The Murder Mystique: Female Killers and Popular Culture

by Laurie Nalepa, Richard Pfefferman

Overview

Although they account for only ten percent of all murders, those attributed to women seem especially likely to captivate the public. This absorbing book examines why that is true and how some women, literally, get away with murder.

Combining compelling storytelling with insightful observations, the book invites readers to take a close look at ten high-profile killings committed by American women. The work exposes the forces that underlie the public's fascination with female killers and determine why these women so often become instant celebrities. Cases are paired by motive—love, money, revenge, self-defense, and psychopathology. Through them, the authors examine the appeal of women who commit murders and show how perceptions of their crimes are shaped.

The book details both the crimes and the criminals as it explores how pop culture treats stereotypes of female murderers in film and print. True crime aficionados will be fascinated by the minute descriptions of what happened and why, while pop culture enthusiasts will appreciate the lens of societal norms through which these cases are examined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313380105
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/07/2013
Pages:	177
Sales rank:	834,632
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Laurie Nalepa, EdD, is dean of academic affairs at Los Angeles Valley College.

Richard Pfefferman, PhD, is retired dean of Academic Affairs for the Los Angeles Community College District.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: The Killer Inside Each of Us ix

1 Women Who Kill in Self-Defense 1

Francine Hughes 1

Liysa Northon 11

2 Women Who Kill for Revenge 23

Betty Broderick 24

Amy Bishop 39

3 Women Who Kill for Love 53

Kristin Rossum 53

Susan Smith 70

4 Women Who Kill for Money 85

Olga Rutterschmidt and Helen Golay 85

Ann Woodward 102

5 Women Who Kill Because They Are Crazy 115

Aileen Wuornos 115

Andrea Yates 127

Conclusion: Her Trait, Her Fate 143

Notes 153

Selected Bibliography 167

Index 173

What People are Saying About This

Dr. Carl Boggs

"In The Murder Mystique, Laurie Nalepa and Richard Pfefferman have explored the always intricate and dark, yet remarkably illuminating, world of female killers with imaginative and powerful writing. They combine the insights of up-close psychology, trends at work in American society, and popular culture in a manner that lends their lively narrative special value. This is a book that should keenly benefit any reader interested in the fields of gender relations, sexuality, criminal violence, and media culture."

Tom Pollard

"Laurie Nalepa and Richard Pfefferman's book The Murder Mystique: Female Killers in Popular Culture exposes the connections between popular culture and female murderers. This book showcases high-profile females that kill for love, money, self-defense, and psychotic thrills and exposes the often-biased coverage media provide of females accused of murder. This book will fascinate anyone interested in gender images and feminism in pop culture."