Aileen Wuornos
Quote: "You sabotaged my ass society! And the cops, and the system! A raped woman got executed, and was used for books and movies and shit!"
Kill Count: 6
Years Active: November 1989 - November 1990
Motive: Debatable, either robbery or self-defense.
Method: Gun
Sentence: Six death sentences (Received fatal injection on October 9, 2002)
Following a life of horrific child sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, and homelessness, Aileen Wuornos became a hitchhiking prostitute to support herself and her girlfriend. In November of 1898 she killed and robbed one her johns, and then five more over the course of the year.
Throughout her trial, several cops and her long-term girlfriend all entered Hollywood movie deals but this was never brought up when they testified against her.
Aileen maintained that all of the killings were in self-defense against violent john's attempting to rape and kill her. Many theorize that this was true for her first victim, who was a convicted rapist. The incident may have pushed the already unstable Wuornos over the edge, as she genuinely believed the other five murders were in self-defense.
A month before her scheduled execution, a new attorney stepped in and attempted to expose how corrupt her trial had been and prove that Aileen was insane and thus could not be executed. However, the now depressed Aileen terminated her counsel and confessed that none of the killings had been in self-defense. She later admitted to her friend and filmmaker that the killings had been in self-defense, but she didn't want anyone to know, lest they postpone her execution.
Jane Toppan –"Jolly Jane"
Quote: "That is my ambition, to have killed more people-more helpless people-than any man or woman who has ever lived."
Years Active: 1185 - 1901
Kill Count: 31
Motive: Unknown, though some sources report she received a sexual thrill from killing.
Method: Poison
Sentence: Not guilty by reason of insanity. Spent rest of her life in an asylum.
After a childhood of abuse and foster care, Jane trained as a nurse and became known by patients and friends as "Jolly Jane" because of her friendly and cheerful disposition. She spent years working at a hospital where she would poison patients with morphine and then lay in bed with them until they died.
She went on to poison her landlords, childhood foster sister, and the entire family of a man she was working for as a home nurse. Toxicology reports of this family revealed the poison and Toppan were finally arrested, where she proudly confessed to 31 murders.
Leonarda Cianciulli –"The Soap-Maker"
Quote: "She ended up in the pot, like the other two...her flesh was fat and white when it had melted I added a bottle of cologne, and after a long time on the boil I was able to make some most acceptable creamy soap. I gave bars to neighbors and acquaintances. The cakes, too, were better: that woman was really sweet."
Years Active: 1939 - 1940
Kill Count: 3
Motive: Sacrifices in exchange for her son's protection in war.
Method: Poison
Sentence: 30 years in prison, died before sentence was complete.
Known as a kind mother and shop owner, Leonarda was a troubled soul. The extremely superstitious women were driven to madness by the loss of 13 children through both miscarriages and young deaths. When her eldest son was sent off to war she feared that he, too, would die, and decided to offer the lives of three local women up as sacrifices in exchange for his protection.
She lured the women to her home with the promise of jobs or husbands in faraway places, poison them, and then send letters in their names back to their families, promising they had arrived safely and were happy.
She then butchered their bodies and used their flesh and fat to create soap and tea cakes which she'd give out as gifts to family and friends.
Belle Gunness –"Hell's Belle"
Quote: "My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Come prepared to stay forever."
Years Active: 1900 - 1908
Kill Count: 40 (confirmed, likely many more)
Motive: Life insurance and other valuables
Method: Poison
At the time, Belle probably appeared to be a woman with horrible luck. 3 marriages, each ending in mysterious deaths. But at least she got their life insurance payments. She used the money to buy a farm where she lived with her three children and would place ads in the newspaper looking for rich husbands.
Scores of men came to her farm, often with large sums of money as gifts, however, none were ever seen alive after. One day a large fire was set and the whole farm burnt to the ground. The remains of all three children and a headless woman, originally assumed to be Gunness, were found. However, it quickly became apparent that the woman's corpse was far too short to be that of Gunness' who stood at 6 feet tall.
Gunness' handyman and possible lover eventually came forth and admitted to setting the fire and killing the housekeeper in order to allow his mistress to escape with the $250,000 stolen from her victims. She was never seen nor heard from again.
