Female Killers

Aileen Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered multiple men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Operating primarily along highways, she targeted men she encountered while working as a sex worker. Her case gained widespread attention due to her background, her claims of self-defense, and the rarity of a female serial killer receiving the death penalty. Wuornos was convicted of multiple murders and executed in 2002.

Angela Wagner was a central participant in the Wagner family conspiracy that resulted in the Pike County massacre, one of the deadliest family murder cases in Ohio history. Along with her husband George "Billy" Wagner III and sons George Wagner IV and Edward "Jake" Wagner, she helped plan the murders of eight members of the Rhoden family during a custody dispute involving Jake Wagner's daughter. Angela pleaded guilty in 2021 to multiple charges, including conspiracy and aggravated burglary, and agreed to testify against her family members in exchange for the dismissal of the aggravated murder charges. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison and will not be eligible for release until the early 2050s.

Angharad Williamson became one of the United Kingdom's most reviled child killers after murdering her two young sons, John Paul Bennett and Jake Bennett, alongside her partner, Jamie Barrow, in South Wales in 2020. The boys endured prolonged abuse before being killed inside their family home. Following a high-profile trial, Williamson and Barrow were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with the case prompting renewed calls for stronger child protection measures.

Ashley Britt McArthur murdered her friend, 33-year-old private investigator Taylor Wright, near Pensacola, Florida, in September 2017 after Wright sought the return of $34,000 she had entrusted to her for safekeeping. Prosecutors established that McArthur had already spent much of the money before taking Wright to her family's rural property in Cantonment, where she shot her and concealed her remains beneath concrete and potting soil. Cell-phone records, financial evidence and surveillance footage helped investigators reconstruct McArthur's movements. She was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in August 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 25 years.

Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Broderick was convicted of murdering her ex-husband, Daniel T. Broderick III, and his new wife, Linda Kolkena Broderick, in San Diego, California, on November 5, 1989. After years of an increasingly bitter marriage, divorce and custody dispute, Betty entered the couple's home using a key she had obtained from one of her children and fired five shots from a .38-caliber revolver, killing both while they slept. She surrendered to police later that day. After her first trial ended in a hung jury, Broderick was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder at a second trial in 1991 and sentenced to 32 years to life imprisonment. She died in custody on May 8, 2026, aged 78.

Carol Ann Kopenkoskey is an American woman convicted of the 2012 murder of her husband in Michigan. The case involved a long-term marriage that ended in a planned domestic killing carried out in a secluded location. She later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to a lengthy prison term.

Courtney Taylor Clenney, known online as Courtney Tailor, was convicted of manslaughter after fatally stabbing her boyfriend, 27-year-old Christian “Toby” Obumseli, inside their Miami condominium on April 3, 2022. Clenney initially claimed she had acted in self-defense during a violent confrontation, but she was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. After spending four years in custody awaiting trial, Clenney accepted a plea agreement in August 2026, pleading guilty to manslaughter with a deadly weapon. She was sentenced to six years in prison, with credit for time served, followed by five years of probation.

Courtney Kelly became publicly known after being convicted in the 2012 murder of Gale Spencer during a home invasion robbery in Macon, Georgia. Prosecutors alleged Kelly participated alongside three co-defendants during the violent crime. The case generated local attention because of the multiple offenders involved in the fatal robbery. Authorities later secured convictions against all four defendants connected to Spencer’s death. Courtney Kelly ultimately received a life sentence.