On March 19, 2013, Joanne Dennehy murdered her first victim; ten days later she murdered two more. Technically that makes her a spree killer rather than a serial killer, but that is as pointless as arguing if her name is Joanne or Joanna. She would go on to viciously stab and nearly kill two total strangers for the thrill of it.
Susanna Reid is better known as a talking head, but here she takes time off from presenting the morning news to host this one-off documentary about one of the most dangerous and evil women alive. Although she is no militant feminist, Reid can't help asking if a man was the trigger for this murderous spree, and says as much to John Treanor, Dennehy's first lover and the father of her two daughters. Treanor denied this emphatically, and it is clear from evidence elsewhere that whatever his past he has been a good parent. Dennehy's eldest daughter does not appear in this documentary but has disowned her mother. Treanor said Dennehy deserves to die for her crimes.
Unlike the American police who typically release huge amounts of material, especially in high profile cases, the British police are extremely reserved, but they have released a bit more here. The picture painted of Dennehy is chilling. She has been called a manipulator of men, but the star tattooed on her cheek, the stud through her tongue and the self-inflicted scars on her arms must surely disqualify her from manipulating all but the most feeble-minded of men, like the seven foot three Gary Stretch who was described at the time as her nodding dog. Her only contact with men in future is likely to be professionals, ie prison officers. We can dispense with the prison psychiatrists and other so-called mental health professionals. Evil is not an affliction, it is simply evil.
