Free Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers by Carol Anne Davis

stranger’s child - so presumably won’t be a danger to anyone if she is ever released. The public still largely refuses to believe that some women kill their children though there have been many such high profile cases over the years, such as Alice Crimmins, Susan Smith, Waneta Hoyt, Marybeth Tinning, Diane Downs and Paula Simms.

5 Slave to love
    The confused priorities of Charlene Gallego
    Charlene Adelle Williams was born near Sacramento, California, in October 1956. Her father, Charles (known as Chuck) had started off as a butcher and worked his way up to being the vice president of a supermarket chain. He was a respected entrepreneur who had to wine and dine clients as part of his job. His wife, Mercedes, acted as his hostess and the pair of them regularly travelled as part of their business life.
    Sometimes little Charlene would travel with them and at other times she’d stay with her maternal grandparents whom she loved dearly. She’d wear the beautiful floaty dresses with ribbons that her doting father bought her. She’d dance and sing and be his fairytale ideal of a little girl.
    Her early school reports suggest that she was a shy, quiet child who had a good attendance record. Some classmates described her as mousy. She wore braces and had her hair braided in that least flattering of styles, pigtails, so didn’t feel very good about herself. Like many only children who spend too much time exclusively in adult company, she probably found it hard to relax with people of her own age.
    Charlene’s father thought that young women shouldn’tswear or be unladylike. He believed that good manners were important. Little Charlene more than lived up to his expectations - she was good at every one of her school subjects and was a regular attendee at her local church.
    Mercedes was a small slim woman and Charlene was equally tiny. But despite her frail appearance her mother had a very brisk and no-nonsense approach to life.
    Charlene remained shy until she reached fourth grade and found that she had a talent for playing the violin. It was a passion that would stay with her. She excelled in the school orchestra and also found the confidence to get involved behind the scenes in various drama club activities. Chuck was proud of Charlene’s musical skills and bought her a very expensive violin. Soon it rarely left her side. Later she’d talk of becoming a professional musician, but her mother didn’t think this was a suitable career for her daughter so Charlene started to think about following her father into the supermarket business instead.
    Then Mercedes was involved in a car accident and badly hurt her back. After that, she didn’t want to travel very often. The schoolgirl Charlene, dressed like a princess as usual, took over the hostessing tasks. She’d travel in light planes and in boats with her father to meet his clients, most of whom would praise this intelligent and well spoken young girl. In return she wasgiven lots of presents - especially dresses, which she adored. Charlene began to find that she could make friends with men and alienate women - but this suited her as she had always been a Daddy’s girl. She was to remain her wealthy parents only child.
    But there was clearly trouble in paradise for by puberty Charlene had started experimenting with drugs. By fourteen she was drinking heavily, getting by on a potent mix of Qualudes and gin. Her school kept wanting to expel her but her father intervened in her favour again and again. As her IQ was so exceptional, in the top one percent of the population, the school let her remain.
    By now alternately quiet then boastful, she found it difficult to make or keep female friends. She also became very promiscuous but her parents were in denial that anything was wrong.

Two failed marriages
    Charlene went to college but quickly tired of it. Still a teenager, she now decided to become a full time wife, perhaps emulating her mother. She promptly married a rich but