Research, research, research. Knowledge becomes central to a story. Much of what a writer studies to make a story realistic never makes it into the book, or gets cut in the editing stage because info dumps are a thing. Like many authors, I am guilty of lengthy info dumps in my first drafts. I simply love sharing what I learned! As my beta reader told me, my first draft of “Belladonna” read like a psychology textbook. Whoops?
I enjoy constantly expanding my field of knowledge. “Beyond Dark 1: Belladonna” gave me two major research points to dive into: female serial killers and the use of the plant, Atropa Belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade.
Image by TheOtherKev from Pixabay
As with their male counterparts, the psychology of female serial killers (FSK) is detailed and not a one-size-fits-all. So, I will break this down as it pertains to the Belladonna Killer’s profile (without giving away spoilers) in the book. I will discuss other types of FSKs in as the future books of the series come out. Otherwise, we’ll be here for eternity.
Criminal profiling is broken down into three things:
MO and Signature: MO (modus operandi) is how the criminal operates in order to complete what they need to do. This is the aspect of a profile and behaviour that can adapt as needed in order to avoid arrest. Signature is an impulsive routine that will not change with the serial killer perfects the act of murder. It pertains to the fantasy in their minds that drives them to kill repeatedly. This difference is important.
Geographic Profile: Where were the victims killed? Why did the killer choose that area? Are they familiar with it, or is it of sentimental value? Were the victims killed the same place as the body disposal site or were there two locations, hence two crime scenes?
Victimology: What do we know about the victims, their lives, family and friends? Physical appearance? Routines and habits? What made them a target, or did the killer select them at random?
This all ties together to form the profile. The definition of a serial killer, as classified by the FBI, is someone who kills three or more people with a cooling-off period in between. This differentiates from a mass murderer: one who kills four or more people within the time span of one incident.
But a serial killer is not as simple as that definition. The psychology is personal to each one. We hear plenty about male serial killers. John Wayne Gacy. Jeffery Dahmer. Jack the Ripper. These are names far more prominent than the women who kill. However, women are still profiled using those three things. It is when we dissect the details of MO/Signature, Geographic Profiling, and Victimology that we see the differences between the two.
My stats and info for this post come from Peter Vronsky’s highly informative book, “Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters”. I will note if the source for other info differs. As I said, we will focus primarily on the profile for Belladonna as it pertains to the book, without giving away spoilers.
As far as FSKs go, the Belladonna Killer is an oddity. While women are mostly like to kill using poison, often they use arsenic, antifreeze or something more readily available than a highly toxic plant not even native to Canada. FSKs are more likely to kill people they know, instead of strangers. They prey on husbands, children, parents, patients; people in their own homes and lives. People they supposedly love. That’s the frightening part. Male serial killers tend to seek sexual gratification, an outlet to a demented fantasy. I applied a non-sexual fantasy element to Belladonna for an added twist–I didn’t want the first case of the series to be a typical FSK. So, let’s break it down.
MO and Signature: The Belladonna Killer poisons her victims using the plant, Atropa Belladonna, which kills in small doses. She doesn’t need much to render her victims dead. It is an effective poison which also ties into her fantasy. She has some knowledge of forensics, how to avoid apprehension and cameras, as displayed by the fact little to no evidence is left at the body disposal sites. Her knowledge of using Deadly Nightshade is detailed. She is familiar with the plant, its history and which dose will kill.
The plant, Deadly Nightshade, has a history we will discuss in length in a future post. It was used by Italian women to dilate their pupils, as they thought it made them more attractive to men. It was also used as a medicine for various things. But beauty is what pertains to this unsub’s fantasy, as outlined in the letters she starts sending. Her overdosing of the victims is a sign of her emotional state during the murders. Angry, yearning vengeance, and wanting to watch someone else suffer. Overdosing, ritualistic posing at the disposal sites, and her choice of poison as symbolism all weave into what becomes her signature.
Geographic Profile: She kills within the city of Ottawa, displaying a detailed knowledge of the layout. It lends itself to the conclusion she must be a local. This also means that her life in that city could be a partial stressor to why she kills. What is in her background that drives her? What is it about this place that contributes to her behaviour? Why does she dump the bodies in alleys? It could be convenience, pertaining to MO, or it could indicate how she feels about her victims, giving insight into her signature. Geographic profiling is helpful for indicating whether an unsub is local, or a travelling killer, and where she is finding her victims.
Victimology: This is where the Belladonna Killer stands out. She kills women she doesn’t know, 20- 25 years old who work in the entertainment industry. They are models, actresses and musicians, all blond and what society deems to be exquisite, even perfect. Slender, with immaculate fashion taste and seemingly carefree lives. Her selection of victims could indicate a resentment towards the industry, or to the women in particular. The association of Deadly Nightshade with beauty could be why she chose it as a poison method, linking back to what makes it part of a signature. Her victims being in the entertainment industry could mean she may work somewhere in it, or once did. There is something about the victims that pushes her over the homicidal edge into a spiral of jealousy, rage and self-pity.
Conclusion: All of that circles back to one another, which is how Alyssa concludes the profile: The Belladonna Killer is a covert narcissist with a history of prolonged trauma. The elements of jealousy and rage make Belladonna a beta female killer personality. According to Peter Vronksy’s book, “Female Serial Killers”, jealousy, rage or hatred drive this type of woman to kill, driven by an element of self-victimization. Covert narcissists also display these traits, along with passive-aggressive behaviour, quiet yet smug superiority, envy of others, and a lack of empathy.
(The rest I will leave for readers to explore in the book, as this portion of the profile becomes detailed with spoilers.)
Female serial killers. They’re cold, conniving, calculating. Their sadism is a reserved monster waiting to be awakened. According to Vronsky’s book, one in six serial killers in the US is a woman. They are more common than we think, due to their quiet nature. Male killers, like BTK or the Zodiac, feel the need to brag about their activity. We rarely see this with FSKs. They don’t crave the validation their male counterparts do.
One like the Belladonna Killer embodies the fantasy element and the need for attention more common to males, yet her MO and Signature is a combination of a typical FSK and something purely personal to the madness in her head. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) isn’t as common in women. Men make up 50-75% of those diagnosed with NPD (according to the American Psychiatric Association). It has similar traits to other personality disorders, which makes the disorders in general difficult to diagnose. And to be fair, the stats may not be accurate – most narcissists never seek help, never get diagnosed, as they don’t believe anything is wrong with them. That would mean having self-accountability and empathy, which are both behaviours that can be learned with tons of therapy, yet most narcissists don’t perceive therapy as something they need.
I will explore NPD in the next post – it is detailed and fascinating how these minds work, and I could go on about psychology and serial killers for days.
I must note, though, that not all people with personality disorders become killers, and not all killers have personality disorders. One does not mean the other will happen. It would be discriminative to assume otherwise. As someone who suffers from mental illnesses (not a PD), I feel it is important to make this distinction. With proper therapy and support, one can live a managed and functional life with a personality disorder. Nothing I’ve written is meant to apply generically to everyone.
Thanks for coming along this journey with me. We’ll delve more into the psychology of narcissism and Anti-Social Personality disorder next time.
Take care of yourselves – and each other.
"Belladonna's Roots 3" carries on here.
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