In a way, she does consider herself the victim. The way she said it on the jail video was she wanted to at least be portrayed as the victim tho. Victim to her is a manipulation tactic. It doesn't mean she actually sees herself in that light neccessarily.
Putting the duct tape around the mouth and possibly around the entire head then adding the heart sticker sounds like an act of a cold, calculating killer to me. It is vicious by the very act, imo, because of the torture associated with it. The real victim without tape on the eyes is forced to watch while someone is threatening them. The feeling of not being able to scream, cry, and possibly breathe is an act of severe cruelty, in particular, for a child to experience. (Sorry for the graphic description)