Who is the most dangerous serial killer?
What serial killer killed the most?
In 101 Crimes of the Century (New Holland, 2008) Australian author Alan J Whiticker has compiled a list of 101 infamous crimes known throughout the world. As Whiticker explains in the introduction, this is not meant to be a definitive list, but rather an overview of crimes that have had significant impact on society.
The timeline of crimes commences with Jack the Ripper, outlined in the introduction, up to the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal.
Presented in chronological order, each chapter is headed by a fact file outlining what the crime was (murder, espionage, theft etc.), who the victim or victims were and their ages, the date and place where the crime occurred, who the perpetrator or perpetrators were and what sentence was handed down. Following the fact file is a brief paragraph summarising the case, and then a two page run down of the events.
This brief format provides the reader with a reasonable impression of the central and most interesting information pertaining to the crimes discussed, without overloading the reader with too many details. For readers wishing to study any particular case more closely, there is a reference section at the end of each chapter detailing books and websites that offer more comprehensive coverage of that specific crime.
For aficionados of true crime, 101 Crimes of the Century provides a broad overview of the crimes that have shocked and intrigued the world over the past one hundred years.
What is the punishment for infanticide?
Most female serial killers slay victims weaker than themselves, but a special subset of their milieu murder those least able to defend themselves. And because the medical and legal professions are prone to believe the “female as wholly non-violent” mythology, such killers are often permitted to continue their activities long past the point when they should have been caught.
Although there are literally scores of such cases, a few have become more well-known than the rest; possibly because something about them strikes such a deep and primitive chord of horror within us.
Genene Jones, a licensed vocational nurse, probably ended the lives of at least 47 children at hospitals and a private pediatric clinic in Texas. Her actions were hushed up repeatedly, partly over fear of lawsuits, but partly due to the inability of investigative boards to see her for what she truly was.
Several pediatric nurses reported their suspicions of Jones, but they were ignored or ridiculed, even accused of being jealous of the killer’s work ethic. Finally, a hospital resident blew the whistle on the inordinate number of child deaths that always occurred in Genene’s vicinity, stating flatly, “You’ve got a baby killer on your hands.” Afterwards, authorities discovered that all of Genene’s employment records had been shredded, supposedly as part of a routine purge of documents.
Convicted in 1982 of one count of murder and one of attempted murder, she became eligible for parole in 2009.
Murderous caregivers are by no means a product of the modern era, however. In the late 19th century, trained nurse Jane Topping (nicknamed “Jolly Jane”) murdered approximately 31 of her patients with a combination of atropine and morphine. Physician after physician believed her shaky stories, and declared the deaths attributable to natural causes.
It took one discerning doctor to finally burst the bubble of a fiction and admit that sometimes monsters lurk behind the most nurturing façade of all. After Jane’s arrest, she told a psychiatrist, “Don’t blame me, blame my nature. I can’t change what was meant to be, can I?”
She spent the rest of her life in a mental institute; until the day of her death, she occasionally (and perhaps apocryphally) asked the psychiatric nurses if they wanted to “get the morphine, go out on the wards, and have some fun.”
This behavior is the most heartrending example of misused and misdirected female aggressive impulses; it has been variously attributed to Munchausen syndrome by proxy, postpartum psychosis, or plain antisocial personality disorder. It is the least understood or studied of horrendous crimes; probably because for decades, many social workers and doctors refused point-blank to accept its existence.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with honoring the Maternal Feminine ideal, failure to recognize the signs of a potentially murderous mother can be catastrophic. Marybeth Tinning killed eight of her nine children before the medical community became suspicious enough to conduct a thorough autopsy of her last victim and realistically assess the situation.
During the 1950s, Dr. Stuart Asch had his psychiatric research into the causes of infanticide and the symptoms typically exhibited by a potential “at risk” parent quashed by vicious attacks by fellow colleagues and the public. To date, there has been little research into the field.
The myth that all females are natural-born nurturers is every bit as destructive to the social order as was the 19th belief that some small children were seductive enough to manipulate adults into molesting them. If doctors aren’t encouraged to study mothers who seem likely to kill, how can they ever hope to prevent them from doing so?
What serial killer killed the most?
In 101 Crimes of the Century (New Holland, 2008) Australian author Alan J Whiticker has compiled a list of 101 infamous crimes known throughout the world. As Whiticker explains in the introduction, this is not meant to be a definitive list, but rather an overview of crimes that have had significant impact on society.
The timeline of crimes commences with Jack the Ripper, outlined in the introduction, up to the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal.
Presented in chronological order, each chapter is headed by a fact file outlining what the crime was (murder, espionage, theft etc.), who the victim or victims were and their ages, the date and place where the crime occurred, who the perpetrator or perpetrators were and what sentence was handed down. Following the fact file is a brief paragraph summarising the case, and then a two page run down of the events.
This brief format provides the reader with a reasonable impression of the central and most interesting information pertaining to the crimes discussed, without overloading the reader with too many details. For readers wishing to study any particular case more closely, there is a reference section at the end of each chapter detailing books and websites that offer more comprehensive coverage of that specific crime.
Infamous Murders
It is not surprising that the majority of the crimes included in the book are murders. It is the human element, rather than the political that seems to hold the most fascination - whether so-called crimes of passion, such as the “Pyjama Girl” case from Melbourne Australia in 1934 or the mass murders of serial killers and lone gunmen such as Martin Bryant, responsible for the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.Espionage, Intrigue and Theft
Only very well-known cases are included. The Cambridge Spies, the Rosenburg Scandal, Watergate and the theft of the Mona Lisa are some examples.Political Crimes
Obviously it is difficult to cover the full reasons behind terrorist attacks, war crimes and the assassination of world leaders and political figures in just two to three short pages, however for readers just wanting a summary of the events leading to these crimes, Whiticker’s overviews are mostly sufficient. However in the chapters on the holocaust and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the brevity of the description feels inappropriate in comparison with the scale of the crime.Historical and Social Significance
At the end of many chapters, Whiticker includes a note about ways in which the crime has affected society. This includes any legal changes that may have been brought about due to the crime, such as the introduction of the Lindbergh Law, or the abolishment of capital punishment in Great Britain due to the wrongful hanging of Timothy Evans. Mention is also made in this section of any books or films based upon the events – whether biographical as in the film Monster about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, or fictional like Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, which was inspired by the Lindbergh kidnapping.For aficionados of true crime, 101 Crimes of the Century provides a broad overview of the crimes that have shocked and intrigued the world over the past one hundred years.
Angels of Death and Infanticides
What is infanticide and why does it occur?What is the punishment for infanticide?
Most female serial killers slay victims weaker than themselves, but a special subset of their milieu murder those least able to defend themselves. And because the medical and legal professions are prone to believe the “female as wholly non-violent” mythology, such killers are often permitted to continue their activities long past the point when they should have been caught.
Although there are literally scores of such cases, a few have become more well-known than the rest; possibly because something about them strikes such a deep and primitive chord of horror within us.
Angels of Death – Medical Caregivers as Killers
Doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who murder their patients, usually for “fun” and occasionally for profit, have been given the sinister sobriquet “angel of death.” It usually takes a long time for their crimes to even be recognized, let alone punished.Genene Jones, a licensed vocational nurse, probably ended the lives of at least 47 children at hospitals and a private pediatric clinic in Texas. Her actions were hushed up repeatedly, partly over fear of lawsuits, but partly due to the inability of investigative boards to see her for what she truly was.
Several pediatric nurses reported their suspicions of Jones, but they were ignored or ridiculed, even accused of being jealous of the killer’s work ethic. Finally, a hospital resident blew the whistle on the inordinate number of child deaths that always occurred in Genene’s vicinity, stating flatly, “You’ve got a baby killer on your hands.” Afterwards, authorities discovered that all of Genene’s employment records had been shredded, supposedly as part of a routine purge of documents.
Convicted in 1982 of one count of murder and one of attempted murder, she became eligible for parole in 2009.
Murderous caregivers are by no means a product of the modern era, however. In the late 19th century, trained nurse Jane Topping (nicknamed “Jolly Jane”) murdered approximately 31 of her patients with a combination of atropine and morphine. Physician after physician believed her shaky stories, and declared the deaths attributable to natural causes.
It took one discerning doctor to finally burst the bubble of a fiction and admit that sometimes monsters lurk behind the most nurturing façade of all. After Jane’s arrest, she told a psychiatrist, “Don’t blame me, blame my nature. I can’t change what was meant to be, can I?”
She spent the rest of her life in a mental institute; until the day of her death, she occasionally (and perhaps apocryphally) asked the psychiatric nurses if they wanted to “get the morphine, go out on the wards, and have some fun.”
Infanticide and Child Murder – Breaking the Ultimate Taboo
Diane Downs, Amy Elwood, Paula Sims, Susan Smith, Angela Yates; and most recently Elyse Marsyl Colon, who was arrested in February, 2010, for the alleged murder of her two young sons, became relatively widely known in the United States because they killed one or more of their own newborns or children.This behavior is the most heartrending example of misused and misdirected female aggressive impulses; it has been variously attributed to Munchausen syndrome by proxy, postpartum psychosis, or plain antisocial personality disorder. It is the least understood or studied of horrendous crimes; probably because for decades, many social workers and doctors refused point-blank to accept its existence.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with honoring the Maternal Feminine ideal, failure to recognize the signs of a potentially murderous mother can be catastrophic. Marybeth Tinning killed eight of her nine children before the medical community became suspicious enough to conduct a thorough autopsy of her last victim and realistically assess the situation.
During the 1950s, Dr. Stuart Asch had his psychiatric research into the causes of infanticide and the symptoms typically exhibited by a potential “at risk” parent quashed by vicious attacks by fellow colleagues and the public. To date, there has been little research into the field.
The myth that all females are natural-born nurturers is every bit as destructive to the social order as was the 19th belief that some small children were seductive enough to manipulate adults into molesting them. If doctors aren’t encouraged to study mothers who seem likely to kill, how can they ever hope to prevent them from doing so?
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