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Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Female serial killers in the United States: means,motives, and makings

Most studies that have focused on female serial killers (FSKs), although informative, have examined limited sample sizes. We consulted mass media reports of demographics, motives, methods, mental health, and victim characteristics of 64 FSKs who committed their crimes in the US from 1821 to 2008. Consistent with other studies, our data showed that FSKs were typically White, educated, have been married, and held a caregiving role (e.g. mother, health care worker). Nearly 40% of FSKs in this sample experienced some form of mental illness. Their most common motive for murder was financial gain, and their most common method of killing was poisoning. FSKs knew all or most of their victims, and most were related to their victims. In all cases, FSKs targeted at least one victim who was a child, elderly, or infirm – those who had little chance of fighting back. We interpret these killers’ behaviors from clinical and evolutionary angles.     

A heat gelatinized subdural hematoma in a burned cadaver as an indication of a vital accident

The autopsy of a carbonized male cadaver revealed a subdural hematoma which permitted by absence of soot aspiration and carbon monoxid intoxication to think of a crime with following fire setting. This was confirmed later by detective investigations. The most impressive finding of this case was a heat-gelatinized subdural hematoma highly resembling to a postmortem epidural burn hematoma, which could easily lead to an error conclusion. The problems in the diagnosis of the causes of death in carbonized bodies are discussed and the taking into account of crimes is accentuated.