Hattie Whitten

Hattie Livermore Whitten (July 24, 1862 – November 30, 1902) was an American serial killer who poisoned her husband and two daughters in the early 20th-century. Arrested after attending her daughter's funeral, Whitten hanged herself while in prison custody, and thus was unable to be put on trial for her crimes.

Life and crimes As a whole, little is known of Hattie's early life prior to her moving to Dexter. It was reported that she came from a respectable family in Dover, one of two daughters born to David and Esther (née Lord) Livermore. At some point in her life, she married Harry E. Whitten and gave birth to three children: Fannie, Jennie and Lewis. In 1900, Harry died suddenly under suspicious circumstances, most likely as a result of poisoning from his wife. On September 19, 11-year-old Fannie died suddenly, with the coroner ruling the cause of death as meningitis. This was suspicious, however, as the little girl appeared to be in good health, with no obvious signs of any ailment. Nevertheless, Hattie had insured her daughter, receiving $85 from the insurance company. Circumstantial evidence supporting her guilt was also disclosed, as a day prior to Fannie's death, she was seen buying laudanum, arsenic and castor oil; similarly, while the still-healthy Jennie was out selling wares so she could buy her mother a present for Christmas, Hattie was seen buying the arsenic and strychnine she would later kill her with. Dr. Murphy, who attended both of the children, voiced his opinion that the poisons were likely ingested in the form of oil, so they could easily pass through the stomach into the intestines. When it came to the death of Jennie, Hattie had apparently left a postal card calling for the doctor to treat her, despite him living only half a mile away from her residence, and having a telephone.