This was also the time two of their children died not long after eating, though at the time it was thought to be due to food poisoning. Doss was too consumed with her mothers health to find out about Mortons affairs. This glee lessened over time as she began her punishment. Nannie Doss was born in 1905, and she was arrested 50 years later. What did you do right before you started feeling sick? is one he asks more than once. Im so excited for this post because I have not yet researched a female serial killer. Alexander "Sawney" Bean was a clan leader born in 14th-century Scotland. Though she was acquitted, many people believe Lizzie Borden killed her father and stepmother back in 1892. Instead, after she pleaded guilty on May 17, 1955, she was sentenced to life imprisonment. A year later, Doss met her second husband, Jacksonville resident Robert Franklin Harrelson, through a lonely hearts newspaper column. The doctor, who treated Samuel, was alerted by his sudden death. During the journey, the train suddenly ceased moving and she hit her head on a metal bar on the seat opposite of her. Doss earned her nickname, Giggling Granny, because of her smiling and giggling as she discussed her crimes with the authorities. When she asked if she could work in the kitchen, she was politely told no. They realized after exhuming her other past husbands that they all had doses of arsenic and rat poison in their systems. Doss grew up reading her mothers romance magazines and wished for a fairytale future. She was an 11-year-old girl who began killing children just for the fun of it. And in time, you believe she has forgiven you for that silly argument. But for Tulsa Attorney Gordon Patten, the case revived . Once in your nice, comfortable house, everything is peaceful. This seclusion led her to leaving leave school after only finishing the 6th grade. Melvina then started dating a soldier whom Doss did not particularly like. It was at her first job that Doss met Charley Braggs, who would become her first husband. After confessing to the murders of four or her five husbands, Nannie Doss leaves the county attorneys office and heads to jail. Background and Family While Braggs was an attentive father, his relationship with his wife did not improve at all. Nannie Doss was an American serial killer who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after murdering 11 people between the 1920s and 1954. Doss mother needed a caretaker after she fell and broke a hip in 1953 after her father passed away. Meet Nannie Doss; The Giggling Granny who Killed people in search of The second child, however, died shortly after of unknown causes. Nanny Doss: The Giggling Nanny By mthirion9 Timeline List 1910 1920 1930 1940 Jan 1, 1912, Train Injury Jan 1, 1922, Charley Braggs Jan 1, 1927, First Deaths Jan 1, 1929, Frank Harrelson Jan 1, 1945, Melvina's second child. You're not sure where she went, but she wouldn't do something so outrageous as taking out two life insurance policies on you and list herself as the sole beneficiary, would she? He would not let his children attend school but forced them to serve as farm-hands. Your email address will not be published. Educator and activist, she lived from May 2, 1879, to May 20, 1961. You take a nap, not expecting to wake up anytime soon. Most were none the wiser, even when the home they shared burned down seemingly randomly. Often referred to as The Giggling Granny or The Jolly Widow, Nannie Doss did not instill fear in her victims. Nannie Doss Killed Four of Her Five Husbands - and Possibly Seven Other Nannie Doss, who is commonly referred to as "The Giggling Granny" or "The Jolly Widow," is suspected of killing at least 10 people between 1924 and 1954. Nannie was just seven when she was riding a train that came to a sudden and abrupt stop. Edmund Kemper is a convicted serial killer from America who murdered ten people. How Serial Killer Nannie Doss Was Finally Caught - Grunge Nannie Doss was promptly arrested. Often referred to as "The Giggling Granny" or "The Jolly Widow", Nannie Doss did not instill fear in her victims. Starting in 1927 with the death of two of her children and ending in 1954 with the death of her husband, Samuel Doss, Nannie Doss killed eleven people before being caught by police. The woman died in her sleep. At the age of seven, she suffered a serious accident which caused severe bouts of headache in the years to come. When she was 7, Nannie hit her head on a metal bar on the seat in front of her while travelling to see family on a train. He also suddenly died of mysterious causes. Meanwhile, Doss took out insurance worth $500 on Robert. That night, Robert died in his sleep of asphyxia. Doss confessed to killing four of her husbands, her mother, her sister, her grandson, and her mother-in-law. For years to follow, she suffered with depression, headaches, and blackouts. She and Braggs worked together at the Linen Thread Company in nearby Anniston. He was a known cannibal who, with the help of his wife, raised a large army of cannibalistic children and grandchildren. Born In: Blue Mountain, Anniston, Alabama, Nick Name: Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, Spouse/Ex-: Arlie Lanning (m. ?1950), Richard L. Morton (m. 19521953), Robert Franklin Harrelson (m. 19291945), See the events in life of Nannie Doss in Chronological Order, http://www.tulsaworld.com/uploaded_photos/nannie-doss-in-prison/image_b9e0530b-17a9-59b5-9a49-25f15784d522.html, http://allthatsinteresting.com/nannie-doss-giggling-granny, https://hellhorror.com/serial-killer-93/Nannie-Doss.html. The final murder ended up revealing her for what she was. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family, personal life, crimes, etc. However, many in the area were clueless about her past, so no one was suspicious and thought he had died because of a heart problem or a virus. She had apparently found a possible husband number six in North Carolina based dairy farmer John H. Keel before her arrest and even sent him a cake. Nannie Doss, otherwise known as the Giggling Granny, or Lady Bluebeard, was an elderly woman who poisoned and killed up to 11 members of her family, including four husbands.She blamed early head trauma and an unrealized dream of a romance novel-style marriage as the impetus behind her coldhearted murders, the crimes of Nannie Doss will shock even the most hardened true crime lovers. Wentworth Miller is an American actor and screenwriter who achieved recognition for his role in the TV series Prison Break. Doss was looking to get married for the fourth time. He was her only son and she was unmarried at the time so Doss had to accept it. Two children died under mysterious circumstances that same year. The next day, Doss discovered onez of Harrelsons liquor bottles in the flower bed. She boarded a bus to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to meet Samuel Doss, a Nazarene minister who had lost his family in a tornado in Madison County, Arkansas. She put poison into a jar of his alcohol and, again, his death was inaccurately attributed to food poisoning. The death was diagnosed as asphyxia from unknown causes, and two months later Nannie collected the $500 life insurance she had taken out on Robert. However, she continued to find humor in things. Two weeks later, he was dead. On July 7, 1945, he died from asphyxiation and within two months after his death, Doss cashed in on Roberts insurance. Two years later, she and her husband had another child, this time a daughter. He also did not allow them to attend any dances or other social events. Doss was never charged with the other deaths. After the funeral, the house they had lived in, which was inherited by Lannings sister, burned down and Doss got the insurance money. In exchange for a trashy romance magazine, Nannie admitted to murdering not just Samuel but many others. The first grandchild, Robert, died while in Doss care of asphyxiation. She was found guilty at the end of her trial. She and Braggs worked together at the Linen Thread Company in nearby Anniston. It wasnt until 1945 when he came home drunk and became particularly violent that Nannie decided Franks time was up. Nannie killed him that very evening with her tried and tested method of arsenic in coffee. Her casual smoking habit turned into a heavy addiction. Melvina vaguely remembered watching her mother stick a hatpin in the head of the infant as Melvina faded in and out of conciousness. Rosa Parks, also known as the first lady of civil rights and the mother of the freedom movement, was a famous African-American civil rights activist. Nannie Doss: Lonely Hearts Lady Loved Her Man To Death Geringer, Joseph. Worldhistory.us - For those who want to understand the History, not just to read it. Unfortunately, she was able to kill multiple innocent victims before she was finally snatched by the police. Instead, Nannie was given a check from their insurance company to cover the damages. She had four siblings, including a brother named William Roscoe Hazel and a sister named Dovie Frances Hazel Weaver. Lannings sister was designated to receive the house through his will, but instead, an insurance check was sent to Doss for the damages. Nannie Doss had murdered him by giving him poisoned coffee due to the greed of collecting two life insurance aids. She was anxious all the time and soon enough, started drinking. Nannie Doss breaks into a smile after signing a statement for Tulsa officers admitting she killed four of her five husbands with rat poison. However, this time she tired of the union rather quickly. Nannie left him for a short period in protest until he put her name on his bank account and took out two life insurance policies with her as beneficiary. She told a reporter that the only job she was allowed to do in the prison was laundry. She had apparently found a possible husband number six in North Carolina based dairy farmer John H. Keel before her arrest and even sent him a cake. Arlies mother, who they had been living with, also died one night in her sleep. Because after a simple marital spat, that would be weird, right? A few days later, she started to have severe stomach pains and died. She had an abusive father and a mother who did not do anything about the abuse. She would not let my own mother stay all night Braggs' mother took up a lot of his attention and limited Nannie's activities. The very last thing Richard did was drink coffee filled with arsenic. Nannie Doss (born Nancy Hazel; November 4, 1905 - June 2, 1965) was an American serial killer responsible for the deaths of 11 people between some time in the 1920s and 1954. Within months after the death of her fourth husband, Nannie had her eyes set on a new one. After he was warned anonymously not to eat anything his wife prepared, Braggs fled their home, taking their eldest daughter, Melvina, with him but leaving Florine, their youngest, behind. Nannie Doss was only charged for the death of Samuel Doss. The doctor seems to notice. Doss's oldest daughter, Melvina, had a child in 1943 and another in 1945. Total she killed 11 people and they are as follows: Her 2 middle daughters Frank Harrelson Arlie Lanning Arlie Lanning's mother Her sister Dovie Her grandaughter Her grandson Her mother, Lou Hazle Her son-in-law, Richard Morton Sam Doss Suspect The only real suspect in all of the murders was Nannie Doss herself. In 1945, Harrelson raped Nannie. Nannie Doss was an American serial killer who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after murdering 11 people between the 1920s and 1954. Samuel L. Doss, 58, of Tulsa, who died Oct. 10, 1954, of poison mixed with a bowl of prunes and a cup of coffee. Doss is responsible for the murder of several of her husbands and also a lot of her family members between 1920 and 1948. Nannie Helen Burroughs founded what was at the time the largest Black women's organization in the United States and, with the organization's sponsorship, founded a school for girls and women. Samuel Doss spent a month recovering in the hospital. Exhausted from labor and groggy from ether, Melvina thought she saw her visiting mother stick a hatpin into the baby's head. Braggs must have known something was wrong with their deaths, because he left, taking the oldest daughter with him. Nannie Doss Alias Nancy Hazel (birth name) The Giggling Granny The Giggling Nanny The Lonely Hearts Killer The Jolly Black Widow Gender Female Birth Date November 4, 1905 Place of Birth Blue Mountain, Alabama, United States (now Anniston, Alabama) Date of Death June 2, 1965 (aged 59) Place of Death Arlie was poisoned to death by 1950. They were married soon. Nannie would later admit that it was this unfortunate chance event that was the root of all of her evil and strange behavior. Despite the abuse, the marriage lasted 16 years until 1945. Nannie Doss Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Crimes of Nannie Doss was born in 1905, and she was arrested 50 years later. He simply made the mistake of telling his wife that she could only read magazines or watch television shows that were for educational purposes. At the age of 16, Nannie Doss wed a man she had only known for four months. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of serial killers in the United States, List of serial killers by number of victims, "Only in Oklahoma: Black widow enjoyed the limelight", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nannie_Doss&oldid=1151423541, American people who died in prison custody, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oklahoma, Serial killers who died in prison custody, Articles needing additional references from November 2017, All articles needing additional references, Pages using infobox criminal with motive parameter, Articles needing additional references from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 23 April 2023, at 23:50. Nannie Doss Gleeful serial killer Nancy "Nannie Doss" Hazle was known alternately as the Giggling Granny, the Giggling Nannie, the Jolly Black Widow, the Lonely Hearts Killer, Lady Bluebeard, and, as one newspaper dubbed her, the "self-made widow." Arrested for the murder of one husband in 1955, she confessed to murdering four and maintained that she never harmed her "blood kin." She craved a non-existent thing the "Perfect Marriage", complete with a perfect romance-novel man to sweep her off her feet and make her dreams come true just like in the novels she . Doss quickly skipped town, but only after her mother-in-law, with whom she had been staying, died in her sleep. She was subsequently tried and given a life sentence. At one point, in order to gain more control of the finances, Doss left from Oklahoma, where the couple currently lived, and went home to Alabama. It is quite possible that she had poisoned those girls. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family, life, and little known facts about him. It was just 10 years after she had first been jailed that she passed away from leukemia. "The Giggling Granny" Nannie Doss Poisoned Nearly a - Medium Whenever she came back, she played the role of a doting wife perfectly. She too met her demise soon after Doss moved in. And this one hardly seemed serious. Nannie's eldest, Melvina, gave birth to Robert Lee Haynes in 1943. Soon, Dovies condition began to worsen, and it wasnt long before she, too, died in her sleep. Two years after Lanning's death, Doss met and married Richard Morton. He did not allow non-educational, non-enlightening TV shows and magazines in the house and disliked the romance novels and stories that his wife adored. However, the relationship had several issues right from the beginning, mostly due to Harrelsons alcoholism and violent temper. Suspecting her, Samuel moved out with the oldest child, Melvina, and left Nannie with his mother and the youngest child. Richard Morton of Emporia, Kan. was Doss next true love, although he spent a lot of time with other women while married to Doss. Nannie W. Doss (Austin) (1872 - 1945) - Genealogy After the tragic incident, the grief-stricken couple slowly drifted apart and eventually separated. During the journey, the train suddenly ceased moving and she hit her head on a metal bar on the seat opposite of her. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Nannie Doss, who confessed to poisoning four of her five husbands, 1954. Nannie DOSS - Gruesome Female Serial Murderer His life was insured for $1,400. While this one was not an alcoholic, he was still a womaniser. Birth . After all, Samuel was far from her only husband and Nannie considered family in general quite expendable. The doctor, thinking something suspicious, immediately ordered an autopsy and found Sam Doss digestive tract full of arsenic. After a few months, she discovered that he was an alcoholic and had a criminal record for assault. It would be an understatement to say that he messed with the wrong person. The next day, she put rat poison in Harrelson's corn whiskey jar, and he died that evening. Her casual smoking habit turned into a heavy addiction. This time, it was Doss who would often vanish for prolonged periods. Nannies father died and so her mother came to live with the couple, which brought its own series of problems. Nannie met her first husband a little less than a decade after her train injury, while still a teenager. In the summer of 1928, Braggs came back with Melvina, a new love interest and her own child. Her first attempt to kill him with arsenic-laced prune cake failed, and he spent a month recovering in the hospital. In 1927, their two middle daughters died under mysterious circumstances a few months apart from each other. She put rat poison in the whiskey. Well, after youd eaten about three large slices and downed a few glasses of milk, you lay down completely stuffed and unusually tired. Nannie eventually confessed to murdering her fifth husband in October 1954 after he died while in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital. But all you do is groan, as your head is throbbing and you have no desire for small talk. Nannie Doss Net Worth (Criminal) Sources cite either a singles club or additional romantic advertising as netting Nannie another husband by 1952. Then her second husband, who was abusive towards her for sixteen years, was murdered when she poisoned his moonshine. The doctor, who treated Samuel, was alerted by his sudden death. Worry? They had four children and lived with her mother-in-law, but she was just as abusive as her father had been. The happy couple lived with Braggs mother, but she had the same abusive type of behavior as Doss father. Nannie Doss | Criminal Minds Wiki | Fandom Your email address will not be published. The final murder ended up revealing her for what she was. Both were unhappy and suspected the other, correctly so, of infidelity. Melissa Brim is the ex-girlfriend of former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. He also forbade them to go to dances and other social events. Her parents were Louisa "Lou" (ne Holder) and James F. Hazel. But it does make you wonder if all of it could have been prevented if not for that childhood train injury. They married three days later. A few days later, she started to have severe stomach pains and died. Despite this, the marriage lasted 16 years. Doss was referred to as the "Giggling Granny," the "Lonely Hearts Killer," the "Black Widow," and "Lady Blue Beard." Take a look below for 25 more interesting and bizarre facts about Nannie Doss. She smiled and laughed all the time. She was anything but sorry for her crimes. Nannie Doss was born Nancy Hazle on Nov. 4, 1905 to poor farming parents in Blue Mountain, Ala. From a very young age, Doss could tell that her mother was deathly afraid of her father, who was a violent man and forced Nannie and her siblings to spend much of their childhood working in the fields often to avoid being beaten. Despite James forbidding Doss and her sisters from wearing make-up and attractive clothes in fear of molestation, it still happened on several occasions. When she was seven years old, she boarded a train to go to Alabama where a few of her relatives lived. Nannie Doss was arrested in 1954. She soon realised, however, that Lanning was an alcoholic womaniser like Harrelson. She was also known as the Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, and Lady Blue Beard. Nannie Doss is escorted for a court appearance in 1955 after confessing to poisoning four of her five husbands, including Samuel Doss of Tulsa. Your stomach is absolutely killing you, and what is really weird is that you are also drooling everywhere. The following day, she found his corn whiskey jar buried while she was in the garden tending her roses. He had the dubious and fortunate distinction of being the only husband that Doss did not murder. She was apprehended in October 1954 for the murder of Doss and while she initially denied any involvement with the murder, she confessed to killing him after a thorough interrogation. She soon experienced some stomach upset and then passed away, and Morton followed her a few months later. She would later develop a special love for the lonely hearts column. Harrelson was no different. They married in 1952 in Emporia, Kansas and not long after that, Morton started to spend night after night with other women in the town. Nannie Doss seemed like a sweet lady. She was also known as the Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, and Lady Blue Beard. Nannie Doss was born on November 4, 1905, in Blue Mountain (now a part of Anniston), AL to James and Louisa Hazel. During this time, many critical events took place, including the murder of 11 people. Continue reading to find out about Nannie Doss next three husbands and other casualties. Police suspect that she is responsible for nearly 12 deaths throughout the coarse of her life. Even as a little girl, Nannie loved her romance magazines, but her father discouraged her dreams by prohibiting any kind of makeup or dressy clothing. She left Robert in her mothers care. Perhaps it was her mother-in-law that kickstarted Doss murdering spree. One day, Melvina had a particularly unpleasant argument with her mother and went to her fathers house to stay for a while. Check out this biography to know about her birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her. And this is how Samuel Doss really was killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was not given the death sentence because of her gender. Melvina had grown up by then and got married herself. The state of Oklahoma centered its case only on Samuel Doss. Youre looking forward to leaving the hospital and making up for lost time with your significant other. In fact, by the time their marriage ended, he had already replaced her with another love interest. In 1965, Doss died of leukaemia in the hospital ward of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. However, Doss wouldnt discover this just yet, because she was distracted with other matters. She had four siblings, including a brother named William Roscoe Hazel and a sister named Dovie Frances Hazel Weaver. Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. In 1945, after the end of the World War II, The United States of America was in a full celebratory mood. The Grinning Grannys calling card was to poison her loved ones with drinks or food spiked with huge amounts of poison. Nannie Doss was born in 1905 into a family of farmers in Alabama. He was her only son and she was unmarried at the time so Doss had to accept it. Then, her two year old grandson died by asphyxiation while in her care. Nannie Helen Burroughs: Advocate and Businesswoman - ThoughtCo Doss later blamed her mental instability on the accident. But when she was home, she played the doting housewife, and when he died of what was said to be heart failure, the townspeople supported her at his funeral. She was anxious all the time and soon enough, started drinking. The doctors, however, could not give a positive explanation. She moved to be with her new love interest, and they were married just two days after they met in person. It turns out that a common household ingredient at the time was a potent way to kill people and without anyone suspecting a thing. After being in jail for two years, she stated that she would have preferred the death sentence. Meanwhile, journalists gave her the nickname Giggling Granny because every time she would tell the story of how she killed her late husbands, she laughed. In 1945, after the end of the World War II, The United States of America was in a full celebratory mood. In the years after, she had bouts of depression, headaches, and blackouts. On September 15, 1945, Harrelson became ill and died. His organs were found to be full of arsenic and blame was put on Nannie. Nannie then had four children. Dont worry, were alone, he tells you. The Truth About Nannie Doss' Childhood - Grunge A native of Alabama, she grew up resenting her father, who was forceful and controlling. Unfortunately, despite doing the best she could to raise Nannie right, even that didnt save her mother. In all, it was revealed that she had killed four husbands, two children, two of her sisters, her mother, two grandsons, and a mother-in-law. By the time she married her third husband, three people had been killed. She found Richard L. Morton of Jamestown, North Carolina in a dating service called the Diamond Circle Club. Nannie later wrote: I married, as my father wished, in 1921 to a boy I only knowed about four or five months who had no family, only a mother who was unwed and who had taken over my life completely when we were married. He was neither a drunk nor abusive. Nannie Doss was given many nicknames by the media, such as Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, and the Lady Blue Beard. One moment the kids were perfectly healthy, and then suddenly they died without an apparent cause. If he hadnt left, he would likely have joined his two deceased children. Zoe LaVerne is an American musical.ly star. Bettmann/Getty ImagesAuthorities question Nannie Doss about her crimes. Exhausted from the labour and still groggy from the ether, Melvina thought that she saw her mother kill her daughter by sticking a hairpin into the newborns head. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, and fun facts about her. 1895 December 29, 1895. Braggs always maintained he left her because he was frightened of her. Nannie Doss was prosecuted by J. Howard Edmondson, who later became governor of Oklahoma. Whats not to love about simmered prunes mixed with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and baked into a moist and flavorful dessert? Your head is pounding and you cant think except to run to the bathroom where you have nonstop and explosive diarrhea. A True Crime Story: Nannie Doss - Her Campus Skai Jackson is an American child actress with huge fan following. At the age of seven, Nannie Doss fell forward while on a train and her head collided with the floor. Nannie continued to act crazy even as she was handed down a sentence of life in prison. Then came the police. One such pen pal was Sam Doss, who would become her fifth husband. Doss was born Nancy Hazel on November 4, 1905, in Blue Mountain, Alabama, the United States. Required fields are marked *. Harrelson was no different. She soon realised, however, that Lanning was an alcoholic womaniser like Harrelson. She was arrested on October 12th 1954 (Age 48), convicted on May 17th 1955 (Age 49), sentenced to life imprisonment at Oklahoma State Penitentiary. When people write personals, they dont include their faults, but it wasnt long before Doss discovered that Harrelson was a drunk who had spent time in jail for felonious assault charges. So the doctor convinced Doss, who was to receive two life insurance benefits after the fifth husbands death, to let him perform an autopsy. Because of the stress of raising four children, Mrs. Braggs, and an adulterous husband, Doss began drinking and smoking heavily, and soon, she too began indulging in adulterous acts. Biography Timeline. Doss died from leukemia in the hospital ward of . Bodies of her victims were exhumed and found to contain alarming amounts of poison. Just seven months later, Harrelson also would be dead. With her father's approval they married after four months of dating. Mirtha Jung is the ex-wife of former drug smuggler George Jung.

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