Emotion is supposed to keep us human. It connects us, teaches us empathy, and guides our sense of right and wrong. When someone lacks empathy, we find it easier to imagine how they could commit unspeakable acts. But what happens when a killer doesn’t lack emotion at all? What if she’s attuned to the emotional landscape of others? What if she knows how to mirror concern, fake trust, and manipulate sympathy because she feels it, but only as a means to an end?

That is the terrifying paradox behind emotionally intelligent killers. They don’t kill because they’re devoid of feeling. They kill despite it. And sometimes, they kill because they know exactly how others feel and how to use those feelings as weapons. In astrology, that emotional radar comes from the Moon. The Moon in a natal chart governs how a person processes emotion, what they need to feel safe, how they relate to the mother figure, and how they respond when threatened. A well-placed Moon can signify compassion and emotional balance. But even signs associated with empathy, emotional depth, or charm can become twisted when combined with trauma, pathology, or an absence of moral boundaries. When that happens, emotion doesn’t stop someone from doing harm. It becomes a tool for doing it more effectively.

Aileen Wuornos had her Moon in Libra, the sign of harmony, connection, and social intelligence. Libra Moons are highly attuned to the energy of others. They crave partnership and fear abandonment. They want to be understood, accepted, and, above all, treated fairly. Aileen’s early life offered none of that. She was abandoned by her mother, molested by her grandfather, and thrown out of the house as a teenager. She began engaging in sex work to survive and had little formal education or support. That kind of emotional deprivation can cause anyone with a Libra Moon to break. When they don’t get the harmony they long for, they can become unrecognizable. They start to view the world as unjust and respond with desperate, sometimes violent attempts to reclaim control. That imbalance between the desire for emotional justice and the trauma of never receiving it can twist a Libra Moon into something cold and reactive.

Aileen claimed that her killings were in self-defense, that each man had tried to assault or rape her, and she shot them to protect herself. Whether that was true in every case or not, what is clear is that she perceived these men as threats. Libra Moons feel deeply unsafe when power is abused, especially in intimate or one-on-one settings. Aileen had likely internalized the belief that men were dangerous. She felt wronged by society and particularly by men in positions of power. Instead of seeking harmony, she created her own form of justice. And because she could read people because she could sense fear, vulnerability, or arrogance – she used those cues to decide when and how to strike. Her Moon in Libra didn’t protect her victims. It may have helped her decide who deserved to be hurt.

Juana Barraza, the Mexican serial killer known as La Mataviejitas, had her Moon in Pisces. This is often considered one of the most sensitive, spiritual, and empathetic placements in the zodiac. Pisces Moon individuals are dreamers. They tend to live in emotional realms that others can’t access, and they are often drawn to caregiving roles, religion, and fantasy. Juana was a professional wrestler and also worked as a caregiver. On the surface, she might not seem like the archetype of a soft, dreamy Pisces Moon. But beneath the surface, the themes of this placement were alive and well.

Pisces Moons can become consumed by the emotional past. They often carry wounds that never fully close. Juana’s mother was an alcoholic who allegedly gave her away to a man in exchange for beer. That man abused Juana repeatedly, and she gave birth to his child when she was just a young teen. Her emotional development was shaped by betrayal, humiliation, and helplessness. Pisces Moons need to escape pain, and they often do so through fantasy, disassociation, or spiritual beliefs. Juana didn’t find her escape in dreams. She found it in control.

Her victims were elderly women who lived alone. Juana often posed as a social worker or government employee to gain access to their homes. She studied their routines, identified their vulnerabilities, and gained their trust. That is the darker side of the Pisces Moon. It can create a kind of psychic camouflage. People with this placement often know how to blend in, to appear harmless or even helpful. When they become emotionally warped, they use their insight not for connection, but for deception. Juana would strangle her victims, sometimes with objects from their own homes. Afterward, she would often leave the scene appearing calm and unbothered. This wasn’t a frenzy. It was a ritual. And for a Pisces Moon, rituals are everything.

Her motive was believed to be both personal and practical. On one hand, there was likely deep-seated rage toward maternal figures. On the other, the victims were often robbed. There was emotion, but it was buried under layers of practiced control. That is part of the disturbing quality of this placement when distorted. A Pisces Moon killer doesn’t need to enjoy the act. She might simply feel that it’s the only way to gain peace. In a way, it becomes an emotional cleansing, an undoing of the power that other women – mothers, authority figures, caretakers – once had over her.

Karla Homolka had her Moon in Aries, a placement that is far more aggressive, impulsive, and self-centered than the previous two. Aries Moons act first and feel later. They are ruled by Mars, the planet of war, and they tend to process emotions through action. This Moon placement is fiery, fast, and often emotionally immature. They can lash out when they feel slighted and have little patience for vulnerability, in themselves or others.

Karla played a key role in some of the most disturbing crimes in Canadian history. She and her partner, Paul Bernardo, kidnapped, raped, and murdered several young women – including Karla’s own sister. Karla often positioned herself as a victim, claiming that Paul manipulated her and that she was terrified of him. But the details of the crimes suggest a far more active and even enthusiastic participation. She helped lure victims. She helped restrain them. She recorded videos. Her involvement was not passive. It was essential.

Moon in Aries wants to feel powerful. When that need is frustrated, especially in a toxic relationship or power dynamic, the person may act out in ways that are violent or controlling. Karla’s Moon in Aries may have been overwhelmed by Paul’s dominant personality, but instead of leaving, she found a way to reclaim power by participating in the violence. Her emotional reactivity was hidden under a layer of charm. She appeared composed, sweet, and cooperative, especially in interviews and court. That is one of the most dangerous combinations. When someone with an emotionally aggressive Moon learns how to mask it with social grace, they become difficult to detect. They seem cooperative on the surface, but underneath they are calculating every move.

What ties these three women together is not just that they killed, but how they used emotional knowledge as a weapon. Aileen read people. She mirrored their fear and responded with rage. Juana blended in, adopting emotional masks that allowed her to move through the world unnoticed. Karla disarmed people with charm and then erupted with cruelty once the mask was no longer needed. Each of them had a Moon placement that gave them insight into how others feel. But they used that insight to their advantage.

Emotionally intelligent killers don’t seem like monsters. That’s why they’re so dangerous. They don’t lack feeling. They exploit it. They understand what their victims need to feel safe, and then they use that information to lower defenses. They know how to say the right thing, how to read facial expressions, how to offer comfort before taking it away. Their crimes don’t come from a void. They come from an excess – of memory, of emotion, of the need to make others feel what they once felt.

In astrology, the Moon is just one piece of the puzzle. You cannot determine someone’s potential for violence from their Moon sign alone. But when the Moon is located in a sign that governs emotional awareness, especially when paired with unresolved trauma or power-seeking behavior, it becomes a significant indicator of how a person might relate to others and how they might harm them. It tells us what kind of emotional mask they wear, and what lies beneath it.

Some killers are obvious. They lash out, they isolate, they erupt. But others walk into your home, offer you help, smile gently, and nod with sympathy. They’re emotionally intelligent, but that intelligence doesn’t guide them toward connection. It guides them toward control. When empathy is a mask, it is not a shield against violence. It is the tool that makes violence possible. And in the hands of a killer, it is far more terrifying than a weapon. It is a doorway. One you open yourself.