5 TERRIFYING Female Serial Killers You Never Knew Existed
When you think of serial killers, you most likely think of men. However, it might surprise you to learn that some of the worst have been female.
Here are 5 terrifying female serial killers you never knew existed.
5. KARLA HOMOLKA (CANADA)
Number five is Karla Homolka.
The wife of Paul Bernardo, potentially the most infamous killer in Canadian history, Karla Homolka was born on May 4, 1970 in Port Credit, Ontario, Canada.
Between December 24, 1990 and April 19, 1992, She along with Bernardo were responsible for the sexual assault and murder of three minors, two of whom were abducted teenagers.
Her first victim was her own sister Tammy, Who Homolka drugged and presented to her new husband as wedding gift on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, Tammy vomited while unconscious from the drugs and asphyxiated. Homolka initially claimed the she was forced to perform these incredibly heinous acts by her abusive husband, and even managed to secure a plea deal wither the Crown Attorney prosecuting Bernardo's case. However, it was later revealed via video evidence that Homolka not only participated in the disgusting actions, but initiated many of them.
4. ANNA MARIA ZWANZIGER (GERMANY)
Number four is Anna Maria Zwanziger.
On August 7, 1760, Anna Maria Zwanziger was born in Bavaria, Germany, where she grew up into the life of servanthood as a housekeeper. At 41, she became the housekeeper for a judge, whom she poisoned with arsenic only to nurse him back to health. She would later confess that she did this in order to gain his trust, and proceeded to go through the process at least two more times with other judges she began caring for. in total, Zwanziger killed four people through the use of poison, one of them being a baby that was in her care. She was finally arrested on October 16, 1809. for her crimes, Anna Maria Zwanziger was beheaded withe swipe of a sword in Nuremberg, Germany on September 17, 1811. But just prior to the execution being carried out, she was quoted as saying it was a good thing she was being killed, as she didn't she herself could stop killing others. Talk about twisted.
3. JANE TOPPAN (USA)
Number three is Jane Toppan.
Also known as her serial killer identities The Angel of Death and Jolly Jane, Honora Kelly was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1857 to Irish immigrants. When Honora was still a child, her mother died and her father went insane, so she was taken in by the Toppan family, who changed her name to Jane Toppan. After becoming a nurse in the late 1880s, Jane began selecting elderly victims whom she would dose with morphine or atropine before climbing into their bed and holding them while they died. Jane later admitted that she got a sexual thrill from watching helpless people die, and she claimed that she wanted to kill more helpless people than any other man or woman who ever lived. Even though she took more than 31 lives and was caught on October 29,1901, Jane was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to Taunton Insane Hospital, where she stayed until her death in 1938.
2. JUANA BARRAZA (MEXICO)
Number two is Juana Barraza.
Possibly the most brutal and intimidating female murderer in the history of Mexico, Juana Barraza was born on December 27, 1959, and is known for two things. The first is being a wrestler under the ring name The Silent Lady, and the other being a serial killer called the Old Lady Killer. Barraza would target women who were over the age of 60, usually ones who lived alone. She would pose as a government official or other visitor in order to gain the trust of her victims and gain access to their house or apartment. It was there that she would strangle and beat them to death before stealing anything valuable that she could find. The Old Lady Killer operated from 1998 until 2006, mostly due to the mishandling of the case by police. Barraza was found to have committed between 42 and 48 murders. And on March 31, 2008, she was sentenced to almost 800 years in prison.
1.ELIZABETH BATHORY (HUNGARY)
And number one is Elizabeth Bathory.
Elizabeth Bathory is not only considered the worst female serial killer of all time, but even tops the most notable male killers on the list of most devastating murderers of all time. And that's really not surprising when you learn that she was reponsible for 650 deaths. Born to a noble family in Hungary on August 7, 1560, Bathory married at only 15 years old and took over her husband's castle as he went off to war. She began her murderous ways in 1584. luring young peasant women to her castle, promising to pay them for work but ultimately torturing, killing, and in some cases eating them. It's been documented that Bathory believed that she could absorb life from her victim's blood, and is considered to be the world's first vampire. Her noble status kept her from being tried until 1610, when she was finally caught. And on August 21, 1614, Bathory died in a windowless room, never to drink the blood of innocents again.