if they are/were sane but that is not for me to decide. This list is not in order. That would be impossible.

12. Myra Hindley

Myra Hindley, along with her lover Ian Brady, was responsible for the infamous “Moors Murders” because the victims (who were children) were buried there. Five children (10-17) were murdered, the majority sexually assaulted. Myra, although once clinging to her innocence, confessed to all the murders in 1987. Myra was dubbed “the most evil woman in Britain” and no wonder. Audio tapes had surfaced as evidence that showed Myra yelling at the children while they were sexually violated by Ian. She pled to be released from jail but she never was and she died in 2002, after serving 36 years. On one occasion Myra lured a child into danger on the moors by saying she had lost a glove. Later Myra would claim Brady had blackmailed and threatened her. I remain skeptical.

11. Rose West

Another woman working together with her lover (in this case husband), only they didn’t target just children. Nor did they bury them on the moors. They buried them below their patio.And the murder victims included Rose’s own stepdaughter Charmaine and later her own daughter Heather. They specialized in torturing their victims before they killed them. Rose was sentenced to ten life terms while her husband took the coward’s way out (unsurprisingly) and killed himself rather than face prison time. Abusers often are abused themselves. Rose was molested by her father and when she hit puberty she started molesting her younger brothers. Rose initially rejected Fred West several times when she met him but eventually they began seeing each other. Rose even quit her job at the bread shop to look after his daughters while he was at work. Rose’s parents were horrified by Fred but in the end Rose chose Fred over her family. Rose is alleged to have killed Fred’s daughter while he was in jail for a minor offense. She said the daughter had gone to live with her mother.

Rose started working as a prostitute out of the upstairs of the house. She engaged in casual sex with both genders, including people Fred brought home for her. Rose was a sexual sadist but I won’t go into details here. A woman might flinch or moan in pain which would prompt Rose to ask “Are you woman enough to take it?” Fred would often watch through a peephole or listen through a baby monitor. 

The children were physically assaulted and punished daily, often just Rose’s own satisfaction, though she was very careful not to leave marks that could alert CPS. Eventually these attacks would turn into rape. Rose was adamant that it was a normal rite of passage and not to say anything. The children were then forced into prostitution when they got  older.

Eventually a woman (Caroline Owens) escaped from her fate and returned home where her mother called the police. However when the time came she was too ashamed to testify. Nevertheless the crimes of the West’s came to light. As I said before Fred killed himself before  he could serve his time. Rose West was given ten life sentences. And she deserves no less.

10. Karla Homolka 

Also known as the “Ken and Barbie” killers, Karla and Paul Bernando were the scourge of Canada. Karla married a rapist but she didn’t seem to mind it. Until the crimes began to escalate. Paul wanted a virgin and Karla was not one. But her little sister, Tammy, was and Paul found himself attracted to her. So Karla (who was more than down with this plan) spiked her dinner with Valium. As he raped Tammy, she began to wake up and then they drugged her with an animal tranquilizer. Unfortunately after they raped her, Tammy choked on her own vomit and died. Her death was somehow ruled an accident.

But that was just the  beginning. Paul would go “hunting” to find girls they could sexually assault and later kill. They filmed these episodes which would later prove both parties had been actively involved. When the pair was caught (a court case that shocked the nation) it led to a very controversial outcome. In order to nail Paul Bernado they made a plea  bargain with Karla Homolka. Homolka would plead guilty to two counts of manslaughter and end up serving 12 years in prison. She walks free today,

9. Susan Smith

It doesn’t get any more incomprehensible than killing your own children. Maybe that’s why these stories always cause shock waves rippling through the country. And the question you are really asking isn’t “why” its “how?” Susan Smith killed her two children: a three year old and a one year old. They were strapped into car seats and the car was then rolled into a lake. The two boys drowned. Smith claimed a black man kidnapped her at a carjacking, obviously entirely false. Her defense lawyers pleaded insanity and maybe that was the case. 

I sympathize with Smith who had a tough go of  it. Her father died at six years old, she attempted suicide at age 13, and she was molested by her stepfather as a teenager. She later had another suicide attempt so obviously she wasn’t getting the help she needed. She married eventually and had two kids. The marriage didn’t work out. But there was a possible motive. She had received a letter from a man that she was interested in and he had stated he was not interested in having children. There’s disappointment and there’s murder. And we know what Susan chose.

For my information i mostly used Wikipedia and Investigative Discoverys Deadly Women.