Chen Kao Lien-yen, Taiwanese Ogress Murdered 7 Children - 1987

FULL TEXT: Taipei – A district court in southern Taiwan sentenced a woman to death yesterday for murdering seven children with cyanide pills. Court officials said Chen Kao Lien-yen, 36, and poisoned nine children between October 1985 and September last year [1987] in the small coastal town of Fan Liao, by giving them “vitamins” that were in fact poison cyanide.

Three boys and four girls aged between three and aged between three and 12 died. Some of the victims were children of friends and some were strangers.

The official said Mrs. Chen had admitted she was envious of families with children, since she had been made infertile by an operation on her womb two years ago. She has a 14-year-old son.

[“Death for poisoner of children,” (AFP, AP), The Straits Times (Singapore), Mar. 22, 1987, p. 5]

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Annie Wagner, A “Sympathetic” Indiana Serial Killer Who Got Away With Murder - 1893

Note: Annie Wagner was acquitted. The impression made by this result in light of the evidence was that “not guilty” was a nullification verdict due to juror’s sympathy for Aniie’s claim of self-sacrifice in her capacity as a caregiver to motherless children. The evidence nevertheless supports the charges that she was a serial killer.

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Arsenic Deaths:

Mary Koesters (wife of Charles), 31 – died Oct. 15, 1892

Baby, 3 months – died Jan. 6, 1891[?]

Frank L. Koesters (father of Charles), 74 – died Jan. 26, 1893

Mary M. Koesters (daughter of Charles), 8 – died Feb. 27, 1893

Clara Koesters, 73 – date of death?

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FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 2): A case which rivals in interest the late Borden mystery is now being tried in the Criminal Court here.

Last summer Frank Koesters, Mrs. Clara Koesters, Mamie Koesters, an infant, died suddenly within the space of a few months at their home in this city. The symptoms attending their deaths were of a most violent type, suggestive of poisoning, and Charles Koesters, the husband and father,  began an investigation with the assistance of the coroner, which culminated in the arrest of Annie Wagner, a domestic in the employ of the Koesters family.

The only motive that could be assigned for the deed was a strange infatuation which the girl had for Charles Koesters. She determined to become his mistress, and, it is alleged, poisoned the whole family in order that she might accomplish her purpose. Charles Koesters, the first witness, was put on stand to-day. He related the story of the deaths and dwelt upon the actions of the girl toward him.

She was always at his command, and would do many things for him, the performance of which properly belonged to other members of the family. On every possible occasion she displayed a desire to be in his company. Once, he said, when his friends were expressing their sympathy for him in his bereavement, he remarked:

“Well, my daughter Mamie is still left. Death has not taken her away, and she will soon be big enough to assume the duties of my household and comfort me.”

“You want a woman,” broke in the alleged murderess. “These American girls can’t be trusted and are too fond of running around.”

The father then declared that the daughter should have its dead mother’s place, and in one week the child died with symptoms of arsenical poisoning. The case against her is very strong, as a neighboring druggist will testify that the accused brought “Rough on Rats” from him. He knew the girl personally and cannot be mistaken, he says, in her identity.

[“A Modern Borgia. – Annie Wagner On Trial For Four Murders – Her Infatuation For a Husband and Father.” The Morning Herald (Baltimore, Md.), Dec. 8, 1893, p. 8]

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FULL TEXT (Article 2 of 2): Indianapolis, Dec. 28. – After being out for twelve hours the jury in Annie Wagner murder case brought in a verdict of not guilty. The courtroom was crowded, and the announcement of the verdict was received with cheer after cheer. During a scene of the wildest confusion the prisoner fainted away. Through the trial Annie Wagner has manifested the most stoical indifference and it was not until the verdict of the jury that her feelings obtained mastery over her. Mr. Holtzman, the prosecutor, announced that as the state had failed to convict in this, its best case, and owing to the state of public opinion, he deemed it best to dismiss the other two indictments for murder against the prisoner.

Not since the trial of Mrs. Nancy Clem for the murder of Jacob Young and wife as at Cold Springs, north of this city, twenty years ago, has the Indianapolis public been as much interested in a murder trial as in the case which has just closed.

Looking further for evidence of a crime, a druggist, George F. Borst, at Meridian street and Russell avenue, was found, who said that Anna Wagner had purchased a box of “rough on rats” from his store on May 22. the family physician was Dr. Reyer, who told the coroner that he had no doubt Mrs. Clara Koesters had died from poison, and advised that an analysis of the stomach of the dead woman he made. The coroner gave the viscera of the dead woman to Dr. Eisenbeiss for analysis, and the doctor reported back that arsenic had been found in sufficient quantities to cause death. On the evidence Anna Warner was arrested. At the time of her arrest, the prisoner denied having any poison in her possession, although the half emptied box was afterward found in the closet where she kept her clothes. She was taken to the drug store where the poison was brought, and she denied to Druggist Morst ever having brought and “rough on rats” from him. Charles Koersters added a sensation to the story of the crime by making a statement that he thought the woman was in love with him, and he furnished the motive for the crime of suggesting that she wanted to get his wife and children out of the way to make room for him to marry her.

~ All Were Poisoned. ~

The people in the Koesters family who died under suspicious circumstances were: Mary Koesters family who died under suspicious circumstances were: Mary Koesters, age 31, the wife of Charles, October 15, 1892, the baby, age 3 months, found dead in bed January 6, 1891[?]; Frank L. Koesters, age 74, the father of Charles, January 26. Mary M. Koesters, age 8, daughter of Charles, February 27, and last, Clara Koesters, age 73. Each of them, except the baby, was ill for about the same length of time and showed the same symptoms. The evidence taken before the coroner was of such nature that he felt justified in ordering the bodies of the dead exhumed and their stomachs removed. This was done and the viscera was turned over to Dr. Eisenbeiss for analysis. The doctor did not make a complete report for several weeks, but at the end of that period he announced that he had found arsenic in every one of the stomachs submitted to him.

~ Sent to Jail. ~

Anna Wagner had a hearing in the police court on Tuesday, Kune 25. the examination lasted until June 22, at which time the prisoner was admitted to bail in the sum of $ [illegible]. A few days thereafter she furnished the security and was taken to the house of her brother-in-law. here she remained until the grand jury met and returned an indictment against her for murder in the first degree. She was rearrested and taken to jail without the privilege of bail. She has lain in jail ever since.

~ In Her Own Defense. ~

On December 18 the accused was placed on the stand in her own defense. She made a general denial of the crime. She said that after the death of Mrs. Koesters, the wife of Charles Koesters, Mr. Koesters said to her that he would depend upon her to look after the clothing and their children, that he knew nothing about such things himself; that she took care of the children because they were motherless, and that all her attentions to him and to them was on account of the fact trhat the wife and mother was dead.

[“Not Guilty. – Annie Wagner Acquitted of the Charge of Murder. – The Jury on the Sensational Case Which Has Been on Trial at Indianapolis Sets Her Free.” Clinton Weekly Age (Io.), Dec. 29, 1893, part 2, p. 1]

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For more cases of this category, see: Female Serial Killers of 19th Century America (as of January 20, 2014, the collection contains 61 cases)

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Mrs. Perkins’ “mania for destroying human life” – Canada, 1865

FULL TEXT: The Brantford correspondent of the Hamilton Spectator gives currency to the following story, which is true, approaches nearer to the Burke and Hare murders than anything we have heard of. The story is substantially as follows: --

“A woman named Perkins, wife of a well to do farmer, living about two miles from the town, believing herself on her death bed, sent for the Clergyman of the Primitive Methodist Church, Brantford, and in the utmost agony of mind, confessed that she had a different periods of her life committed six murders, and all by poison. She said she had a mania to destroy human life, and it was by the greatest self-denial that she could restrain herself from secretly poisoning all persons with whom she was on terms of friendship; she however practiced it until six of her victims slept their last sleep; two of them being adults and four of them children, and what makes the matter more revolting and horrid is that one of the former was her own husband, two of the latter were her own children. the children were murdered in England and the Adults in Canada, the husband having been killed here, and the other persons, whose name I did not learn, was poisoned in Woodstock some years since. She has been married to a second husband for a number of years, by whom she has a family of grown up children. This wretch – for wretch she was in appearance, resembling one of the weird witches, with matted hair, shriveled and repulsive face, and bony hand, who hovered around the boiling chaldron in Macbeth – lived for years past in the greatest horror with the image of her victims continually appearing before her eyes, her cries and imprecations were fearful, and her actions, language and appearance were loathsome till death stopped her groans and curses.”

[“A Woman Commits Six Murder,” Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa City, C. W., Canada), Aug. 29, 1865, p. 4]

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►Other deathbed confessions

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Sally Story, New Jersey Serial Killer – 1882

FULL TEXT (Article 1 of 4): Mrs. Sarah Story, an old woman living at Little Falls, Passaic County, N. J., was arrested yesterday on a charge of poisoning the wife of Joseph Feest, a neighbor. According to the story told by Feest, his wife had been suffering with chills for some time. He had been in the habit of getting water at Mrs. Story’s and on Thursday evening he had spoken to her about his wife’s condition. She gave him a powder which she advised him to give his wife. On Friday morning he gave some of it to his wife, who mixed it in water and drank the water. She soon complained of feeling dizzy, and was seated with spasms which were ended in death. Feest found the remainder of the powder which his wife his wife had taken, and handed it to Dr. Edgar Keeler, of Little Falls, for examination. The doctor analyzed the powder and found it to be strychnine. He gave some of the poison to kittens, and they were attacked with the usual symptoms of strychnine poisoning. He made a post-mortem examination of the body of Mrs. Feest and found strychnine presenting considerable quantity.

From the stories of neighbors the woman is suspected of having poisoned at least three other persons. One of her victims was Mrs. Maud, with whom Mrs. Story had had a quarrel over some property, and who died under mysterious circumstances some time ago. Another was Maggie Story, who about nine years ago was passing Mrs. Story’s house and asked for a glass of water. She drank some milk and was taken very sick. Dr. Van Winkel pronounced the case one of poisoning. By the prompt use of a stomach pump the woman’s life was saved. It is said that Mrs. Story’s husband died under suspicious circumstances. All these rumors are under investigation by Coroner Newcombe, who began an inquest at Little Falls on Tuesday, but adjourned it until to-day. The body of Mrs. Maud is to be exhumed to determine how she came to her death. Sally Story made her living peddling tinware through the country. She drove a donkey hitched to a small cart.

[“Sally Story’s Sin. – An Eccentric Tin Peddler Arrested on Suspicion of Having Poisoned Four People – The Little Old Woman in the Donkey Cart.” The Reading Daily Eagle (Pa.), Sep. 21, 1882, p. 1]

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FULL TEXT (Article 2 of 4): There was much excitement yesterday at noon in front of county jail in Paterson, N. J. A big constable was endeavoring to persuade a little old woman to accompany him into the jail, but the little old woman refused. After expostulating for a few minutes the old woman tried to get away, and attracted a crowd. The constable then seized her by the arm, and, with the aid of the deputy warden of the jail, forced her into the portals of the jail.

The constable handed the jail warden a paper from Justice Elias Van Ness, of Little Falls township, instructing the warden to keep Mrs. Sally Story until released by due course of law, she having been charged by Mr. Joseph Feest with the murder of his wife. the little old woman was Aunt Sally Story, one of the best known characters in Passaic county.

Although the commitment charges the accused with but one crime that of poisoning Mrs. Feest there is a probability that there will be other charges preferred against her, for the people who live in the neighborhood of Aunt Sally’s former domicile tell some very ugly stories about her.

The death of Mrs. Elizabeth Feest took place on Friday of last week, and a rumor was soon spread that she had been poisoned by a powder given her by Aunt Sally Story. This rumor reached the ears of Coroner Newcombe, and be proceeded to Little Falls to investigate. He was there informed that Aunt Sally had not only poisoned Mrs. Feest, but that some years before she had poisoned a woman named Mrs. Maud; that a short time before this time she had poisoned a woman named Maggie Story, and that the husband of Aunt Sally had died under very mysterious circumstances. The coroner called on the county prosecutor, Mr. Eugene Stevenson, and laid the matter before him. Witnesses were summoned and a jury empanelled to inquire into the cause of the death of Mrs. Feest, and the inquest was begun at Rider’s hotel, Little Falls, on Tuesday evening.

Joseph Feest, the husband of the dead woman, testified that on Friday morning last his wife took a small portion of a ponder which site said Mrs. Story had given her and she died within 10 minutes later. He produced the remainder of the powder. He said his wife and Mrs. Story were nut at all intimate. His daughter Mary, aged 11, corroborated her father’s story. Mrs. Sallie Story was next allowed to testify in her own behalf. She said she was sure she had had no strychnine in her house for four or five years. She gave Mrs. Feest a quinine powder. In her judgment Mrs. Feest died from being overworked and half-starved.

Dr. Keeler testified that when he was called to see the deceased woman be supposed she had died of malarial convulsions and gave a certificate accordingly; afterward he heard of some of the neighbors’ stories, and on testing powder left in the house found it was strychnine; an autopsy of the body showed that death unmistakably resulted from strychnine. He gave a kitten four drachms of the fluid contents removed from the stomach, and it died in a few minutes with all the symptoms of strychnine poisoning; another kitten died from two drachms of the fluid contents.

The inquest was then adjourned until tomorrow night. Mrs. Feest’s body will be exhumed and examined.

[“The New Borgia. – Giving Strychnine For Quinine. – The Terrible Crimes With Which Aunt Sally Story, a Queer Old Woman in Paterson, is Charged.” The Lancaster Intelligencer (Pa.), Sep. 21, 1882, p. 2]

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FULL TEXT (Article 3 of 4): Everybody was out of humor yesterday in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, at Paterson, N. J., when the jury in the Sally Story murder case came in to report that they had had yet agreed whether or not that eccentric old person had poisoned her neighbor, Mrs. Feest, at Little Falls, inst September, with malice or with criminal negligence, or neither. The jury, who had been locked up all night, were sullen; Judge Dixon looked unusually solemn: the Prosecutor was cross; the lawyers for the defence were savage and the spectator were disappointed. The foreman of the jury repeated his assurance of the evening before, that there was no chance of the jury coining to un agreement. Some of the juror asked for additional instructions, and part of the evidence was read and the Court laid down the law, especially with regard to manslaughter. Ex-Judge Barkalow, for the defence, thought that the words of the Court had a tendency toward suggesting a verdict of manslaughter, and intimated as much. He formulated something which he wanted Judge Dixon to charge, and when the Court did not adopt the counsel’s words, the latter excepted, whereupon the Judge reminded him that he must not except before the jury. The jury came in again about 1 p. m. and the foreman reported that they were still at variance. Judge Dixon then requested them to settle their differences in some other place. He will hear an application for bail for the prisoner on Sunday.

The earn will be tried over at the April term of court. Sally Story expresses satisfaction, but hopes that her case will come next time before “men with more sense.” She probably docs not realize the extreme probability that she will have to stay in jail until next spring. It is not though that anybody can be found to furnish security for her, and her worldly possessions are limited.

George Meron, who was man-of-all-work for Mrs. Story, and the only witness for the defence, had an encounter Wednesday, near Little Falls, with un angry husband, who was actuated by not unfounded jealousy. George was afraid being arrested for perjury, because his evidence before the coroner’s jury in the case of Mrs. Feest last fall was very different from his testimony at the trial, and he has left Little Falls for parts unknown, leaving old Sally’s pigs and chickens to the humane attentions of neighbors.

[“Sally Story’s Quilt Not Decided.” New York Tribune (N.Y.), Jan. 27, 1883, p. 8]

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FULL TEXT (Article 4 of 4): The jury in the case of Mrs. Sally Story, tried for the second tie on an indictment for the poisoning of Mrs. Elizabeth Feest of Little Falls, N. J. found a verdict yesterday of manslaughter, with a recommendation to mercy. Sentence was deferred until this morning. She is almost a dwarf in appearance, and nearly 80 years old. Many think she is demented. She says strychnine to Mrs. Feest, who had a fever under the idea that in neighborly kindness she was giving her quinine. She had quarreled but they were not supposed to be bitter enemies. She had been accused before of giving poison in a person with whom she had quarreled. She earned a living by peddling tinware through the country in a covered wagon drawn by a diminutive donkey.

[“Sally Story Guilty.” The Sun (New York, N. Y.), May 31, 1883, p. 3]

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For more cases of this category, see: Female Serial Killers of 19th Century America (as of January 20, 2014, the collection contains 61 cases)

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Marguerite Léris Grieumard, French Serial Killer - 1875

Marguerite Léris Grieumard, of Saint-Vincent, France, poisoned five family members, killing four of them in quick succession. She began poising her victims, using  arsenic and phosphorous scraped from matches, in the Autumn of 1874.  She was tried at Montauban assises court and sentenced to death on December 19, 1875. Sentence was commuted on January 29, 1876.

The dead included her husband of 39 years, her daughter, father-in-law and grandson. The son-in-law survived. They were farmers.

Marguerite Léris had a vile disposition and fought contantly with her neighbors. She verbally and physically violent towards her husband and other family members. She had had brutalized her daughter, Marguerite, daily since childhood, once so wounding the child so badly that she was permanently scarred.  On one occasion she once pulled out hair and part of the skin of the child’s scalp. She hated her daughter so much that she once asked her husband to take the girl out to the woods and leave her to die.

She was likewise violent towards her grandson, Jean-David, who, like little Marguerite was left scarred by her attacks.

The husband was meek and of sweet demeanor and thus tried to avoid trouble at home yet would tearfully confide his misery to his neighbors. Judging the wife’s character to be that of a murderess a neighbor once said to the husband: “I am certain that one day she will poison you.”

In Sept 1874 the husband decided to sell his property and to near his daughter and son-in-law. the wife did not agree with the decision  threatened to set fire to the house She had been carrying on an extramarital affair with a married neighbor.

Shortly after the disagreement over relocating, her in-laws, living on their farm in montauban, came to the Greiumard farm in saint-vincent to help plow the land Marguerite began poisoning her victims’ food.

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Poisoned with arsenic & phosphorus (scraped from kitchen matches)

Jean Greiumard, Marguerite’s husband – died Jun. 27, 1875

Marguerite Greiumard, daughter – died Jun. 30, 1875

Antonin David, 11, grand-son – died Jun. 12, 1875

Jean David sr., Marguerite Greiumard’s father-in-law – died Jun. 15, 1875

Jean David, jr., 26, son-in-law – poisoned but survived

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Case synopsis based on a long article on the trial available online.

[“Cour D'assises De Tarn-Et. Garonne - Présidence de M. Debédat, conseiller à la Cour d'Appel de Toulouse. - Assesseurs: M.M. Simonet, president; Séméziés, juge. -  Séance du 17 décembre. Condemnation à mort – Empoissonment,” Journal de Toulouse (France, Dec. 17, 1875, p. 1]

http://images.jdt.bibliotheque.toulouse.fr/1875/B315556101_JOUTOU_1875_12_21.pdf

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Marie Bouriant, French Serial Baby-Killing Mom - 1875

Marie Bouriant, 35, murdered five babies between 1864 et 1874, either by neglect, battery or suffocation. Her husband, François Pierre was a farrier. In addition to the killings of children after live birth, she had two abortions. He was sentenced to death at the Bourges Assises on April 24, 1875. The sentence was commuted on June 16, 1875.

Source:

http://guillotine.voila.net/Condamnations.html

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For more cases of this type, see Serial Baby-Killer Moms.

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Princess Laodice of Cappadocia, Serial Killer - 1st Century BC

Laodice of Cappadocia, flourished second half of 2nd century BC and first half of 1st century BC) was a Princess from the Kingdom of Pontus.

After Aristonicus was taken prisoner, the people of Massilia sent ambassadors to Rome to intercede for the Phocaeans their friends, whose city and even name the senate had ordered to be destroyed, because, both at that time, and previously in the war against Antiochus, they had taken up arms against the Roman people. The embassy obtained from the senate a pardon for them. Rewards were then bestowed on the princes who had given aid against Aristonicus; to Mithridates of Pontus was allotted Greater Phrygia; to the sons of Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia, who had fallen in that war, were assigned Lycaonia and Cilicia; and the Roman people were more faithful to the sons of their ally, than their mother was to her children, since by the one the kingdom of the young princes was increased, by the other they were deprived of life.

For Laodice, out of six children, all boys, whom she had by king Ariarathes (fearing that, when some of them were grown up, she would not long enjoy the administration of the kingdom), killed five by poison; but the care of their relatives rescued from the barbarous hands of their mother one infant, who, after the death of Laodice (for the people killed her for her cruelty), became sole king.

[Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Philippic Histories , Book 37:1 (Translated by Rev. J.S.Watson, 1853)]

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More cases: Women in Power: Aristocratic Female Serial Killers

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For more cases of this type, see Serial Baby-Killer Moms.

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