The Opinion Of Journalists, Politicians, By Aileen Wournos

Over the course of one year, from 1989 to 1990, Aileen Wuornos murdered seven men. As one of the first female serial killers, Ms. Wuornos prompted psychologists and criminologists to investigate the reason why women kill serially, as their motives differ from men. Historically, female serial killers murder by poison, which is considered less messy, therefore preferred by women, and their motives are typically financial. Aileen Wuornos murdered her victims with a gun and her motives differ from the norm. Through the application of the ideas of the attachment theory and the life course theory, further exploration into the causes of Aileen Wuornos’ crimes is achieved.

Nowadays, freedom is a fundamental right for each man and woman, but it is not a perfect concept. When one’s freedom is endangered, he can do unimaginable things, especially when love is at stake or can react weirdly when he acquires it. It’s exactly what Kate Chopin, a female American author during the 19th century, did when she treated about women’s conditions in the short-story Story of an Hour in 1894, where a woman falsely learns about his husband’s death. Almost 60 years later, Roald Dahl wrote Lamb To The Slaughter, set in Great Britain, where a woman kills her husband and hide the evidences cleverly. These two short stories are not only comparative on the two female protagonists and the imagery used, but also on the main themes

The Lizzie Borden case has mystified and fascinated those interested in crime forover on hundred years. Very few cases in American history have attracted as much attention as the hatchet murders of Andrew J. Borden and his wife, Abby Borden. The bloodiness of the acts in an otherwise respectable late nineteenth century domestic setting is startling. Along with the gruesome nature of the crimes is the unexpected character of the accused, not a hatchet-wielding maniac, but a church-going, Sunday-school-teaching, respectable, spinster-

For the purpose of this essay I will be considering Nils Christie’s (1986) concept of the ‘ideal victim’. In considering this concept, I will discuss what is meant by an ‘ideal victim’ and will also be focusing on the high profile Australian criminal case of Anita Cobby in Blacktown on 2nd of February 1986. Anita Cobby was only 26 years old when she was abducted, brutally raped and murdered by four ‘ideal offenders’. This essay will also consider, the ways in which the media and criminal justice system have constructed Anita Cobby as an ‘ideal victim’.

The media today, is highly selective in their constructions of offences, offenders and victims. Media representations of crime are moulded and women are portrayed in a way that is entertainment driven and is appealing to the audience. Despite the fact that women seldom stalk, murder outsiders or commit sequential murders- in fact they are rarely vehement, “accounting for only ten percent of convicted violent offenders- those who do so are highly newsworthy because of their novelty” (Jewkes 2011, p. 123) Present day media admits that because fierce women are comparatively uncommon, they are all the more appealing and diabolical to the audience as a result. The essay shall discuss the reason and presentation in the media of female offenders, female victims and women specific crimes.

In 1968, 11 year-old Mary Bell walked into a Newcastle courtroom and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter for the slayings of two toddler boys (Fraser & Alderson, 2001). Martin Brown (4) and Brian Howe (3) were strangled to death all because Bell wanted to do so for the sole pleasure and excitement associated with killing (Seamark & Sims, 2009). Bell’s early life certainly paved way for her atrocities a short few years later. Reports from family members and witnesses claimed to have seen Bell’s mother giving her sleeping pills disguised as sweets, in the hopes of getting rid of the child (Sereny, 1998). At the ripe age of 3, Bell was forced into sexual acts with other men by her own mother (Sereny, 1998). These traumatic events was compounded

Wuornos was unlike most female serial killers because her weapon of choice was a .22 pistol. Most female serial killers often kill by strangling, poisoning, or less automatic methods. Wuornos likely did kill her first victim in self-defense. Even though she became convicted of murdering her first victim, Richard Mallory Wuornos and maintained the story that he had tried to rape her and that it had become a self-defense matter. Richard Mallory served a 10-year sentence in prison for sexual assault, and the information became unseen by the court for some odd reason. In the year of 2002, after three different psychiatrists found Aileen Wuornos mentally competent to understand the death penalty given to her, then Jeb Bush the Florida Governor lifted a temporary stay of execution and signed Aileen death warrant. In the documentary of Aileen: Life and Death of a serial killer at the closing credits features the song Carnival by Natalie Merchants. According to Natalie Merchant, she gave permission for her song to become used after hearing that Aileen Wuornos frequently listened to her album Tigerlily while Wuornos was on death role, and she had requested that Carnival is the song played at her

Tracy S. Robinson’s “Fictions of Citizenship, Bodies Without Sex” deals with sexuality as a form of citizenship and the way in which that perception of women leads to unfortunate normalities when looking at how sexual violence is perceived through the law and through society. On the other hand, Shani Mootoo’s “Cereus Blooms at Night” translates these perceptions into a fictional story that shows sexual violence in the forefront of the plot. In doing so, the reader emotionally visualizes the harm of the act and the mobility of those who surround a victim and his/her abuser. Overall, both pieces focus on one’s citizenship being threatened by society’s perception of them after they have been a victim of sexual violence.

Being a woman is no easy task. We witness accounts in our daily lives of people who were once known as women, but are now victims. The presence of violence against women is prevalent at the nonfiction level, but it does not cease there. Even though gendered violence is already a prevalent topic in real-life news reports, the violence continues at the fictional level. Popular creative forums in American culture introduce violence against women as a culturally accepted and almost glamorized occurrence.

Aileen Wuornos is believed to be Americas first female serial killer. She was sentenced to death for killing seven men (Thefamouspeople). Wuornos was born on February 9th, 1956 and was executed on October 9th 2002 (Thefamouspeople). Although Wuornos was her real name, she was also known as “Sandra Ketsch, Susan Lynn Blahovec, Lee Blahovec, Cammie Marsh Greene, and Lori Kristine Grody” (Thefamouspeople, p. 1). Wuornos life had been affected by criminal behavior from birth. Her father, Leo Dale, was a psychopath and a child molester who was incarcerated at her birth (Thefamouspeople). In addition to her father's lifestyle, Wuornos had been molested by her father, grandfather, and had sexual relations with her brother (Thefamouspeople). Wuornos was not able to rely on the females in her life either. After her father died, her mother, Diana Wuornos, abandoned

In the riveting documentary Audrie & Daisy, husband and wife director team Bonnie Cohen and Jon Shenk retrace the events leading up to the harrowing sexual assaults of three teenaged girls; Audrie Pott, Daisy Coleman, and Paige Parkhurst, and expose the agonizing after effects and exploitation of the assaults. Subsequent interviews with family members, friends and law enforcement officials give important details about the aftermath of the events, and introduce viewers to possibly the biggest villain of all, Sherriff Darren White of Maryville, Missouri. Throughout the documentary White appears smug while he states that “as County Sheriff, “the buck stops here” (Darren White), and when asked about the crimes committed by Maryville’s football star, he rebuts with “was there a crime?” (Darren White) As the film moves through the twists and turns of the cases, the settings, conflicts, and tragedies are enhanced by the use of montage, long and subjective shots, close-ups and personal sketches that submerge the audience into the victim’s point of view. At the conclusion of the film, the viewer is left to decide what constitutes sexual assault and rape, and if society and law enforcement are to blame for the today’s ‘rape culture’ acceptance and the continued victimization of young girls. It also reveals how much can be hidden from parents, and how disconnected parents become from their children in a social media world.

Throughout their relationship Wuornos continued to work as a prostitute, consequently it was during this time that Wuornos fatally shot Richard Mallory also stealing his money, possessions and car. Throughout her trial Wuornos claimed that Richard Mallory had violently raped her just prior to killing him and she had shot him in self-defence (Jensen, 2011). Similarly, Wuornos went on to murder six more men in a two year timeframe until she was taken into custody in January 9th, 1991. As a result, Wuornos was charged with six counts of murder described by the Criminal Code Act 1913 (WA) as the unlawful killing of another person with the intent to kill or an act to endanger human life. Wuornos eventually confessed to the murders after Moore

After the death of her grandmother Wuornos ran away from home to live her life on the streets and turned to the prostitution skills she had learned in adolescence to survive (Jensen, 2011). The rest of Wuornos’s life would be spent roaming the highways, living the life of a prostitute in poverty, abusing drugs and alcohol. It was in 1981, Innes (2006) reports that Wuornos met Tyria Moore and it would be this lesbian relationship lasting for four and a half years that would be the most significant romantic relationship for Wuornos. Throughout their relationship Wuornos continued to work as a prostitute. It was during this time that Wuornos fatally shot Richard Mallory (51), and then stole his money, possessions and car. Throughout her trial

I am applying for a range of single and joint honours degrees within the realm of politics, policy and journalism.

Unbeknownst to the beginner writer there is a line in non-fiction writing. The line is seldom spoken of, but it’s there like a string of wire holding up the pickets of a fence. We call this line ethics. There is no written handbook. There are just expectations passed from author to author; between the lines of articles, how to books and writing communities. As one matures in his or her endeavours to be a better writer the line grows clearer, but that does not mean that they are left uncrossed by some.