Serial killers come in all shapes, sizes, races and genders. In the United States, serial killers tend to be predominately white males. However, women can be (and are) serial killers as well. Female killers represent less than one in every six known U.S. serial murderers to have existed between 1800 and 2004. In total, 64 females have been caught or identified from a total of 416 known serial killers. Although the methods and motives of female serial killers may sometimes differ from those of their male counterparts, they are often just as bloodthirsty. Here are fifteen of the most awful:
This is a list of notable female serial killers from the USA, ranked by number of proven victims.
| # | Name: | Number of victims: |
| 15. | Lavinia Fisher | Unknown |
| 14. | Genene Jones | 2 - 60+ |
| 13. | Dorothea Puente | 3 - 9 |
| 12. | Bertha Gifford | 3 - 17 |
| 11. | Cynthia Coffman | 4 |
| 10. | Martha Ann Johnson | 4 |
| 9. | Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood | 5 |
| 8. | Amy Archer-Gilligan | 5 - 50+ |
| 7. | Aileen Wuornos | 7 - 8+ |
| 6. | Marie Noe | 8 |
| 5. | Charlene Adelle Gallego | 10 |
| 4. | Lydia Sherman | 10 |
| 3. | Nannie Doss | 11 |
| 2. | Jane Toppan | 31 |
| 1. | Belle Gunness | 40+ |
(See also Top 15 Famous American Serial Killers)
(See also 7 Myths About Serial Killers)
(See also The Last Words of 30 Famous Serial Killers)
(See also Top 30 Serial Killers By Number of Victims (20th century))
(See also Top 30 Intelligent Serial Killers With Highest IQ)
15. Lavinia Fisher (Unknown)
 |
| (Lavinia Fisher) |
Lavinia
Fisher (1793 - February 18, 1820) is reported by some legends to be the
first female serial killer in the United States of America. Her origins
are unknown; however, Fisher resided in the United States for much of
her life. She and her husband John ran a hotel near Charleston, South
Carolina. Reports of missing guests soon reached the local sheriff’s
department, but due to lack of evidence, Fisher was left to continue her
killing.
Born: 1793, Charleston, South Carolina
Died: February 18, 1820 (age 26–27)
Cause of death: Execution
Criminal penalty: Death by hanging
Number of Victims: Dave Ross (escaped), John Peeples (escaped), unknown names for murder victims
Country: USA
It
turned out that she had poisoned her victims for material gain (once
her husband made sure the guests were dead, they robbed them). Both
Fisher and her husband were hanged for their crimes in 1820.
It is believed that Mary Surratt was the first woman to be hanged in the United States, however Lavinia was hanged 40 years prior. According to locals just before her hanging, her last words to the crowd were, "If any of you have a message for the devil, say it now for I shall see him in a moment." and then proceeded to jump off the stage and hang herself.
It is believed that Mary Surratt was the first woman to be hanged in the United States, however Lavinia was hanged 40 years prior. According to locals just before her hanging, her last words to the crowd were, "If any of you have a message for the devil, say it now for I shall see him in a moment." and then proceeded to jump off the stage and hang herself.
14. Genene Jones (2 - 60+)
 |
| (Genene Jones) |
Born: 13 July 1950 (age 64), Texas
Criminal penalty: 99 years with triple credit; mandatory release in 2017
Proven victims: 2
Possible victims: 60+
Span of killings: 1971–1984
Country: USA
State(s): Texas
Date apprehended: 1984
While
working as a pediatric nurse at the Bexar County Medical Center
Hospital in San Antonio, TX, Genene Jones murdered somewhere between 1
and 46 children by injecting them with with digoxin, heparin, and
succinylcholine. All three medications are known to cause heart
paralysis and various complications when given in excessive doses.
Genene’s intention was to put the children in critical condition so that
she could then revive them and receive the attention and praise of her
peers.
In 1985, Genene was convicted of the murder of a 15-month-old girl as well as the attempted murder of another child, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. To avoid litigation and public outrage, Bexar County Medical Center destroyed official records of her activities, so she was never charged for her other crimes. Later that year, she was sentenced to a concurrent term of 60 years in prison for nearly killing Rolando Jones with heparin. She will be scheduled for mandatory release in 2017 due to a Texas law to prevent prison overcrowding. Jones is held in Dr Lane Murray Unit.
She was portrayed by Susan Ruttan in the television movie Deadly Medicine (1991) and by Alicia Bartya in the straight-to-video movie Mass Murder (2002). She was also featured in a Discovery Channel documentary, Lethal Injection, season five of Forensic Files entitled "Nursery Crimes" as well as the "Dark Secrets" episode of Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women, and was said to have inspired Annie Wilkes from Stephen King's Misery.
In 1985, Genene was convicted of the murder of a 15-month-old girl as well as the attempted murder of another child, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. To avoid litigation and public outrage, Bexar County Medical Center destroyed official records of her activities, so she was never charged for her other crimes. Later that year, she was sentenced to a concurrent term of 60 years in prison for nearly killing Rolando Jones with heparin. She will be scheduled for mandatory release in 2017 due to a Texas law to prevent prison overcrowding. Jones is held in Dr Lane Murray Unit.
She was portrayed by Susan Ruttan in the television movie Deadly Medicine (1991) and by Alicia Bartya in the straight-to-video movie Mass Murder (2002). She was also featured in a Discovery Channel documentary, Lethal Injection, season five of Forensic Files entitled "Nursery Crimes" as well as the "Dark Secrets" episode of Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women, and was said to have inspired Annie Wilkes from Stephen King's Misery.
13. Dorothea Puente (3 - 9)
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| (Dorothea Puente) |
Dorothea
Helen Puente (January 9, 1929 – March 27, 2011) was a convicted
American serial killer. In the 1980s, Dorothea Puente ran a boarding
house for the elderly and mentally disabled in Sacramento, CA. She
systematically cashed their Social Security checks, and anyone who
complained was murdered and buried in her yard. In the media, Dorothea
became known as the “death house landlady.”
Born: January 9, 1929, Redlands, California, U.S.
Died: March 27, 2011 (aged 82), Chowchilla, California, U.S
Criminal penalty: Life imprisonment
Number of Victims: 3 - 9
Span of killings: 1982–1988
Country: USA
State(s): California
Date apprehended: November 11, 1988
In
1985, Puente had a handyman dump a box of “junk” – really a decomposing
human body – along a river bank where it was later found by a
fisherman. Police began to investigate Puente and her “missing” tenants;
they eventually found seven bodies buried on her property, although
Puente maintained that her boarders died of natural causes.
After her trial in 1992, Puente was sentenced to life imprisonment. She died in 2011 at the Central California Women’s Facility in California.
After her trial in 1992, Puente was sentenced to life imprisonment. She died in 2011 at the Central California Women’s Facility in California.
12. Bertha Gifford (3 - 17)
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| (Bertha Gifford) |
Bertha
Gifford (October 1872 – August 20, 1951) was a farmwife in rural
Catawissa, Missouri during the early 1900s who was accused of murdering
17 members of the local community. Some consider her to be America's
third female serial killer, behind Lydia Sherman and Jane Toppan.
Born: October 1872
Died: August 20, 1951
Cause of death: Natural
Criminal penalty: Committed to Mental Facility
Proven victims: 3
Possible victims: 17
Span of killings: 1900s–1928
Country: USA
State(s): Missouri
Date apprehended: 1928
Like
many female serial killers, Gifford appeared to be gentle woman who
cared for her sick relatives and neighbors. After a number of those
under Gifford’s care died, however, authorities ordered an exhumation of
their bodies and found that Gifford had poisoned her victims with
arsenic. Although she stood trial in 1928, she was found not guilty by
reason of insanity and sentenced to spend her days at Missouri State
Hospital, where she died in 1951.
Cynthia
Coffman (born January 19, 1962) is an American woman convicted in the
1986 deaths of four women in California. She was convicted along with
her boyfriend, James Marlow. Coffman admits to committing the murders,
but insists she suffered from battered-woman syndrome. She was sentenced
to death and is sitting on death row in California.
Born: January 19, 1962 (age 53), St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Criminal penalty: Death
Conviction(s): Murder
Number of Victims: 4
Span of killings: October–November 1986
Country: USA
State(s): California
Date apprehended: November 14, 1986
After
a failed marriage, Cynthia started seeing criminal James Marlow shortly
after his release from jail. The two married and began using
methamphetamine and committing a series of violent crimes together.
From October to November 1986, the couple worked together to kill four women. One of their victims, who had been kidnapped from an urban shopping mall, was found naked and strangled to death with signs of sexual assault. Cynthia and James were arrested soon after their fourth kill. According to Cynthia’s attorney, she had been battered, brainwashed, and starved by James, and only complied because she was suffering from battered-woman syndrome.
In July 1989, the two were put on trial, and were then sentenced to death in 1990, making Cynthia the first woman to receive the death penalty in California since 1977. In 1992, however, she was convicted of another murder and given life in prison. She remains on death row to this day.
From October to November 1986, the couple worked together to kill four women. One of their victims, who had been kidnapped from an urban shopping mall, was found naked and strangled to death with signs of sexual assault. Cynthia and James were arrested soon after their fourth kill. According to Cynthia’s attorney, she had been battered, brainwashed, and starved by James, and only complied because she was suffering from battered-woman syndrome.
In July 1989, the two were put on trial, and were then sentenced to death in 1990, making Cynthia the first woman to receive the death penalty in California since 1977. In 1992, however, she was convicted of another murder and given life in prison. She remains on death row to this day.
Martha
Ann Johnson (also known as Martha Ann Bowen) (born 1955) is an American
serial killer from Georgia convicted of smothering to death three of
her children between 1977 and 1982.
Born: 1955 (age 59–60)
Other names: Martha Ann Bowen
Criminal penalty: Death commuted to life
Number of Victims: 4
Span of killings: 1977–1982
Country: USA
State(s): Georgia
Date apprehended: July 3, 1989
Martha
was convicted of smothering her three children to death between 1977
and 1982. Investigators determined that the death of each child preceded
seven to 10 days of marital problems between Martha and her
then-husband Earl Bowen. Martha claims that she did it to punish her
husband after getting into confrontations with him, and the murders were
grisly in nature.
Martha killed her 23-month-old son James in 1977, her three-month-old daughter Tabitha in 1980, her 31-month-old son Earl Wayne in 1981, and her 11-year-old daughter Jenny in 1982. Earl Wayne was found to have ingested rat poison, while Martha killed two of her other children by rolling her 250-pound body on top of them as they slept. She confessed to murdering two of them in 1989, but denied that she had anything to do with the death of the others. She later retracted her confession in 1990, but was convicted of first-degree murder for three of her four kids and was sentenced to death.
Martha is currently housed at Pulaski State Prison in Georgia.
Martha killed her 23-month-old son James in 1977, her three-month-old daughter Tabitha in 1980, her 31-month-old son Earl Wayne in 1981, and her 11-year-old daughter Jenny in 1982. Earl Wayne was found to have ingested rat poison, while Martha killed two of her other children by rolling her 250-pound body on top of them as they slept. She confessed to murdering two of them in 1989, but denied that she had anything to do with the death of the others. She later retracted her confession in 1990, but was convicted of first-degree murder for three of her four kids and was sentenced to death.
Martha is currently housed at Pulaski State Prison in Georgia.
9. Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood (5)
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| (Cathy Wood (left) and Gwendolyn Graham (right, with glasses)) |
Gwendolyn
Graham (born August 6, 1963) and Cathy Wood (born March 7, 1962) are
American serial killers convicted of killing five elderly women in a
suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1980s. They committed their
crimes in the Alpine Manor nursing home, where they both worked as
nurse's aides.
Born: August 6, 1963 (age 51) (Graham), March 7, 1962 (age 53) (Wood)
Other names: The Lethal Lovers
Criminal penalty: Life imprisonment (Graham), 20 – 40 years imprisonment (Wood)
Number of Victims: 5
Span of killings: January 1987–February 1987
Country: USA
State(s): Michigan
Date apprehended: December 1989
In
the mid-1980s, the two women – like so many of the women on our list –
were employed as nurses in a nursing home. In a deviation from the
stereotypical norm, the two women murdered the elderly for sexual
pleasure. Within a matter of months, they killed five patients at Alpine
Manor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although they bragged about the
murders to their coworkers, no one believed them.
Wood’s ex-husband went to the police with the story in 1988 and the two women were apprehended. In 1989, Wood reached a plea-bargain for a reduced sentence, while Graham was found guilty of five murders and sentenced to five life sentences. Wood was sentenced to 20-40 years and is incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida.
Wood’s ex-husband went to the police with the story in 1988 and the two women were apprehended. In 1989, Wood reached a plea-bargain for a reduced sentence, while Graham was found guilty of five murders and sentenced to five life sentences. Wood was sentenced to 20-40 years and is incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida.
"Sister"
Amy Duggan Archer-Gilligan (October 1868 – April 23, 1962) was a
Windsor, Connecticut, nursing home proprietor and multiple murderer. She
systematically murdered at least five people by poison; one was her
second husband, Michael Gilligan, and the rest were residents of her
nursing home. It is possible that she was involved in more deaths;
authorities found 48 deaths total from her nursing homes.
Born: October 1868, Milton, Connecticut
Died: April 23, 1962 (aged 93), Middletown, Connecticut
Cause of death: Natural causes
Other names: Sister
Criminal penalty: Death, later sent to insane asylum
Motive: Life insurance money
Proven victims: 5
Possible victims: 50+
Span of killings: 1910–1917
Country: USA
State(s): Connecticut
Date apprehended: 1917
After
working as a schoolteacher, Amy married and went on to become a nursing
home proprietor at the Archer Home for the Elderly and Infirm, which
was at the time considered to be a pioneer Connecticut healthcare
facility. After Amy’s husband died in 1910 of natural causes, she took
over the business and married her second husband, the wealthy Michael W.
Gilligan.
Michael died in 1914 of “severe indigestion,” but in the short time they’d been married, he’d left Amy his entire estate. That’s when things got really dark. Amy’s victims included an otherwise healthy man named Franklin R. Andrews whose health collapsed within a day and was pronounced dead by evening. Other clients showed a pattern of dropping dead after not giving their caretaker large sums of money.
As it turns out, Amy had been purchasing large quantities of rat poison and killing her non-compliant patients. She was arrested and tried for murder on five counts, and on June 18, 1917, a jury found her guilty. Amy was sentenced to death. She appealed, pleaded insanity, and was re-sentenced to life imprisonment in 1919.
Michael died in 1914 of “severe indigestion,” but in the short time they’d been married, he’d left Amy his entire estate. That’s when things got really dark. Amy’s victims included an otherwise healthy man named Franklin R. Andrews whose health collapsed within a day and was pronounced dead by evening. Other clients showed a pattern of dropping dead after not giving their caretaker large sums of money.
As it turns out, Amy had been purchasing large quantities of rat poison and killing her non-compliant patients. She was arrested and tried for murder on five counts, and on June 18, 1917, a jury found her guilty. Amy was sentenced to death. She appealed, pleaded insanity, and was re-sentenced to life imprisonment in 1919.
7. Aileen Wuornos (7 - 8+)
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| (Aileen Wuornos) |
Aileen
Carol Wuornos (February 29, 1956 – October 9, 2002) was an American
serial killer who killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990.
Born: Aileen Carol Pittman, February 29, 1956, Rochester, Michigan, U.S.
Died: October 9, 2002 (aged 46), Florida State Prison, Bradford County, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death: Lethal injection
Other names: Sandra Kretsch, Susan Lynn Blahovec, Lee Blahovec, Cammie Marsh Greene, Lori Kristine Grody
Criminal penalty: Death
Spouse(s): Lewis Gratz Fell (m. 1976; div. 1976)
Conviction(s): 6 counts of 1st degree murder
Proven victims: 7
Possible victims: 8+
Span of killings: November 30, 1989–November 19, 1990
Country: USA
State(s): Florida
Date apprehended: January 9, 1991
Wuornos’
troubled life has been documented in several other lists here, but the
most interesting things about her crimes are her method and her motive.
Unlike most female serial killers, Wuornos did not poison her victims –
she shot them. Her motives also did not appear financially motivated.
Although she did steal some pecuniary items from her victims, she
claimed that the men she killed tried to rape her, and therefore she
acted in self-defense.
Throughout her trials in 1992 and 1993, Wuornos maintained this dubious argument; even so, she pled guilty and was therefore sentenced to death. She died by lethal injection in 2002.
The award-winning film Monster, starring Charlize Theron, was based on her gruesome life and murders.
Throughout her trials in 1992 and 1993, Wuornos maintained this dubious argument; even so, she pled guilty and was therefore sentenced to death. She died by lethal injection in 2002.
The award-winning film Monster, starring Charlize Theron, was based on her gruesome life and murders.
6. Marie Noe (8)
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| (Marie Noe) |
Marie
Noe (born August 23, 1928) is an American serial killer. She was
convicted in June 1999 of murdering eight of her children. Between 1949
and 1968, eight of the ten Noe children died of mysterious causes which
were then attributed to sudden infant death syndrome. All eight children
were healthy at birth and were developing normally. Two other children
died of natural causes. Noe pled guilty in June 1999 to eight counts of
second-degree murder, and was sentenced to twenty years' probation and
psychiatric study.
Born: Marie Lyddy, August 23, 1928 (age 86), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Criminal penalty: 20 years probation
Conviction(s): Second degree murder
Number of Victims: 8
Country: USA
State(s): Pennsylvania
Date apprehended: 1998
In
1963, Life magazine published a sympathetic piece on her after six of
her children had died. Interest in Marie’s strange case was renewed
after the publication of the 1997 book The Death of Innocents, and an
investigative article, titled “Cradle to Grave,” was published in
Philadelphia magazine by Stephen Fried. Fried turned his findings over
to the police in 1998 and, after questioning, Marie confessed to
suffocating four of her children, although she claimed that she could
not remember what happened to the other four who had died under similar
circumstances.
In June 1999, Marie was convicted after pleading guilty to eight counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years of probation and psychiatric study. She had murdered all of her children between the ages of five days and 14 months. In September 2001, a study revealed that she was suffering from mixed-personality disorder.
In June 1999, Marie was convicted after pleading guilty to eight counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years of probation and psychiatric study. She had murdered all of her children between the ages of five days and 14 months. In September 2001, a study revealed that she was suffering from mixed-personality disorder.
5. Charlene Adelle Gallego (10)
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| (Charlene (top) and Gerald (bottom) Gallego) |
Gerald
Armond Gallego (July 17, 1946 – July 18, 2002) and Charlene Adelle
Gallego (born Charlene Adelle Williams, October 10, 1956) are two
American serial killers who terrorized Sacramento, California between
1978 and 1980. They killed a total of 10 victims, mostly teenagers, whom
they kept as sex slaves before killing them.
Born: Gerald
Armond Gallego, Charlene Adell Williams, July 17, 1946 (G.G.), October
10, 1956 (age 58) (C.G.), Sacramento, California (G.G. and C.G.)
Died: July 18, 2002 (aged 56) (G.G.) Died of cancer before his death sentence could be carried out.
Other names: The Love Slave Killers, The Gallego Sex Slaves Killers, Criminal penalty, Death (G.G.), Sixteen years and eight months (C.G.)
Conviction(s): Murder
Number of Victims: 10
Span of killings: September 11, 1978–November 2, 1980
Country: USA
State(s): California, Nevada, Oregon
Date apprehended: November 17, 1980
Between
1978 and 1980, Charlene and her sexually and physically abusive
boyfriend, Gerald Armond, killed a total of 10 victims, mostly
teenagers. The super twisted part? The two kept them as sex-slaves
before murdering them.
Charlene and Gerald’s relationship was fraught with violence from the start, and Gerald had even sodomized his own 14-year-old daughter and her friend. In September 1978, Charlene enticed two teens who were out shopping into her van. She and Gerald raped and abused them throughout the night, and the next day, Gerald hit them with a tire iron and shot them both in the head. Charlene later told a cellmate how exciting the experience had been for her.
In April 1980, Gerald and Charlene kidnapped, abused, and murdered two more victims. In November, Gerald walked right up to a young couple and ordered them to get into his car at gunpoint. Luckily, friends of the couple who had witnessed the kidnapping wrote down the license plate number. Gerald killed the young man, raped the young woman for hours, and then killed her too.
Charlene and Gerald were eventually caught and, in 1984, Gerald was tried for murder in Nevada and California. Charlene testified against him both times, and he was convicted in both states. Charlene was not charged in California, and was released from prison in Nevada in July 1997, while Gerald died in prison in 2002.
Charlene and Gerald’s relationship was fraught with violence from the start, and Gerald had even sodomized his own 14-year-old daughter and her friend. In September 1978, Charlene enticed two teens who were out shopping into her van. She and Gerald raped and abused them throughout the night, and the next day, Gerald hit them with a tire iron and shot them both in the head. Charlene later told a cellmate how exciting the experience had been for her.
In April 1980, Gerald and Charlene kidnapped, abused, and murdered two more victims. In November, Gerald walked right up to a young couple and ordered them to get into his car at gunpoint. Luckily, friends of the couple who had witnessed the kidnapping wrote down the license plate number. Gerald killed the young man, raped the young woman for hours, and then killed her too.
Charlene and Gerald were eventually caught and, in 1984, Gerald was tried for murder in Nevada and California. Charlene testified against him both times, and he was convicted in both states. Charlene was not charged in California, and was released from prison in Nevada in July 1997, while Gerald died in prison in 2002.
Born: 1824
Died: in prison on May 16, 1878 (aged 54)
Other names: The Derby Poisoner
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: "Black widow" poisoner of husbands and children for life insurance
Number of victims: 10
Date of murders: 1864 - 1871
Date of arrest: June 1871
Victims profile: Edward Struck (first husband) / Martha Struck, 6 (her daughter) / Edward Struck Jr., almost 4 (her son) / William Struck, 9 months (her son) / Dennis Hurlburt (second husband) / Horatio N. Sherman (third husband) / Ada Sherman (her stepdaughter) / Frankie Sherman (her stepson)
Method of murder: Poisoning (arsenic)
Location: New York/New Jersey/Connecticut, USA
Status: Sentenced to life in prison in 1872
In
the 1870's Lydia Sherman was found to be one of the most cold hearted
and successful poisoners to come out of nineteenth century America.
The story begins in the early 1860's. Lydia was married to, ironically enough, a Policeman named Edward Struck. Edward and Lydia Struck had six children, and according to Lydia it had all become too much.
Lydia decided to put an end to any more pregnancy's. She went to the chemist and purchased some Rat Poison. Then, feeling she could perhaps make some money out of her venture, insured her husband's life for a modest sum.
The murder worked, her husband died quickly and nobody suspected a thing. So Lydia went on to insure and murder all six of her children, leaving her rich and free. Lydia was quite a skilled actress, for no one ever thought of her as being anything else than a poor widow.
In 1868, Lydia married Dennis Hurlbrut, a fairly rich farmer from New Haven, Connecticut. It was said by some that he was senile. By the beginning of 1870 Lydia was not only a widow again, but had squandered most of the late Dennis's estate.
In April 1870 Lydia took a job as housekeeper to Nelson Sherman, who having already lost his wife, needed someone to look after his baby son and fourteen year old daughter.
Lydia and Nelson grew close, and finally, he agreed to marry her. To show her gratitude Lydia poisoned, with arsenic, his son and daughter. Neslon Sherman was grief stricken at the loss of his children. He succumbed to a poisoned hot chocolate drink on the 12 May 1871.
This time however Lydia was not so lucky. The local doctor, Dr Beardsly, became suspicious and ordered a second opinion, and then a third. Dr Beardsly's suspicions of poisoning by arsenic were proved correct when the bodies of the Sherman children were exhumed.
Dr Beardsly informed the police, but Lydia had already fled to New York. The police ordered Mrs Sherman's extradition back to Connecticut to face trial.
Lydia Sherman was convicted of second degree murder - due to most of the evidence being circumstantial. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Lydia Sherman died in Prison on 16 May 1878.
The story begins in the early 1860's. Lydia was married to, ironically enough, a Policeman named Edward Struck. Edward and Lydia Struck had six children, and according to Lydia it had all become too much.
Lydia decided to put an end to any more pregnancy's. She went to the chemist and purchased some Rat Poison. Then, feeling she could perhaps make some money out of her venture, insured her husband's life for a modest sum.
The murder worked, her husband died quickly and nobody suspected a thing. So Lydia went on to insure and murder all six of her children, leaving her rich and free. Lydia was quite a skilled actress, for no one ever thought of her as being anything else than a poor widow.
In 1868, Lydia married Dennis Hurlbrut, a fairly rich farmer from New Haven, Connecticut. It was said by some that he was senile. By the beginning of 1870 Lydia was not only a widow again, but had squandered most of the late Dennis's estate.
In April 1870 Lydia took a job as housekeeper to Nelson Sherman, who having already lost his wife, needed someone to look after his baby son and fourteen year old daughter.
Lydia and Nelson grew close, and finally, he agreed to marry her. To show her gratitude Lydia poisoned, with arsenic, his son and daughter. Neslon Sherman was grief stricken at the loss of his children. He succumbed to a poisoned hot chocolate drink on the 12 May 1871.
This time however Lydia was not so lucky. The local doctor, Dr Beardsly, became suspicious and ordered a second opinion, and then a third. Dr Beardsly's suspicions of poisoning by arsenic were proved correct when the bodies of the Sherman children were exhumed.
Dr Beardsly informed the police, but Lydia had already fled to New York. The police ordered Mrs Sherman's extradition back to Connecticut to face trial.
Lydia Sherman was convicted of second degree murder - due to most of the evidence being circumstantial. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Lydia Sherman died in Prison on 16 May 1878.
3. Nannie Doss (11)
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| (Nannie Doss) |
Nannie
Doss (born Nancy Hazel, November 4, 1905 – June 2, 1965) was an
American serial killer responsible for the deaths of 11 people between
the 1920s and 1954.
Born: Nancy Hazel, November 4, 1905, Blue Mountain, Alabama, United States
Died: June 2, 1965 (aged 59), McAlester, Oklahoma, United States
Cause of death: Leukemia
Other names: The Giggling Nanny, The Giggling Granny, The Jolly Black Widow, The Lonely Hearts Killer
Criminal penalty: Life imprisonment
Motive: Life insurance money, Search for "the real romance of life"
Number of Victims: 11
Span of killings: 1927–1954
Country: USA
State(s): Alabama · North Carolina · Kansas · Oklahoma
Date apprehended: October, 1954
Nannie Doss married her first husband at age 16, and left a long trail of bodies in her wake.
Her first marriage to Charley Braggs proved to be way too stressful for the young mother, and one day two of her middle daughters died of food poisoning. Suspecting that Nannie had murdered them, Charley took their firstborn and fled, leaving their newborn with Nannie. After the two divorced, Nannie took both girls back to her mother’s house. Charley insisted that he had originally left her because he was scared of her.
Nannie went on to marry four more times, and each man ended up dead not long into the marriage. Nannie’s fifth husband, Samuel Doss, was admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. An autopsy revealed that he had arsenic in his system, and Nannie was arrested.
Nannie eventually confessed to murdering four of her husbands, her mother, her sister Dovie, her grandson Robert, and her mother-in-law Lanning, although the State of Oklahoma focused their case only on Samuel Doss. While Nannie was never charged with the other murders, it is estimated that she killed anywhere from eight to 11 people. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. She died in 1965 of leukemia in the hospital ward of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Her first marriage to Charley Braggs proved to be way too stressful for the young mother, and one day two of her middle daughters died of food poisoning. Suspecting that Nannie had murdered them, Charley took their firstborn and fled, leaving their newborn with Nannie. After the two divorced, Nannie took both girls back to her mother’s house. Charley insisted that he had originally left her because he was scared of her.
Nannie went on to marry four more times, and each man ended up dead not long into the marriage. Nannie’s fifth husband, Samuel Doss, was admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. An autopsy revealed that he had arsenic in his system, and Nannie was arrested.
Nannie eventually confessed to murdering four of her husbands, her mother, her sister Dovie, her grandson Robert, and her mother-in-law Lanning, although the State of Oklahoma focused their case only on Samuel Doss. While Nannie was never charged with the other murders, it is estimated that she killed anywhere from eight to 11 people. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. She died in 1965 of leukemia in the hospital ward of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
2. Jane Toppan (31)
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| (Jane Toppan) |
Jane
Toppan (1857–1938), born Honora Kelley, was an American serial killer.
She confessed to 31 murders in 1901. She is quoted as saying that her
ambition was "to have killed more people — helpless people — than any
other man or woman who ever lived...".
Born: 1857, Boston, Massachusetts
Died: August 17, 1938 (aged 81), Taunton, Massachusetts
Cause of death: Natural causes
Other names: Jane Toppan
Criminal penalty: not guilty by reason of insanity
Number of Victims: 31
Span of killings: 1885–1901
Country: USA
State(s): Massachusetts
Date apprehended: October 29, 1901
Toppan,
like many female serial killers, was trained as a nurse. In 1885, she
began working at Cambridge Hospital, in Massachusetts. While employed
there, she experimented on her patients for her own amusement;
eventually, this experimentation escalated into murder. Interestingly,
while Toppan used a stereotypical feminine method of murder – poison –
she stated that she derived sexual pleasure from watching a patient die –
a motive usually associated with male serial killers.
In 1895 she began killing her landlords, and in 1899 killed her sister Elizabeth. Her killing spree came to an end when the family of one of her victims, Alden Davis, requested a toxicology report. Toppan stood trial, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to Taunton Insane Hospital, where she died in 1938.
In 1895 she began killing her landlords, and in 1899 killed her sister Elizabeth. Her killing spree came to an end when the family of one of her victims, Alden Davis, requested a toxicology report. Toppan stood trial, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to Taunton Insane Hospital, where she died in 1938.
1. Belle Gunness (40+)
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| (Belle Gunness with her children Lucy and Myrtle Sorenson, and Phillip Gunness, c. 1908) |
Belle
Sorenson Gunness (born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth; November 11,
1859 – declared dead April 28, 1908) was a Norwegian serial killer.
Standing
six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a
physically strong woman. She killed most of her suitors and boyfriends,
and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. She may also have killed both of
her husbands and all of her children, on different occasions. Her
apparent motives involved collecting life insurance, cash and other
valuables, and eliminating witnesses. Reports estimate that she killed
between 25 and 40 people over several decades.
Born: November 11, 1859, Selbu, Norway
Died: April 28, 1908 (aged 48) (unverified), La Porte, Indiana
Cause of death: Unknown
Other names: Hell's Belle, Lady Bluebeard
Motive: Life insurance money
Number of Victims: 40+
Span of killings: July 30, 1900–1908
Country: USA
State(s): Illinois, Indiana,
Date apprehended: never caught
Although
born in Norway, Gunness spent the majority of her adult life in the
United States. Like many female serial killers, Gunness dispatched her
victims – usually her family members – for monetary gain. By the August
of 1900, she had murdered two of her four children along with her first
husband, and after collecting on their life insurance policies, had
moved to Indiana. There she married Peter Gunness, who later met with an
unfortunate “accident” – according to Belle Gunness, a sausage grinding
machine fell on his head.
Following his death, Gunness advertised for suitors in the matrimonial section of the newspaper. The suitors flocked to her farm, were robbed and murdered, and never heard from again. In 1908, Gunness had a falling out with one of her servants, Ray Lamphere, and fired him. Shortly afterwards, her house burned to the ground. Although her remaining children were found dead in their beds, the state of Gunness’s remains perplexed experts. A woman’s body was found without a head; but when the doctors measured the body, they realized the dead woman was only 5’3”, whereas Gunness was almost six feet tall. Nevertheless, the coroner decided the remains in fact belonged Gunness, due to dental work found at the scene.
After the fire, Gunness’s property was searched, and dozens of bodies were found buried on the premises. Lamphere was later found guilty of arson, but acquitted of Gunness’s murder.
Despite advances in DNA technology, the headless body from the Gunness farm has never been positively identified as Belle Gunness; therefore, her final whereabouts and date of death are unknown.
Following his death, Gunness advertised for suitors in the matrimonial section of the newspaper. The suitors flocked to her farm, were robbed and murdered, and never heard from again. In 1908, Gunness had a falling out with one of her servants, Ray Lamphere, and fired him. Shortly afterwards, her house burned to the ground. Although her remaining children were found dead in their beds, the state of Gunness’s remains perplexed experts. A woman’s body was found without a head; but when the doctors measured the body, they realized the dead woman was only 5’3”, whereas Gunness was almost six feet tall. Nevertheless, the coroner decided the remains in fact belonged Gunness, due to dental work found at the scene.
After the fire, Gunness’s property was searched, and dozens of bodies were found buried on the premises. Lamphere was later found guilty of arson, but acquitted of Gunness’s murder.
Despite advances in DNA technology, the headless body from the Gunness farm has never been positively identified as Belle Gunness; therefore, her final whereabouts and date of death are unknown.