Female Criminals

Phoolan Devi was born and raised in poverty but nevertheless was a precocious and resilient child. At ten years old, she learned her uncle's family had stolen her father's land, and fought back. It would be her first step to becoming Bandit Queen, a warrior for the lower classes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samantha Lewthwaite was just like any other housewife in the world. But while she was carrying on a life as a doting wife and mother, she was also a terrorist accused of planning attacks that have killed over 400 people. Her current whereabouts are unknown and international law enforcement agencies are still looking for The White Widow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

Originally known for being the wife of 2005 London bomber Germaine Lindsay, international authorities have suspected her of running a bomb factory, funding terrorist cells, and being responsible for the 2013 shopping mall attack in Kenya. Discover how she started on a path to radicalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlotte Corday set out on her journey to kill Jean-Paul Marat believing it was the only way to save France. So what made a young woman with no known political connections and no history of violence turn to murder? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlotte Corday grew up poor in French family clinging to its noble status. When the French Revolution started, she strongly believed in peaceful change and liberation, in contrast to the Jacobin party who led the revolution on a platform of violence and executions. What happened to the mild-mannered Corday that led her to murder a leader of the Jacobin party? Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California. She had perfected a technique of taking in tenants who were on government assistance, murdering them, and then fraudulently cash the checks. All the while, neighbors had no idea that dead bodies were being buried in her backyard.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a special guest. Greg from Serial Killers is to joining us to help provide some insight into the madness of Dorothea Puente. Dorothea Puente didn’t set out to become Sacramento, California’s most notorious female serial killer. But she did have a criminal streak that grew more sinister, culminating in the deaths of almost a dozen residents of the boarding house she ran. How was she able to...

Despite payouts from her exotic dance performances and the gifts from her many generous lovers, Mata Hari struggled to finance her lavish lifestyle. So when offers of spywork came from both French and German government officials during World War II, Mata Hari couldn’t say no to the money. It led her down a path of spying, lying, and ultimately, execution. Was Mata Hari World War II’s biggest fall...

Mata Hari built her fame on the novel and erotic dances she performed, claiming to have learned them as part of a secretive religious ritual. She’s remembered in part for her pornographic postcard series, as well as a string of wealthy lovers left in her wake. But she’s best known for the way she died: executed as a foreign spy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After numerous “close-calls” and many deaths, it became hard to ignore the number of emergencies that happened while Nurse Genene Jones was on duty in the pediatric ICU. Even after switching to work in a private practice, a dark cloud of tragedy followed her. Would forensic drug testing technology ever catch up with this Angel of Mercy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Genene Jones, a pediatric nurse from Texas, is believed to have killed between eleven and forty-six infants and toddlers between 1977 and 1982. Pediatric nurses give care to children, many of whom aren’t able to speak yet. Which is why they perfect targets. Find out what happened in Jones’ childhood that would drive her to murder innocent children.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

In an act of filial piety (respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors) and revenge over the murder of her father, Shi Jianqiao executed warlord Sun Chuanfang in a crowded Buddhist hall. The media circus that ensued unleashed a fierce debate over her fate, which would play out in the courts of both law and public opinion. Would she actually get away with murder?  Learn more about your ad choi...

Shi Jianqiao was a notorious Chinese assassin who avenged her father’s death by executing the warlord responsible. Was she a devoted daughter fulfilling her duty after her father’s unjust murder? Or was she an outlaw vigilante who deserved to be punished for her crime?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ulrike Meinhof was a West German journalist, screenwriter, and mother of two. But the non-violent activist would turn to a life of terrorist bombings and bank robberies. Find out why and what ultimately lead to her capture.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ulrike Meinhof was a known journalist, pacifist, and anti-war activist in Germany. After complaining of severe headaches for months, she had a brain procedure. After her recovery, her perspective changed. She became a political militant responsible for murders, attempted murders, bank robberies and bombings.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aileen Wuornos was convicted of killing Johns while working as a sex worker in Florida. During her trial, Wuornos would take the stand in her own defense in an effort to save her life. But it would only take a jury a couple hours to decide her fate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aileen Wuornos lived a difficult life as a sex worker along the highways to support herself. She killed seven men but she claims they were all in self-defense. Was Wuornos born a cold-blooded killer or did a difficult childhood mold her into one?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pirate Anne Bonny had seemingly met her match with Calico Jack, but the relationship didn't last forever. After leaving their child with a family in Cuba, Anne returned to the seas with Calico but found a new spark - this time with a most unexpected partner.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a child, Anne Bonny pretended to be a boy to cover for the fact that she was an illegitimate child. When she dressed as a woman later on, she realized she preferred the freedom of being treated like a man. Dissatisfied with traditional life as a wife to her husband, she found a true partnership with "Calico Jack," a pirate who treated her with more autonomy and respect than any woman on land wo...

As police became more suspicious of Stacey Castor for the deaths of two husbands, she was quick to blame her daughter Ashley. When Ashley was discovered unresponsive with a suicide note next to her, the case got more difficult for detectives. Did Ashley try to commit suicide, or was she Castor’s next intended victim? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the course of her adulthood, Stacey Castor went from a loving mother and wife to a meticulous murderer. Her choice of weapon was poison, and her careful planning allowed her to get away with murder for many years. We investigate how one woman could take such a dark turn and murder those closest to her. SPONSORS! After Anna - Listen now at Macmillanaudio.com/AfterAnna Learn more about your ad...

When Seema Parihar was just 13 years old, she was kidnapped from her home in Northern India by bandits. Parihar faced unimaginable mental and physical abuse at the hands of her captors, but persevered to become one of the most feared bandits in the region for nearly 20 years. We investigate her path towards banditry and unlikely second act as a politician.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Bonnie Parker dreamed of being famous, but she became infamous. When she wasn’t robbing banks, Bonnie struggled to maintain relationships with her family, and maintain a “ladylike” image. However, Bonnie’s crimes kept her on less-than-ladylike wanted posters and led her to a violent death.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since she was a little girl, Bonnie Parker dreamed of fame and fortune. And while she imagined life as a movie star, or a singer, she found an alternative way to make her dreams come true when she met Clyde Barrow. From stealing cars to robbing banks, Bonnie quickly became the most wanted woman in America for her role as half of the infamous criminal duo: Bonnie & Clyde.  Learn more about your ad...

Formerly a Lucha Libra wrestler in Mexico City, Juana Barraza became a deceitful serial killer. Between 1998 and 2006, she won the trust of elderly women, who she then killed and robbed. Because police believed the murderer to be a man, Juana continued her deadly crimes without fear. By the time she was caught, she was suspected of claiming up to 48 victims.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...