With a not-so-promising future in Victorian England, Mary Ann Cotton embarks on a journey of seducing, marrying, and killing her spouses and children to collect her insurance policies. Once she was caught in 1873, she learned just how unforgiving society could be to those who transgressed.
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“The Black Widow of England” Pt. 2: Mary Ann Cotton

From callous killers to evil entrepreneurs, explore the psychology, motivations, and atrocities of female criminals. A Spotify Original from Parcast.

Society & Culture

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True crime

Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, assassination-aiding King of Poisons.
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Thanksgiving Special: Just Add Arsenic

Their sinister life insurance scheme had worked once — now, 74-year-old Helen and 72-year-old Olga were ready to strike again. But their “perfect murder” had a hitch: an insurance investigator who took a look at their policies, and found red flags all over.
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Helen Golay & Olga Rutterschmidt Pt. 2: Killer Grannies

Their upbringings couldn’t have been more different, but by the time they meet, Helen and Olga have one important thing in common: They’re schemers, willing to bend the world to their will if it means making a quick buck. In the 1990s, they hatch a plot more devious than all the rest.
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Helen Golay & Olga Rutterschmidt Pt. 1: Friends Who Fraud

In South Carolina, legend tells of a woman who lured weary travelers to their deaths — turning her inn into a murder house. But there’s more to Lavinia Fisher’s story than bodies beneath floorboards. Was she really America’s first female serial killer? Or was she really only guilty of raising a little hell?
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Lavinia Fisher, the Innkeeper from Hell

After marrying the heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1862, Sarah Winchester was seemingly set for life. But while her finances never despaired, Sarah did — experiencing a string of tragedies that would haunt her. She built a strange and sweeping mansion to try and escape her ghosts, but in the process, built an even bigger legend.
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“The Black Widow of England” Pt. 2: Mary Ann Cotton

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