Turning out to be some of the most feared killers in history, these women became known as the most dangerous for their cunning planning and sinister brutality, today we look at the Top 50 Real Life Chilling Female Criminals.
50 – Aileen Wuornoss
Born Aileen Carol Pittman on February 29, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan, Pitman’s life of crime began in Jefferson County, Colorado, after being arrested for driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, and firing a .22-caliber pistol from a moving vehicle.
As the years went on she was arrested multiple times for other crimes, including car theft, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice.
Her killing spree began on November 30th, 1989 when she attacked Richard Charles Mallory, a 51-year old electronics store owner and later claimed it was self defence after he attacked her.
Over the course of the next 12-months, Wuornos murdered 11 other men, most of whom were shot 2-times with a .22 calibre pistol.
She was finally caught on January 9th, 1991 after one of her fingerprints was found on a receipt at one of the pawnshops where she had traded in goods from a murder victim.
Not long after her arrest, her accomplice, Tyria Moore was located by police and convinced Wuornos to confess in exchange for protection from prosecution.
Wuornos eventually did confess to several of the murders and was charged with murder.
Her trial began on January 14th, 1992 for the murder of Richard Charles Mallory for which she was later found guilty and sentenced to death.
In 1992, she confessed to another five murders, receiving a death sentence for each one, totalling six.
She was executed on October 9th, 2002, by lethal injection and opted to decline her last meal, becoming the second woman in Florida and the tenth in the United States to be executed.
49 – Juana Barraza
Harking from a rural area in Mexico City, Juana Barrazawas a professional wrestler under the ring name of La Dama del Silencio, or The Lady of Scilence.
Many of Barraza’s sixteen victims were over 60-years old, had been robbed and all of them were women.
Profiled by a criminal psycologist as having a brilliant mind, Barraza initially gained the trust of the intended victim, often posing as a government official on welfare programs.
She was finally arrested on the 25th January 2006, after fleeing from the home of a victim and her fingerprints were linked to at least ten of the murders.
She went to trial in 2008, was found guilty on 16-charges of murder and was sentenced to 759 years in prison.
48 – Velma Barfield
Raised near Fayetteville, North Carolina, Barfield reportedly suffered physical abuse at the hands of her farther and this was left un-checked by her mother.
Convicted of seven counts of writing bad checks in 1975, she was sentenced to six months in prison and this is reportedly after she had comitted her first two murders.
After she was released, she began marrying men of various ages, with all of them dying suddenly.
After her capture, she confessed to the murders of all the victims, saying she had used an arsenic-based rat poison to carry out the murders.
She was found guilty and imprisoned in the more secure unit of Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He was the state’s only female death row inmate at the time and she was executed on November 2, 1984, receiving a last meal of Cheez Doodles and Coca-Cola.
47 – Tamara Samsonova
Born in the city of Uzhur in the former Soviet Union, Samsonova became national news after commiting a series of murders in Moscow.
After the death of her first husband, who dissapeared in mysterious circumstances, Samsonova appealed to the police to help find him.
Less than a year later she rented out a bedroom in her apartment to Sergei Potanin who also dissapeared after an argument with Samsonova.
This method of behaviour continued until she poisoned Valentina Ulanova, whom she had been in a relationship with until being asked to leave.
Ulanova’s body was found by an unsuspecting member of the public and the Russian police moved quickly to search her apartment, discovering Samsonova at the scene and arresting her.
Currently being investigated in connection to a total of 14 murders, she resides at a specialized hospital in Kazan while receiving compulsory psychiatric treatment.
46 – Cleopatra
Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, Cleopatra was as beautiful as she was deadly.
A descendant of Ptolemy the first, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great, she went on to rule Egypt for 19-years.
She became known for her murderous ways after ruthlessly slaying several of her family members in an effort to solidify her rule.
She was set to co-rule Egypt with her brother, Ptolemy the 13th, who she married in tradition, yet Cleopatra had no intentions of sharing her power.
Ptolemy the 13th died after drowning in the nile and his name was removed from all official records and his face was stripped from Egyptian coins.
Her younger brother and her younger sister, Arsinoe, also met gruesome fates at the hands of the Roman empire, with whom Cleopatra was having various affair’s with its rulers.
She managed to keep Egypt independent for 20 years by securing a relationship with Rome, however to this day, one of Egypt’s coldest of cases remains open as to wether she too, became a victim of murder.
45 – Ilse Koch
Becoming one of the most famous Nazi war figures of the 20th Century, Koch often comitted her crimes alongside husband and Buchenwald commandant Karl-Otto Koch.
Often the selector for prisoners who would be killed at the camp, Koch became known as “the concentration camp murderess”.
Because of her suspected cruelty towards many male prisoners, she was later nicknamed “The Beast of Buchenwald” and the butcher widow after ordering the killing of tatoo’d male prisoners.
Evidence at her trial, however, was lacking, with most of it destroyed before allied troops arrived.
Koch died at a Bavarian women’s prison on the 1st September 1967 at age 60, she had become dellusional and gone mad after seeing imaginary images of concentration camp prisoners in her cell.
44 – Delphine LaLaurie
One of the most infamous figures in American history due to her involvement in a horrific series of crimes, LaLaurie was a wealthy socialite and a prominent figure in New Orleans’ high society.
The LaLaurie Mansion, located at 1140 Royal Street in New Orleans, was the site of Delphine’s notorious crimes, yet, was a lavish and grand residence to all who walked past.
Behind the walls of her home, Delphine LaLaurie was hiding a horrifying secret, the abuse and torture of enslaved people in her household.
When a fire broke out in the home, a neighbor discovered a woman who had been chained in the kitchen, claimed to be an enslaved person who had been imprisoned.
After a riot over their treatment, LaLaurie fled to France and is reported to have died on December 7th, 1849, having never paid for her crimes of killing over 100 people.
43 – Myra Hindley
Becoming one of the worst criminals of the 20th century, Hindley commited unspeakable acts of violence against other human beings.
Alongside her partner, Ian Brady, she lured and killed five children and teenagers in Greater Manchester, later burying them on Saddleworth Moor.
Hindley’s portrayal as “the most evil woman in Britain” sparked widespread outrage, compounded by her lack of remorse during her trial.
Sentenced to life imprisonment, Hindley spent decades in custody, repeatedly denied parole.
She died in 2002, leaving a legacy of horror and a nation grappling with her monstrous acts.
42 – Jemma Lilley
Reported to have developed a fascination with violence and serial killers at a young age, Lilley moved to Perth, Australia in 2010 and gained permanent residency after marrying a local man.
After the death of her husband in 2010, Lilley met Trudi Lenon, a friend of her late husbands, who would later become her partner in crime.
The couple began planning the perfect murder in 2016 and were caught several times on CCTV, shopping for various items.
By Monday, 13 June 2016, they had chosen a victim and later attacked 18-year old Aaron Pajich, which the police quicly traced to them thanks to multiple sightings on several cameras.
Becoming known as the Bucket list killer, Lilley was found guilty of murder alongside her co-conspiritor and sentenced to a minimum of 28-years.
41 – Tracey Wigginton
Achieving notoriety for killing Edward Baldock in 1989, Wiggington became known as the “Lesbian Vampire Killer”.
She and four other women lured 47-year-old Baldock to a park on the banks of the Brisbane River and viciously attacked him.
In 1991, she was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of Queensland with a minimum of 13 years, however, in 2006 she assaulted a fellow inmate and a prison guard.
She made four unsuccessful parole applications until 2011 when the parole board granted her application, much to the disgust of the victims family.
40 – Caroline Grills
Predominantly a comfort killer, Grills murdered well-off members of her extended family to maintain a respectable lifestyle, yet some of her later murders were seen as random and featuring unclear motives.
A short woman who wore thick-rimmed dark glasses, she commonly served her friends and in-laws tea, cakes and biscuits, however, they did not know that some of these had been laced with thallium.
The drug was easily available over the counter at the time of the murders and Grills was later convicted of four murders, plus three attempted killings.
She was imprisoned at Sydney’s Long Bay Prison, initially on a sentence of death, however this was later changed to life imprisonment.
She became known as “Aunt Thally” among inmates at the prison and was rushed to hospital in October 1960, later passing away from Peritonitis.
39 – Katherine Knight
Another Australian killer, this time harking from Tenterfield, New South Wales, Knight became the first woman in the country’s history to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Convicted for the murder of her partner, John Charles Thomas Price, in February 2000, she is currently imprisoned at the Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre in New South Wales.
The method of the crimes shocked the nation and while they cannot be mentioned here, rest assured that this is one inmate that no one in Australia ever wants walking the streets again.
38 – Dorothea Puente
Running a boarding house in Sacramento, California, Dorothea Puente seemed like your average ordinary businesswoman.
Her childhood was termultous with her mother working in the sex industry and her father passing away from tuburculosis but not before he impacted severe mental torture on his children.
She was briefly committed to DeWitt State Hospital after a binge of drinking, lying, criminal behavior, and suicide attempts where doctors diagnosed her as a pathological liar with an unstable personality.
After setting up the boarding house she ws arrested for illegally cashing thirty-four state and federal checks that belonged to her tenants.
Between 1982 and 1986 the victims of her drug-fuled robberies began piling up and it is thought that 9-people in total had become victims of her killing spree.
She was convicted of three murders and, thanks to the testimony of over 156 witnesses, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, only just escaping the death penalty.
She died in prison at Chowchilla on March 27, 2011, from natural causes.
37 – Genene Jones
One of the most infamous serial killers in medical history, Nurse Jones was dubbed the “Angel of Death,”.
She is believed to have murdered up to 60 infants and young children while working in Texas hospitals.
Convicted in 1984 for the murder of a 15-month-old and the injury of another child, she received a 99-year sentence and was further convicted of another murder in 2020.
36 – Jane Toppan
Nicknamed Jolly Jane, Toppan appeared to be a caring and suportive nurse in her work, yet this coulden’t have been further from the truth.
Her father was an accentric alcoholic abusive, who eventually went mad and her mother died from tuberculosis.
Toppan began picking off her patients, usually elderly or infirmed people who were very sick, using a combination of morphine and atropine.
This killing spree evolved in 1895, when she killed her landlord and his wife and later, her own foster-sister.
On October 29, 1901, she was arrested for murder after toxicology reports on one victim came back as positive for poison.
By 1902 she had already confessed to the murders of 31 people and claimed a motive of sexual gratification.
Found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed for life in the Taunton Insane Hospital, she died there on August 17, 1938 and is suspected of killing over 100 people.
35 – Kirsten Gilbert
Joining the staff of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton, Gilbert was featured in VA Practitioner magazine in April 1990.
Other nurses began to notice a high number of deaths on Gilbert’s watch, and she soon left the hopsital, checking into a mental health unit.
While in the unit, Gilbert was the subject of an investigation after it was noticed that a high number of heart attacks during her time their had dated back 1995.
Over 350 or more deaths and more than 300 medical emergencies had been reported during her time on-shift, yet she eventually stood trial for only three murders, thanks in-part to a phone confession.
Prosecutors claimed that Gilbert had initiated the emergencies to try and make herself look better as a nurse, ofter resussitating patients just before death.
34 – Judy Buenoano
Believed to have been involved in a 1974 murder in Alabama, and in the 1980 death of boyfriend, Gerald Dossett, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Buenoano.
Exhumed and analyzed for signs of arsenic poisoning, Dossett was just one of many who succumed to the murderour ways of Buenoano.
After killing her first husband, she went on to murder her son, Michael Buenoano in 1980 before attempting to murder her next boyfriend John Gentry, before her second boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris bit the just too.
Sentenced to death in the state of Florida, she was executed on 30th March 1998 with her last meal consisting of broccoli, asparagus and strawberries.
33 – Leonarda Cianciulli
Heading over to Europe now and we are visiting the country of Italy, where Leonarda Cianciulli is, today known as, “The Soap-Maker of Correggio”.
Very popular and originally, well-respected within the neighborhood, the story of the murders is actually quite extensive, however there is no time to go into much detail here.
What can be revealed is, Leonarda, in an attempt to protect her eldest child, Giuseppe, decided that human sacrafices were required.
After killing three people, she was found guilty and sentenced to thirty years in prison and three years in a criminal asylum.
A number of artefacts from the case are on display at the Criminological Museum in Rome, however, as for the details of this ones crimes, you can read up on them for yourself.
32 – Karla Homolka
Heading to Canada now and while Karla Homolka pleaded that she was an un-willing participant in her husbands crimes, it turns out that the truth had been, shall we say, slightly missplaced.
Homolka and her husband Paul Bernardo became known as the Ken and Barbie killers, after their serial crime spree began during the summer of 1990.
After murdering Homolka’s sister Tammy, the pair then attacked a 15-year-old un-named girl, before kidnapping a 14-year old over 1-year later.
After a criminal trial, which revealed the use of video tapes during the killings, she recieved 12-years in prison and was released in 2005, later moving to southwestern Quebec.
31 – Griselda Blanco
Often referred to as the “Black Widow” or the “Cocaine Godmother,”, Blanco was a notorious Colombian drug lord who played a key role in the rise of the Miami drug trade during the 1970s and 1980s.
Her influence and brutal tactics in the narcotics world made her one of the most feared figures in the drug industry.
Blanco was responsible for trafficking vast amounts of cocaine, contributing to the 1970s and 1980s cocaine boom in the U.S. She is believed to have been involved in smuggling up to 3,400 pounds of cocaine per month at the height of her operation.
Blanco is said to have ordered numerous killings, including of her own associates, to maintain power and eliminate threats but was assasinated on September 3, 2012, at the age of 69 by two gunmen on motorcycles.
Her violent and strategic rise to power made her one of the first women to become a major player in the drug trade and she is often remembered not only for her drug empire but also for the terror she instilled in the communities she controlled.
30 – Shelia Labouffe
Claiming she was an angel, sent by God to punish pedophiles, Labouffe would entice men to her farm before attacking them.
One of the men, Kenneth Countie had been seen by two police officers in a wheelchair with Labouffe days before he was killed and it was clear he had been subjected to attacks and possible torture.
She was convicted of killing Kenneth Countie and Michael Deloge and was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, with no prospect of parole.
LaBarre is currently serving her sentence at NH Correctional Facility for Women and has had repeated appeals denied.
29 – Nannie Doss
Doss typically poisoned her victims, often with arsenic or other lethal substances and what made the crimes particuarlly chilling, was her seemingly sweet and caring persona.
She often killed her victims for various reasons, including gaining financial benefits (through life insurance policies) or simply out of spite for their behavior.
Over time, her behavior became increasingly erratic, and she was suspected of being behind a string of mysterious deaths in her family before finally being arrested after the death of her mother, and her confession revealed the full extent of her crimes.
28 – May Churchill Sharpe
A New York woman who, during the early 20th century, became notorious for the poisoning deaths of several people.
Suspected of murdering her husband and brother among others, Sharpe’s killings were said to be motivated by financial gain, yet was able to avoid detection due to her quiet nature.
When several deaths occurred under suspicious circumstances, investigators began to connect the dots, linking the murders to her.
Sharpe is often cited as one of the more deadly female serial killers of the early 20th century.
27 – Anna Vladslavovna Bogacheva
Wanted in connection with defrauding the United States, Bogacheva is thought to have been involved in attacks on the United States election system.
Bogacheva oversaw the data analysis group within the Translator Project of the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency.
These alleged actions were taken to reach significant numbers of Americans for the purposes of interfering with the United States political system, including the 2016 Presidential Election.
Additionally, Bogacheva allegedly withheld employment information on her United States visa application and traveled to the United States in June of 2014 to collect information in support of the IRA’s operations.
On February 16, 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva in the United States.
26 – Christa Gail Pike
One of the youngest women to be sentenced to death in the United States, Pike, along with her boyfriend at the time, Tadaryl Shipp lured fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer, 19, into an isolated area on the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus.
The motive was reportedly jealousy and a belief that Slemmer was trying to “steal” Shipp with Pike and Shipp brutally attacking Slemmer.
Pike was arrested shortly after the murder when she began bragging about the crime, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1996.
She has now exhausted all of her appeals and if she is executed, Pike would become the first woman put to death in over 200 years.
25 – Andrea Yates
In one of the most high-profile examples of postpartum psychosis and its devastating effects, Yates was accused of attacking her five children after suffering from severe postpartum depression.
After the killings, she called 911 and later confessed to the police, explaining that she believed she was saving her children from eternal damnation.
Despite her mental health crises, her husband and doctors did not enforce consistent care or supervision, even as her psychosis became evident.
At her first trial in 2002, Andrea pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, However, the jury rejected this defense and found her guilty of capital murder, sentencing her to life in prison.
Her conviction was overturned in 2006, due to erroneous testimony from an expert witness and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity at the second trial, later comitted to the Kerrville State Hospital, a mental health facility in Texas.
24 – Samantha Lewthwaite
Known in terror circles at the white widow, Lewthwaite has spent years as one of the worlds most wanted women after spending time in Islamic state and other organisations.
Lewthwaite first came to public attention as the widow of Germaine Lindsay, one of the four suicide bombers responsible for the 7/7 London bombings on July 7, 2005. Lindsay killed 26 people in a train bombing.
She is believed to have fled to Kenya and then Somalia, while Authorities accuse her of using forged documents and various aliases to evade capture.
Lewthwaite became one of the world’s most wanted women, with Interpol issuing a red notice in connection to charges including possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit terrorism.
As of now, her exact whereabouts remain unknown, and she continues to be a fugitive sought by international authorities, yet, rumors have circulated about her death, but none have been verified.
23 – Patty Hearst
Becoming one of the most fascinating and widely discussed legal and media stories of the 20th century, Hearst went to great lengths to help the organisation that kidnapped her.
While Patty, as she became known, turned to the dark-side within the organisation known as the Symbionese Liberation Army.
On April 3, the SLA released a tape with Hearst saying that she’d joined their fight to free the oppressed and had even taken a new name.
After a major shootout that left many of the gang members dead, Hearst was finally arrested in San Francisco on September 18, 1975, and she was charged with bank robbery and other crimes.
She spent several years of a seven year sentence in prison before her time inside was commuted by President Carter.
22 – Rosie Alfaro
On June 15, 1990, Rosie Alfaro, then 18 years old, committed the murder of 9-year-old Autumn Wallace in the city of Anaheim, California.
The murder was part of a robbery gone horribly wrong, with Rosie bieng a heroin addict who was in desperate need of money to support her drug habit.
After killing Autumn, she stole items from the home, including small appliances and cash, which she later sold for money to buy drugs.
Rosie Alfaro quickly became a suspect due to her connections with the Wallace family and her known struggles with drug addiction.
She initially denied involvement in the crime but later confessed, providing a detailed and chilling account of the events.
In 1992, Rosie Alfaro was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances and was sentenced to death, becoming the first woman sentenced to death in California since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1978.
21 – Belle Gunness
Belle’s story is a blend of insurance fraud, luring victims, and murder for financial gain, with her motives primarily monetary, she targeted people with resources and life insurance policies.
Key victims in the crimes, which often included buildings burning down and victims mysterious deaths are her first and second husband, several land owners, her foster children and biological children.
She is estimated to have murdered between 14 and 40 people before faking her own death and dissapearing.
Witnesses reported sightings of Belle in the years following the fires, including in Chicago and even as far away as California.
Presumed dead in 1908, her fate remains uncertain and it is thought she may have got away with her crimes.
20 – Cherie Lash-Rhoades
Responsible for a mass shooting that occurred in 2014 at a tribal council meeting in Northern California, Lash-Rhoades case drew national attention.
On February 20, 2014, Cherie Lash Rhoades opened fire during a meeting at the Cedarville Rancheria Tribal Office in Alturas, California.
The shooting occurred while a tribal eviction hearing was underway. Rhoades, the former chairwoman of the Cedarville Rancheria, was facing eviction from tribal housing due to alleged financial misconduct.
Cherie Lash Rhoades had been under federal investigation for allegedly embezzling $50,000 to $100,000 in funds from the Cedarville Rancheria Tribe while serving as chairwoman.
After the attack, Rhoades was apprehended outside the tribal office. Reports described her as covered in blood but relatively calm upon arrest.
Cherie Lash Rhoades was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, being sentenced too life in prison without the possibility of parole.
19 – Robin Lee Row
In a particularly notable and premeditated, cold-blooded case, Robin Lee Row attacked and killed her husband and two children in 1992.
On February 10th, 1992, a fire broke out at the Row family home in Boise, Idaho, killing Robin Row’s husband, Randy Row, and her two children.
Investigators quickly determined that the fire had been intentionally set. It was ruled an act of arson because there were no signs of accidental causes such as electrical issues.
Robin Row had recently taken out multiple life insurance policies on her husband and children, totaling over $250,000 and this indicated a clear financial incentive for their deaths.
Investigators discovered that years earlier, in 1980, Robin Row’s first child, Keith, had also died under suspicious circumstances in California.
Arrested days after the fire on February 14th, 1992, Row was later convicted on three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death, becoming the only woman on Idaho’s death row, a distinction she still holds to this day.
Robin Lee Row remains incarcerated at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center in Idaho.
18 – Antoinette Frank
Former New Orleans police officer Frank, became one of the most infamous female criminals in U.S. history due to her involvement in a brutal triple murder in 1995.
She joined the New Orleans Police Department in 1993, despite failing psychological evaluations and concerns about her temperament, she was still allowed to join the force due to a shortage of police officers.
On the night of March 4, 1995, Antoinette Frank and an accomplice, Rogers Lacaze committed armed robbery and murder at a New Orleans Vietnamese restaurant called Kim Anh.
Antoinette Frank was on duty earlier that night and had a relationship with the owners of the restaurant, frequently working security there for extra cash.
Frank’s behavior after the crime was suspicious and she returned to the crime scene as though nothing had happened, acting as if she were there to investigate the incident.
Frank and Lacaze were both arrested within hours of the murders, with her oath as a police officer described as a betrayal of the force.
Frank was Sentenced to death, while her acomplice, Lacaze, got life without parole.
17 – Carlette Parker
On February 12th, 1998, Carlette Parker, who worked as a private nurse and caregiver, murdered Bessie Mae Chaisson, an elderly woman she was supposed to be caring for.
After the murder, Parker withdrew $6,000 from Chaisson’s bank account using fraudulent checks and financial transactions.
Chaisson’s suspicious death and Parker’s sudden access to her bank accounts raised alarms with investigators.
Law enforcement quickly uncovered inconsistencies in Parker’s story and found evidence linking her to the fraudulent transactions.
In 1999, Carlette Parker was sentenced to death for the murder of Bessie Mae Chaisson and remains on death row in North Carolina to this day.
16 – Shawna Forde
Having a troubled upbringing and a history of unstable behavior, Forde was often involved in theft, fraud, and violent activity.
She became involved in extremist, anti-immigration activism and eventually formed her own group called the Minutemen American Defense.
MAD operated as an armed vigilante group that claimed to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
On May 30, 2009, Shawna Forde and two accomplices, Jason Bush and Albert Gaxiola, carried out a violent home invasion in Arivaca, Arizona, targeting the home of Raul Flores and his family.
The group falsely believed Raul Flores was involved in drug trafficking and planned to rob him of drugs and money to fund their vigilante group’s operations.
The robbery went wrong, and both Raul Flores and his daughter, Brisenia Flores, died, with Gina Gonzalez, Brisenia’s mother surviving only by pretending to be dead.
Gina Gonzalez later identified Shawna Forde and her co-conspiritors with chilling testimony at trial, leading to a conviction of two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and charges related to burglary and conspiracy.
Forde was sentenced to death on February 22nd, 2011, and Forde remains on death row at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville.
15 – Lisa Leanne Graham
Lisa and her daughter, Shea, had a tumultuous relationship, exacerbated by Shea’s legal troubles, including an arrest for a drive-by shooting for which Lisa had posted a $100,000 bond.
Lisa Graham hired Kenneth Walton, a family acquaintance with a criminal background, to murder her daughter and provided him with a 9mm pistol.
The investigation revealed Lisa’s involvement through testimonies and forensic evidence, including Walton’s admission of being hired by Lisa to commit the murder.
Arrested and charged in connection with Shea’s murder, Lisa Graham’s first trial actually ended in a mistrial.
In March 2015, during a retrial, she was convicted of capital murder for hiring Walton to kill her daughter and sentenced too death, a sentence that was upheld in July, 2019, by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.
Lisa Graham remains on death row in Alabama, awaiting further appeals and legal proceedings.
14 – Tammy Sytch
Often regarded as one of the first “Divas” in professional wrestling due to her widespread popularity and impact on the industry, Sytch’s life was also marred by a series of legal troubles, substance abuse issues, and controversies.
Known by her ring name “Sunny”, She began her wrestling career in the early 1990s alongside her then-boyfriend Chris Candido.
Sytch faced multiple arrests for driving under the influence starting in 2010, which resulted in jail time, probation, and mandatory rehab stays.
Other charges included domestic violence, burglary, violating restraining orders and driving with a suspended license.
On March 25th, 2022, Tammy Sytch was involved in a tragic car accident in Ormond Beach, Florida, that resulted in the death of 75-year-old Julian Lasseter.
Police determined that Sytch was under the influence while driving at a high speed when she rear-ended Lasseter’s vehicle, causing a fatal collision.
Tammy Sytch pleaded no contest to the charges in 2023 and received a 17-year prison sentence which she is currently serving in the Florida department of corrections.
13 – Jennifer Fichter
A former English teacher from Florida who was convicted in 2015 for engaging in inappropriate sexual relationships with multiple underage students, Fichter was fired by the Polk County School Board on April 22nd, 2014.
She was convicted of more than 37 counts of sexual battery and received an immediately controversial sentence of 22-years, which was reviled by many, especially in Europe.
Fichter is currently imprisoned in Gadsden Correctional Facility and is scheduled for release on January 19th, 2035, when she will be age 50.
12 – Courtney Schulhoff
Convicted for her role in the 2004 murder of her father, Steven Schulhoff, when she was 16 years old, Schulhoff’s case arnered widespread media attention due to the brutal nature of the crime.
Courtney Schulhoff and her boyfriend, Michael Morin, planned the murder after Steven forbade Courtney from seeing Morin.
The couple were arrested shortly after fleeing the scene of the murder and plice soon the murder weapon.
Morin was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, while Courtney Schulhoff, 18-years old at the time of her sentence, received life in prison without parole under Florida law.
As of now, Courtney Schulhoff remains incarcerated in a Florida state prison.
11 – Rachel Wade
Known for the love-triangle murder of Sarah Ludemann, in 2009, Wade became involved in an argument with Ludemann whom she accused of dating Joshua Camacho at the same time as her.
Sarah Ludemann was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries but died shortly after from her wounds after being attacked by Wade.
Rachel claimed the stabbing was in self-defense, but the prosecution argued that the attack was intentional and unprovoked.
Charged with second-degree murder, Wade was later sentenced to 27 years in prison after conviction.
As of now, Rachel Wade is still serving her 27-year sentence at a Florida correctional facility.
10 – Dalia Dippolito
Dalia Dippolito is a Florida woman who became widely known for her involvement in a high-profile murder-for-hire plot that was thwarted by the police in 2009.
Dalia was married to Michael Dippolito, a man who worked as a businessman in Florida with Dippolito arrested for attempting to have her husband, Michael Dippolito, killed.
Dalia approached a man named Mohammad Shraibman, whom she believed was a hitman, and offered him $7,000 to kill her husband, Michael.
She told Shraibman that she wanted her husband dead because she was financially motivated, as she would inherit a significant amount of money from his life insurance policy.
Unknown to Dalia, Shraibman was an undercover officer working with the Boynton Beach Police Department.
Dalia Dippolito was charged with solicitation of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and video evidence of her involvement in the crime eventually had her convicted after a mistrial.
Dalia was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the attempted murder-for-hire plot.
9 – Rose West
Considered to be one of the most prolific female offenders in the United Kingdom, Rose West, along with her then partner, Fred West attacked and killed at least nine young women between 1973 and 1987.
Rose is also thought to have murdered her eight-year-old stepdaughter Charmaine in 1971, with the majority of these murders taking place at the West residence in Gloucester.
At pretrial proceedings in February 1995, after being caught, Rose pleaded not guilty to ten charges of murder.
The overwhelming evidence against her led to he rbeing found guilty on all ten counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
This sentence was later upgraded to a whole-life order in July 1997, by Home Secretary Jack Straw.
In 2019, West was transferred to HM Prison New Hall in West Yorkshire after threats against her life became aparent, and this is where she resides to this day.
8 – Ana Maria Cardona
Having been through three trials, all for the murder of her son, named ‘Baby Lollipops’, Cardona was twice sentenced to death before her third and final trial.
In that trial, the jury took less than an hour to find Ana Maria Cardona guilty of first-degree murder, a verdict that saw her immediately sentenced too life in prison.
Cardona maintained her innocence after the verdict and her and death sentences were tossed out by the Florida Supreme Court which had been handed down to her in 1992.
7 – Beverley Allitt
Another nurse that was convicted of killing her patients, Beverley Allitt was convicted of murdering four children and attempting to murder three others in the early 1990’s.
Many of her victims were seriously ill or recovering from surgery, making their vulnerability a key factor in her ability to carry out these attacks without immediate suspicion.
Her killing spree began in 1991 and continued into 1993, with suspicions raised when the number of incidents involving near-fatal or fatal events on her watch grew, and an investigation was launched.
He was arrested in 1993 and later confessed to her crimes with Allitt later found guilty of four counts of murder, and another three counts of attempted murder.
She was sentenced to life in prison but currently resides at Rampton Secure Hospital and passed her thirty-year parole date in November 2021.
6 – Tiffany Cole
Convicted of the 2005 murders of two elderly individuals, James Thomas Stewart and his wife, Bertha Jean Stewart, in Jacksonville, Florida, Cole was helped by acomplices Alan Wade and Michael Jackson.
The crime occurred in July 2005 when Tiffany Cole, Jackson, and Wade planned to rob and kill James and Bertha Stewart, an elderly couple who were known to be friendly and trusting.
Tiffany Cole and Michael Jackson befriended the couple under the pretense of needing assistance with moving into a new home.
The Stewarts, who were in their 70s, welcomed the couple into their lives, offering them help.
The crime went undetected for several days, and it was initially believed that the Stewarts had simply vanished, however, after further investigation, Cole, Jackson, and Wade were arrested and charged with the murders.
Cole’s involvement was particularly chilling because, despite her role in the planning and execution of the crime, she appeared to maintain a facade of normalcy, even after the bodies were discovered.
In 2007, Tiffany Cole was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
5 – Amelia Dyer
Active during the late 19th century and infamous for her role in the deaths of at least 200 babies and children, Dyer was an English serial killer and one of the most one of the most prolific killers in history.
Dyer’s crimes, often referred to as “baby farming,” took place primarily in the 1870s and 1880s, although her full criminal activities may have spanned even longer.
Her crimes went unnoticed for a time, but in 1896, Dyer was caught after the body of one of her victims was discovered.
At her trial in 1896, Dyer was found guilty of the murder of one infant, was sentenced to death and hanged on June 10th, 1896, at Newgate Prison.
The scandal surrounding the Dyer murders led to reforms in the regulation of adoption and child welfare in Britain.
The true extent of her crimes, however, may never be fully known.
4 – Mary Laurine Tackett
One of four teenage girls convicted in the 1992 abduction and murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in Madison, Indiana, Tackett was just 17 at the time of the crime.
Along with Melinda Loveless, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence, Tackett lured Sharer from her home under false pretenses and attacked her.
In 1993, Tackett was sentenced to 60 years in prison for her role in the murder and she served approximately 26 years before being released on January 11th, 2018.
3 – Mary Ann Cotton
Another English killer, often regarded as Britain’s first female serial killer, Ann Cotton is believed to have murdered up to 21 people, including her various husbands, children and step-stepchildren.
Mary Ann poisoned her victims with arsenic, a readily available substance in Victorian households, which caused symptoms that mimicked natural illnesses, making her crimes difficult to detect at the time.
Her crimes were uncovered when suspicions arose after the death of her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton and his autopsy revealed traces of arsenic in the body.
In 1873, Mary Ann Cotton was arrested, tried, and convicted of the murder of her stepson, and, despite circumstantial evidence pointing to numerous other murders, she was officially charged with just one.
Mary Ann Cotton was hanged on March 24, 1873, at Durham Jail, and history has cemented her as one of history’s most infamous murderers.
2 – Joanna Dennehy
Known for the 2013 Peterborough ditch murders, in which she killed three men and attempted to murder two others, Dennehy beame one of the most infamous Femme Fatales in British History.
Her teenage years were marked by rebellious behavior and heavy drinking before her behavior became more erratic and violent.
The murders, in which three men were killed, were notable for their extreme violence and Dennehy’s apparent enjoyment of killing.
After her third murder, Dennehy attacked two other men, Robin Bereza and John Rogers, in Hereford, stabbing them randomly in broad daylight, however they both survived.
Dennehy was arrested after a nationwide manhunt, reportedly laughing and joking about the killings during her questioning.
At her trial, Dennehy pleaded guilty to all charges, including three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, making her one of the rare cases where a defendant in such serious crimes admitted guilt outright.
In February 2014, she was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life order, meaning she will never be eligible for parole and she joins only a handful of women in the UK have received such a sentence.
She later admitted she killed “for fun” and to prove a point with psychologists who analyzed her behavior describing her as a psychopath with a sadistic personality, driven by a need for excitement and dominance.
1 – Lucy Letby
One of the most notorious child killers in modern British history, Letby pursued a career in nursing, specializing in neonatal care.
She was responsible for caring for premature and sick newborns AND Colleagues initially described her as a dedicated and compassionate nurse.
Between June 2015 and June 2016, the neonatal unit at the hospital experienced an unusual spike in infant deaths and unexplained collapses.
An internal investigation was launched, eventually leading to Letby’s arrest in 2018.
She was charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, accused of administering lethal doses of air, insulin, or milk to the infants in her care.
In August 2023, Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.
She was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life order, meaning she will spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In October 2024, Letby’s legal team announced plans to appeal her convictions, citing new expert evidence that challenges the original findings.
At least one expert witness has since changed their mind on at least some of the deaths, with the defence planning to appeal the conviction as unsafe.
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