Serial murder is a genre of crime that has received a great deal of media and academic
attention, yet, serial murder committed by women has only begun to garner a portion
of this attention within the last 15 years. This study examines the reliability of
Kelleher and Kelleher’s classification rubric, the only classification system developed
for female serial murderers, as well as considering Hickey’s classification of
serial offenders by location. Other variables associated with homicide research
have also been examined to determine their roles in both these crimes and classifying
offenders. The current research will demonstrate that offender motivation is not
an ideal basis for the classification of female serial murderers, who tend to defy
simple or singular classification within existing typologies. The other variables analysed
indicate that victim–offender relationship and victim approach are important to
understanding these female offenders and their crimes, as well as the possible
development of more accurate classification systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd.