Annie Weaver (Am I a Serial Killer?)

### Goal

To meet up with her daughter in prison setting to have a mother-daughter reunion

### Fate

Arrested, returned to prison

**Annie Weaver** (Crystal Allen) is the main villainess from the 2019 Lifetime film, *Am I a Serial Killer?*(airdate May 10, 2019).

## Backstory/Introduction

Annie Weaver was introduced as a convicted murderess, having been in prison for eight years for killing a couple, Lucy and Frank Miller, who had been renting a room in her mother's old home. Annie's daughter (and main protagonist), Natalie, was 10 years of age at the time, and it was her testimony that led to Annie's arrest and conviction. In the film's events, Natalie visited Annie in prison, with Annie stating that she was attempting to protect Natalie on the day in question, though she wouldn't reveal from who or what.

All the while, Natalie had been a patient of Dr. Welk and also was living with her paternal aunt, Caroline Weaver, in the eight years that passed. She had been having sleepwalking fits due to her medication (which Welk prescribed her), while having trouble remembering what happened on the day of the murders. In the film's progression, a pair of copycat murders were committed:  Kent, a student who had been bullying Natalie, and Owen Moore, Natalie's boss, were both killed with a hatchet, after which buttons were placed over their eyes. The murders matched the Millers' deaths exactly, and after police captain Maxine Lawrence received Natalie's drawings (which showed the Millers' post-mortem) from John Matthews (the officer on duty that night), not only was Annie released, but Natalie ended up suspected.

## Heel Turn/Reveal

Following her release, Annie visited Caroline and made a demand to see Natalie, who began to realize that she may have actually killed the Millers--as she envisioned a flashback of herself giving Annie the hatchet. During the mother-daughter reunion, Natalie voiced her concerns that she was a murderess, with Annie stating to her daughter that she had a temper has a child and adding that she would to anything to protect her. However, Natalie's search through Annie's things revealed prison letters written by someone whose handwriting matched Dr. Welk, and that led to the realization that the copycat murders were committed by Welk, who did so to get Annie out due to his infatuation with her.

After Natalie escaped being caught by Lawrence, she returned to the house to see Annie and Welk romantically embracing each other. Annie began turning heel with the revelation of their relationship, as she interrupted Welk's attempt to distract Natalie by telling her that her daughter knew and was smarter than he gave her credit for. As it turned out, Annie really did kill the Millers, and after she was visited by Welk in prison, they schemed to commit copycat murders and frame Natalie as well. Natalie expressed shock over her evil mother's actions by informing her that she was her daughter, but in response, Annie snarled at Natalie over the fact that she testified against her, adding that Natalie took away her life and that she wanted to do the same to her own daughter, cementing Annie's heel turn. At that moment, Annie stabbed Welk to death with a knife and pleaded with Natalie to stop, continuing her frame-up job.

Afterwards, the evil Annie chased Natalie into the bedroom with the knife, making stabbing motions through the covered-up furniture in her attempt to find her daughter, who remembered all of the details of the Millers' murders, which included Annie rubbing her victims' blood on her daughter. After Natalie saved her aunt Caroline from Annie, she asked her mother why she committed the murders, with the maniacal villainess stating that she hated the Millers for loving Natalie, and she also resemted Natalie for playing along with them. She attempted to goad her daughter into stopping her with the knife, and also boasted that she would pose as an innocent woman who failed to stop her "evil" daughter from killing Welk and Caroline, but Natalie, ultimately, refused to kill Annie, vowing that she wouldn't become like her. At that moment, Annie took the knife from Natalie and made an attempt to kill her own daughter, only for Lawrence to enter and shoot the villainess (non-fatally) before handcuffing and arresting her once and for all. As this happened, Annie could do nothing but stare in disbelief at her daughter and her sister-in-law, realizing that her scheme to ruin Natalie’s life by framing her for her recent murders had failed for good. A relieved Natalie then declared that Caroline is her true mother, officially kicking Annie out of her life forever, and leaving her to likely suffer the rest of her life in prison.

## Trivia

* Annie Weaver is similar to *Motive* villainess Miranda Hurst, as both of them masterminded copycat murders in order to get released from prison, and in addition, they betrayed and killed their co-conspirators afterwards. One difference is that Miranda only planned to be released; Annie's plan also included framing her daughter for the copycat murders.
* Annie's hatred of her daughter also makes her similar to fellow Lifetime villainess Anna (also played by Crystal Allen), as both of them also attempted to kill their daughters. While Anna's hatred was due to favoritism and her daughter's refusal to comply with her murderous scheme, Annie's hatred of Natalie was due to the fact that Natalie received love from others, and it was increased when Natalie turned her in for murder.