March 24, 1873 Durham, England Mary Ann Cotton (34, pictured) is executed for the murder of her stepson Cotton, who eventually was given the nickname “The Dark Angel,” had a streak of suspicious deaths following her, including three husbands, her mother, a lodger, and twelve children (either her own or her stepchildren). The deaths in… Continue reading Suspected serial poisoner executed
Tag: poison
The “Yorkshire Witch” is executed for fatally poisoning client
March 20, 1809 York, North Yorkshire, England Mary Bateman, the “Yorkshire Witch,” is hanged for murder Bateman, looking to bolster her husband’s modest income, began to tell fortunes in 1799 but soon offered her services as a “screwer-down,” claiming to use phantoms to immobilize her clients’ enemies, and sold various other supposed spells and charms.… Continue reading The “Yorkshire Witch” is executed for fatally poisoning client
Mass-poisoner executed
February 26, 1852* Rennes, France Hélène Jégado is executed for murder * Note: the exact date of Jégado’s execution seems to be up for debate, with sources claiming either February 26 or 27, 1852, March 1852, or December 1851. For this entry, I chose to use the date listed in Fatal Violence: Case Studies and… Continue reading Mass-poisoner executed
Man poisons 17, kills 5 to save himself “disrepute in his community”
March 28, 1961 Nabari, Mie Prefecture, Japan Masaru Okunishi (奥西勝) kills his wife, mistress, and three others with poison The mass poisoning occurred during a March 28 meeting of the Livelihood Improvement Group; Okunishi was the chairman of the group. Investigators found the wine served at the meeting was laced with agrochemicals, and 17 women… Continue reading Man poisons 17, kills 5 to save himself “disrepute in his community”
Mass poisoner dies in prison
March 7, 1910 San Francisco, California Cordelia Botkin (pictured) dies in prison Botkin had been involved in an affair with John Dunning for three years before his wife, Mary, discovered the infidelity. Mary took their daughter and moved to Dover, Delaware, roughly 2,900 miles (4,670 km) away. John and Botkin continued their affair for some… Continue reading Mass poisoner dies in prison
