Female Killers

Melody Walker Farris was convicted of murdering her husband, 58-year-old Atlanta attorney Gary Farris, at their Cherokee County, Georgia, property in July 2018. Gary's extensively burned remains were discovered on a burn pile days after his disappearance, with a bullet lodged in his rib cage. Prosecutors argued that Melody killed her husband because she wanted to end their troubled marriage, pursue a relationship with her lover Roy "Rusty" Barton and gain access to Gary's substantial assets. A jury convicted her of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and making a false statement. She was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years, plus five years for concealing Gary's death and five years for making false statements.

Myra Hindley became one of the United Kingdom's most notorious child killers after participating in the Moors Murders with Ian Brady between 1963 and 1965. Together, they abducted, sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered five children before burying several victims on Saddleworth Moor in northern England. Hindley's role in the murders, coupled with her decades of denied parole and widespread public hatred, cemented her place as one of Britain's most reviled criminals.

Obdulia Sanchez became the subject of international attention after livestreaming a 2017 DUI crash that killed her 14-year-old sister, Jacqueline Sanchez, in Los Banos, California. Prosecutors alleged Sanchez had been driving under the influence at high speed when she lost control of the vehicle, resulting in Jacqueline's death and serious injuries to another passenger. After serving time in custody and being released, Sanchez was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Stockton, California, in December 2025.

Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel was one of Charles Manson's most devoted followers and participated directly in the Tate-LaBianca murders that left seven people dead over two nights in August 1969. At the Tate residence, she chased and repeatedly stabbed Abigail Folger, and the following night participated in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, later using their blood to write messages at the crime scene. Krenwinkel was convicted in 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death, which was reduced to life imprisonment after California temporarily abolished capital punishment. She has spent more than five decades in custody, becoming California's longest-serving female prisoner. Although parole boards have repeatedly found her suitable for release in recent years, Governor Gavin Newsom most recently reversed a parole grant in October 2025, finding that she continued to pose an unreasonable danger to society.

Rebecca Cleland became known in true crime coverage after being convicted in a conspiracy to murder her husband, Bruce Cleland, during what prosecutors described as a staged “reconciliation dinner” in California. Authorities alleged Cleland orchestrated the killing while pretending to repair the failing marriage, turning what appeared to be a private dinner meeting into a planned execution. The case generated major media attention because of the calculated betrayal involved and the prosecution’s claim that the reconciliation attempt was deliberately used to lure Bruce Cleland into a vulnerable situation before the murder occurred. Investigators later uncovered conspiracy evidence, relationship conflict, and communications tied to the plot. The shocking domestic deception and calculated setup turned the homicide into one of California’s more disturbing spousal murder conspiracy cases.

Rosemary Pauline West became one of the United Kingdom's most infamous serial killers after participating in a series of murders with her husband, Fred West, between the 1970s and 1980s. Convicted of ten murders in 1995, Rose played a central role in abusing, controlling, and murdering young women and girls, many of whom were buried at the couple's home at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester. The case shocked Britain because of the scale of the crimes and the years they remained hidden behind the façade of an ordinary family.

Ruby Carolyn Padgett became known in American criminal history after being convicted of first-degree murder for her role in the 1986 robbery and murder of Pizza Hut delivery driver John Steven Harrigan in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although Mitchell Sims carried out the fatal shooting, prosecutors successfully argued that Padgett was an active participant in the kidnapping and robbery that led to Harrigan's execution. Convicted under California's felony murder principles, Padgett received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Often overshadowed by Sims, who became known as the "Pizza Hut Serial Killer," Padgett remains a convicted murderer whose participation was instrumental in one of the most infamous pizza delivery murders in the United States.

Sarah Boone became infamous after being accused of trapping her boyfriend inside a suitcase and leaving him to die during one of Florida’s most disturbing domestic homicide cases. The case gained international attention after investigators discovered cellphone videos allegedly recorded by Boone showing her boyfriend pleading for help while trapped inside the suitcase shortly before his death. Nicknamed the “Suitcase Killer” by media outlets, Boone drew intense public fascination because of the bizarre circumstances surrounding the crime and her repeated claims that the incident was an accident during a game of hide-and-seek. The disturbing video evidence, volatile relationship history and Boone’s unusual courtroom behavior later transformed the case into one of the internet’s most heavily discussed modern true crime stories.