We tend to think that only men are capable of killing other people and that women are nurturing and caring beings. But, this list of people will soon let you discover that women also have the instincts to kill and murder people for money and other motives. Here are the top 5 most evil women in history.
1. Myra Hindley
Myra Hindley was born on July 23, 1942, to a working-class in Manchester, England. Her father Bob Hindley was an alcoholic and would beat her regularly when she was just a child. Her life soon diminished when her sister, Maureen, was sent away to live with her grandmother as her parents were unable to provide them with the life they deserved. They would be sleeping in the same room and Myra would be sleeping next to her parent’s double bed with her single bed. Her relationship with her father was what brutalized her. It was in the year 1961 when she met Ian Brady when she turned for the worse. By July 12, 1963, she and Brady found their first victim. Pauline Reade, 16, attended the same school with Maureen. Pauline disappeared right after school and was never found. John Kilbride was soon their next victim and was killed on November 23, 1963. The couple was then the suspects in the disappearance of Patricia Hodges and Lesley Ann Downey.
Myra Hindley soon confessed that it was she who lured the children to a car they purchased and drive away to a nearby location to kill the children. She also confessed that it was Brady who blackmailed her into doing the murders as he had pornographic pictures of her and would threaten to release them if she disobeys. Brady would also threaten to kill Maureen.
The nail in the coffin for both criminals was when police found a key that led to a locker in Manchester Central Station where Hindley kept a tape of their victims screaming for help while Hindley and Brady raped them.
2. Beverley Allitt
Beverley is an English serial killer who thrived on murdering children and causing injuries to others. She was a pediatric nurse at Granthan and Kesteven Hospital in Lincolnshire. She administered insulin to two children and killed them in the process. She would also administer the air bubble to their intravenous fluid to kill them as well. Later on, she would use potassium injections to induce cardiac arrest in which she would take part in trying to revive her patients. Sometimes, she would also smother them if it was not enough to kill her victims. She, later on, attacked thirteen more children over the course of 58 days before she was caught in the act. The hospital became suspicious of her when Claire Peck’s murder happened. It was during her shift when she was the only nurse on duty that the police finally caught her.
There was never a spoken word for her motives in doing the murders but it was thought that she had Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy wherein she tries to induce pain and suffering to other people and try to save them to gain attention.
It was later found out that in her early life, she would use casts and slings in order to draw attention to herself but always refused to tell others to touch it or inspect the injury.
3. Belle Gunness
Belle Gunness was one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. She would kill in order to get rich with her husband’s family insurance. And if there were any witnesses, she would get rid of them even if they were her own family members. Gunness would also kill anyone including her suitors and boyfriends and collect their money in the process. In a span of several decades, she has killed more than 30 people. Her first victim was her own husband Mads Ditlev Sorenson on the day that his insurance was approved. It was also later thought that Gunness has killed two of her children prior to killing Sorenson. Caroline and Axel, Gunness’ first two borns, allegedly died of acute colitis but the symptoms also match the signs of poisoning. Sorenson’s murder was also unclear as the initial investigation showed that he had died of heart failure. Gunness also confessed that she was giving him treatment for his enlarged heart. Sorenson’s death earned her $8,500.
In 1902, she got married to another Norwegian named Peter Gunness. Shortly after their marriage, Peter’s infant daughter mysteriously died when she was alone with Belle. Later on, Peter would meet the same fate when he met a supposed tragic accident in the kitchen after a sausage-grinding machine fell onto his head.
Peter’s relatives soon took Swanhilde, Peter’s older daughter out of the household in fear of getting killed by the suspected murderer. She later earned $3,000 from the insurance. Further suitors and boyfriends later fell victim to her. Gunness met her demise when she met Ray Lamphere who beheaded her and burned her house down with her children inside.
4. Mary Ann Cotton
Marry Ann Cotton was another prolific serial killer just like Belle Gunness only she predated her for 30 thirty years. Cotton married William Mowbray when she was 20 and had five children. Four of her children later died of gastric fever. They soon moved to North East England to start a new life and had three more children. All of which died the same way. In January 1865, Mowbray died of intestinal disorder and insurance was given to Cotton. After Mowbray’s death, she married George Ward. While she was married to Ward, her 3-1/2-year-old daughter died leaving her with only one out of the nine children she had. In October 1866, Ward died the same way as the previous husband. She collected insurance money from her husband’s death.
James Robinson hired Cotton as a housekeeper after his wife died. A month after she was hired, his baby died of gastric fever and turned to Cotton for comfort. She then got pregnant. Her then-living mother became ill and wanted to see Cotton. Nine days after her arrival, her mother died of stomach pains. Isabella, the only living daughter she had from Mowbray soon developed stomach pains and died along with two of Robinson’s children. Robinson threw her out when he got suspicious of her.
She later got involved in a few relationships all of which ended in murder. It was when Charles Edward Cotton’s death that justice finally caught up with her. The doctor who attended Charles found arsenic in his system and she was charged with his murder. She was executed by hanging on March 24, 1873.
5. Elizabeth Bathory
Countess Elizabeth Bathory was the renowned Blood Countess in Slovak history. She was the prime suspect for over 650 deaths but only 80 of which she was convicted.
She was labeled as the Blood Countess for kidnapping, killing, mutilating, and torturing girls. She would use needles and other instruments to mutilate her victims before killing them. Due to her social status, she was never imprisoned.
She remained under house arrest and stayed there until she died. Tales soon revealed that she would bathe in her victim’s blood as she celebrated their deaths.