Mae Ella Lee Killed Two Inconvenient Men - Texas 1962

FULL TEXT: San Antonio, Tx. – Mrs. Mae Ella Lee told police yesterday she killed her boy friend last month by poisoning his drinking water at a hospital where he was recovering from an earlier attempt to do him in.

It was not the first time she had eliminated a man who was bothering her, the 33-year-old mother of four said. She told police she poisoned her husband two years ago.

Police filed murder charges against Mrs. Lee in the deaths of Bloy Lee, who died March 14, 1960, and James Nolden, who died in a San Antonio hospital Feb. 14. She was being held without bond.

The woman told police she poisoned her husband "because of marital difficulties." She did not explain what the difficulties were.

Mrs. Lee said she poisoned Nolden because he was pressing her to marry him. Rather than keep turning him down she decided to get rid of him. She said she used thallium on both victims. Mrs. Lee told police she first tried to poison Nolden at her home. But the thallium only made him sick.

He was rushed to a hospital and was reported recovering, she said, and she paid him a visit. This time, she said, she added the thallium to Nolden's drinking water. He died in the hospital.

Police became suspicious of Mrs. Lee when an autopsy showed considerable quantities of thallium in Nolden's body. When she was brought in for questioning, she broke down and confessed.

[“Woman Tells Of Killing Boy Friend And Husband,” Tucson Daily Citizen (Az.), Mar. 2, 1962, p., 14]

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FULL TEXT: Mrs. Mae Ella Lee, 33, 3356 K street, was indicted Wednesday, June 20, on two charges of murder with malice, in the poison deaths of her husband, two years ago, and of her boy friend in March, this year. She is the mother of four children.

She is accused of administering rat poison through their drinking water. When it appeared that the boyfriend, being hospitalized, might recover, she finished the job at the hospital – giving him more poison as she “attended” him.

At the time of her arrest, March 2, she said that she poisoned her husband, Bloy Lee, two years ago, because he would not let her go to church. The couple married April 16, 1954, teo daughters were born to them. She had two children by her first husband, Curtis Hendricks, whom she said she divorced. Hendricks seems to have dropped from sight.

She allegedly poisoned the boy friend, James Nolden, 44, 430 Dorie, because he insisted on their getting married.

With her bond having been set at $30,000, she has remained in jail since her arrest.

When the husband died, March 14, 1960, in Santa Rosa hospital, death was believed to have been caused by spinal meningitis. Everyone accepted that option except Lee’s mother, who told a district attorney’s investigator, at that time, that her son had been poisoned.

When Nolden died, and an autopsy revealed poison, the investigator, Connie Pogue, remembered the mother’s accusation. The woman decided to tell the truth about the two deaths after taking a lie detector test.

At the time of her arrest, she said that she and Lee were happily married, that he was a good provider, a good family man, true and faithful, but that he was not much of a church man, and tried to keep her from going to church.

She claimed that once he struck her and told her that he would stop her from, going to church if he had to give her a dose of strychnine. That, she mid, gave her the idea of killing him with rat poison.

It was the first part of March, 1960, that she gave Lee the first dose of poison in a glass of water that he had requested. She gave him more poison the next day, and the following day he complained of his legs and stomach aching, his condition worsened, and he died on March 14, at
Santa Rosa hospital.

Following his death, she said that she became very active in church work at Wheatley Heights Baptist church, where she met Nolden who was also an active church worker. They became friendly, with Nolden asking her to marry him. She said that she liked him very much, but that was not the kind of man she would want for her children.

Nolden proposed repeatedly, but she continued to refuse him.

She stated that he married another woman, “just to make her mad," but two days after the wedding, he was back at her house, and "annoyed" her to the extent that she called police. Nolden got a divorce, shortly after that, and Mrs. Lee wild that she "took him back," and agreed to go with him again, on his promise that he would never ask her to marry him Bat he did propose again, on Feb. 5, because angry when she refused, and allegedly at ruck her.

When he later asked for a glass of water, she put poison in it, she said. The next day he complained of being in pain. About 4 o'clock the next morning she carried him to the hospital, and thereafter visited him every day. When she noticed that he was improving, she gave him more poison in his water. She declared she had made up her mind that if he continued to bother her about getting married that she would give him mora poison.

He did, and she did. He died Feb. 14.

Pogue's remembering the accusation made by the mother of Mrs. Lee's dead husband, two years before, led to her being questioned, March 1, by detectives, with him agreeing to take a lie detector test. She decided, after taking the test, "to tell the truth" about the deaths of the two men.

Mrs. Lee, said to be an Austin high school graduate, told police that she had never had a drink, and does not smoke.

[“S. A. Woman Who Poisoned Husband, B. F., Indicted,” San Antonio Register (Tx.), Jun. 29, 1962. p. 1]

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FULL TEXT: MRS. Mae Ella Lee, 33, address listed as 3350 a street, indicted in June oil two counts of murder with malice for the rat poison deaths of her husband in March. 1960, and her boy friend in February, this year, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Thursday, Sept. 6, for the murder of the boy friend, James Nolden, 44, 430 Dorie. She is the mother of four children.

The murder charge in the case of her husband. Bloy Lee, 44, was dismissed because «»f insufficient evidence.

After testimony had been heard in 144th district court. Judge Archie Brown, presiding. Mrs. Lee's attorney, Fred Semaan, entered a plea of guilty, and the jury assessed the 15-year term the penitentiary in the Nolden case.

Bond in the murders had originally been $30,000— $15,000 in each case.

It was subsequently reduced, and. at trial time, Mrs. Lee was free under $2,000 bond.

She admitted administering rat poison through the drinking water of her victims. At the time of her arrest on March 2 this year, she said that she poisoned her husband, two years before, because he would not let her go to church. He died March 14, 1960.

She murdered Nolden. she said, because he insisted on their getting married. When it looked like he might be recovering from initial poison doses, she finished him off in the hospital.

She and Lee were married April 16, 1954. Two daughters were born to them. She had two children by a first husband, a Curtis Hendricks, whom she said she had divorced.

In the case of her husband, she said when arrested, that they were happily married, that he was a good provides, a food family man, true and faithful, but that he was not much of a church man, and tried to keep her from going to church.

Once he struck her. she said, and told her that he would atop her from going to church, if he "had to give her a dose of strychnine." That gave her the idea of poisoning, and she started administering rat poison— thallium—in his water around the first of March, 1960. He died on March 14.

Death was believed to have been caused by spinal meningitis at the time, and everybody accepted that opinion except Lee's mother, who told a district attorney's investigator that her son had been poisoned. This doubt proved, two years later, to be the murderess' undoing.

After her husband's death. She became active in church work at Wheatley Heights Baptist church, where she met Nolden, also an active church worker.

Romance blossomed, and Nolden proposed, repeatedly. She turned him dowu. repeatedly, and he reportedly married another woman, "just to make me mad." she said. Two days after the ceremony, he "was back at" Mrs. Lee's house, and "annoyed" her to the extent that she called the police.

Very shortly, Nolden got a divorce and Mrs. Lee "took him back” on his promise that he would never ask her to marry him again.

But he did propose again, on Feb. 5, became angry when she refused. She claimed that he struck her. When later, on this occasion, he asked for a glass of water. she poisoned it. She gave him more poison the next day.

She later carried him to the hospital and visited him every day.

When she noticed that he was improving, she gave him more poison.

She said that she made up her mind that If he continued to bother her about getting married, give him more poison.

He "bothered her" about getting married.

She gave him more poison. He died Feb. 14. 

The investigator of two years before remembered the accusation was by Mrs. Lee's mother-in law. That led to more intense questioning and a lie detector test to which she agreed. 

She decided, she said, after taking the teat "to tell the truth” about the deaths of the two men.

[“Boy Friend Poisoner Gets 15 Years Case Against Woman Of Also Poisoning Dismissed,” San Antonio Register (Tx.), Sep. 14, 1962. p. 1]

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For links to other cases of woman who murdered 2 or more husbands (or paramours), see Black Widow Serial Killers.

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