News

The 9 Most Shocking Murders By Women, Because "Hell Hath No Fury" Like These Female Killers

Contrary to popular belief, some of the world's most horrific murders were done by women. Where men tend to kill for pleasure, women have very different reasons. Granted, some just enjoyed the kill, but often money, attention, or love was a factor. And while women are more likely to rely on poison to kill, when they go all out, they really know how to make a scene.

The Bureau of Justice Services estimated that in 2008, men were seven times more likely than women to commit murder, with roughly 11 offenders out of 100,000 that year. And history shows that female killers aren't picky about who they kill. Friends, husbands, children — everyone is fair game. There is good news though! Female murderer rates are seriously on a decline since the 1980s.

If you're fascinating in the phenomena of female killers, then check out this list of some of the most gruesome murders committed by both famous killers and women you've probably never heard of. Warning: there is a cannibal on this list. Don't read while eating.

Image: Murderpedia

by Hope Racine

Mary Ann Cotton, Britain's First Serial Killer

Often referred to as Britain’s first serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton was a pro at scheming for life insurance. Between 1852 and 1873, Cotton lost three husbands and 12 children, all from gastrointestinal complications. She moved around constantly, which helped her avoid detection. When the authorities finally did catch up with her, she was promptly hung, and her life turned into a nursery rhyme. “Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string / Where, where? Up in the air.” Why are kids songs so morbid and creepy?

Image: Murderpedia

Kate Bender And The Bloody Bender Family

Kate Bender is the most intense serial killer you’ve never heard of. A member of the “Bloody Bender” family, Kate, her mother, “Pa” Bender, and John Bender were responsible for up to 21 murders taking place in Kansas in 1870. None of the Benders were related except Kate and her mother, and none of them were named Bender, but they lived together and operated an inn for travelers going to and from the frontier.

Kate Bender claimed to be a fortune teller and a healer and brought in multiple visitors at the inn, several of whom were killed and robbed. At dinner, the guest would be hit over the head with a hammer, his throat would be cut, and then his body would be dumped in the cellar via a trap door. The townspeople eventually caught on, but when they went to search the house, the Benders were gone. All they found was a blood soaked cellar — and 10 bodies in the garden.

Image: Murderpedia

Belle Gunness And Her Many, Many Boyfriends

One of the most well-known female killers, Belle Gunness was a beast of a woman, standing at over 6 feet tall. She lived in Illinois in the late 1800s and routinely committed fraud and killed in order to cash in on insurance policies. After killing her husbands, she would place ads in the papers looking for suitors. When they came to her farm, she would kill them too. Her streak (most likely) ended when she set fire to her farm, killing her two daughters. Gunness was believed to have also died in the fire, but historians are pretty positive that she faked her death, considering that her corpse somehow was several inches shy of her real height. Solid estimates say her body count may be well over 40 people.

Image: Murderpedia

Lizzie Borden Didn't Have An Axe

Lizzie Borden stood trial in 1892 for the grisly murders of her father Andrew and step-mother Abby, who had been repeatedly stabbed with a Hatchet. Police were positive she did it. Borden had been caught burning a dress, which she claimed she stained doing housework. They also proved that she had unsuccessfully tried to buy poison a few days earlier. To showcase the graphic nature of the act, prosecutors actually brought her parents’ skulls into the courtroom and showed off the multiple hatchet wounds (of which there were 10 to 20 each, not 40).

Still, in the end, there was little physical evidence against her and she was found innocent. The murder is still unsolved. But for the curious and morbidly obsessed, there is good news! You can actually stay at the bed and breakfast situated in the old Borden house in Massachusetts. You can even eat a replica of the Borden’s last meal.

Image: Murderpedia

Tillie Klimek, Psychic Extraordinaire

Tillie Klimek was either a very unlucky psychic or a very prestigious killer. Operating in Chicago in the early 1900s, Klimek successfully predicted the death of four husbands, a neighbor, and three children, not to mention a ton of neighborhood dogs. The psychic alibi is so obvious it’s almost genius. However, when arsenic was found in the food of her dying fifth husband, Klimek’s act was up. She was sentenced and sent to prison for life… and the judge ruled that she was never allowed to cook for other inmates. No word on if her psychic powers held up in prison.

Image: Murderpedia

Diane Downs And Her Search For Love

Determined to save her tenuous relationship with her boyfriend, Diane Downs drove to the desert and attempted to kill her three children in 1983. She succeeded in killing her 7-year-old daughter Cheryl, but her 8-year-old daughter Christie and 3-year-old son Danny both lived, despite having been shot point-blank. Both of them suffered severe injuries and paralysis.

Although Downs maintained her innocence (she claimed a carjacker did it), Christie testified against her mother in court. Downs was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. She escaped briefly in 1987, but was quickly recaptured. All her parole appeals have been denied.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Beverley Allitt, The Angel Of Death

Beverley Gail Allitt was a British nurse who attempted to kill 13 infants in the timespan of 15 days in 1991. She would give the infants large doses of insulin, successfully killing four. She was charged with the attempted murder of three others and was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 13 life sentences. Dubbed an “Angel of Death,” Allitt had a mental disorder called Munchausen by Proxy, which compelled her to make children ill so that she could resuscitate and save them.

Image: Murderpedia

Katherine Knight, The Cannibal

If you’re eating something right now, just skip this slide.

Katherine Knight became the first Australian woman to receive a life sentence without parole in 2000, when she was found guilty of the murder of her boyfriend John Price. She was known for being extremely violent with her past relationships, and, true to her character, she stabbed Price 37 times with a butcher knife.

But instead of stopping there, she skinned him and hung his skin from a meat hook in the kitchen. She cut off his head and cooked it with vegetables and soup, and then sliced off his butt and baked it. She also made some nice gravy and potatoes… and then tried to serve Price to his children. Luckily, police intervened before she had the chance. Some officials think Knight might have tried to sample her dinner as well. Appetizing.

Image: Murderpedia

Megan Huntsman And Her Seven Babies

Megan Huntsman of Utah pleaded guilty in 2014 to the murder of her six newborn infants. Between 1996 and 2006, Huntsman became pregnant seven times and managed to conceal the pregnancies and give birth without medical aid or anyone knowing. Immediately after giving birth, Huntsman killed six of her children, wrapped up their bodies, and stored the remains in boxes in her garage. The other is believed to have been a still birth.

Huntsman has three living daughters, one of whom was born during a window in between the time she was killing her infants, and none of them ever knew what was in the garage. It wasn’t until Huntsman’s estranged husband went to clean out some boxes that he made the discovery and alerted the authorities. She is now serving 15 years to life.

Handout/Getty Images News/Getty Images
19