November 23, 1910 Pentonville Prison, London, England Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen is hanged for the murder of his second wife Corrine "Cora" Turner Cora had been partial to open extra-marital affairs and when the couple moved from the US to England, and the doctoral credentials Hawley carried were insufficient to practice medicine in England adding…
Woman murders 5 children between 8 and 17 then self after the end of an affair
November 20, 2011 Greensboro, North Carolina Mary Ann Holder goes on a shooting spree, killing 5 children and wounding a former lover According to notes left behind, Holder was upset over the end of an affair with a married man. She shot him first, wounding his shoulder, before going to her own home where she…
Composer murders wife, her lover, his infant son, and nanny in jealousy (1590)
October 16, 1590 Naples, Italy Composer Carlos Gesualdo kills his wife, her lover, his infant son, and a nanny in jealous revenge After fathering several children, Gesualdo apparently lost interest in sex but his wife did not. She took a paramour and Gesualdo, wanting to catch the two in the act, pretended to leave to…
Reverend hanged for murder of wife
October 4, 1570 Spott, Scotland Rev. John Kello is hanged for the murder of his wife Rev. Kello's finances from the church were not enough to keep himself in a status he desired, nor were they enough to keep his mistress happy. He decided the best course of action would be to kill his wife,…
Pregnant woman kills husband when he discovers her affair
September 20, 1912 Berlin, Germany A pregnant woman murdered her husband after he received a letter from her lover admitting to their affair The wife of Dr. Erich Blume, an archeological expert, admitted to killing her husband whom she had married a few months before. She blamed the murder on "a moment of mental irresponsibility…