The current entry provides a background on the murderous reign of Mary Ann Cotton, often dubbed one of England's first female serial killers. Cotton administered lethal doses of arsenic to various family members and acquaintances for the predominate motivation of collecting life insurance disbursements. Cotton is historically referred to as one of England's early black‐widow female offenders.
This entry provides a background on Amanda Knox, a former American college exchange student living in Italy when in 2007, she and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested for the murder of Knox's flatmate, Meredith Kercher. After a prolonged legal battle, both in the Italian justice system and the international court of public opinion, both individuals were acquitted of the crime. Knox returned to the United States and subsequently became an author and advocate for the wrongfully accused.
The entry provides a background on Deborah Jeane Palfrey, more commonly referred to as the “DC Madam.” Palfrey ran a successful escort service out of Washington, DC, whose clients consisted of the political elite among other high‐power governmental officials. The exposure of Palfrey's infamous client list ultimately resulted in political scandals for several politicians who utilized her escort services.
This entry provides a background on Rosemary West, a female British serial killer who along with her husband, Frederick West, raped, murdered, and dismembered several girls and young women, including two of their own children. The bodies of their victims were often buried in the cellar of the West family home, commonly referred to as the Cromwell House of Horrors.
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