Mary Ann Cotton

Mary Ann Cotton, born on October fifteenth, eighteen thirty-two, was an English nurse whose life took a dark turn into infamy as a convicted murderer. She is primarily known for the tragic poisoning of her stepson, an act that ultimately led to her execution. However, her story is far more complex, as she is suspected of being a serial killer, having allegedly taken the lives of eleven of her thirteen children and three of her four husbands, all for the financial gain of their life insurance policies.

Cotton's preferred method of murder was poisoning, particularly with arsenic, a substance that would become her signature. Her downfall began when she attempted to send her deceased husband's son, Charles Edward Cotton, to a workhouse. When this plan failed, she reported his death to parish officials just days later, raising suspicions that would lead to a thorough investigation.

As authorities delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding the numerous deaths linked to Cotton, a disturbing pattern emerged. The examination of her stepson's body revealed the presence of arsenic, leading to her arrest. Convicted of murder, she was sentenced to death and hanged at Durham Gaol. Tragically, her execution did not go as planned; instead of dying from a broken neck, she succumbed to strangulation due to a rope that was possibly set too short, raising questions about the intentions behind her execution.