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Mary Ann Cotton

Mary Ann Cotton. By Emily Casey. What Makes a Serial Killer. Adolescent life Dysfunctional backgrounds involving sexual or physical abuse Bipolar mood disorder Feeling of resentment towards society Isolation Absence of love or nurture Unstable home life Mental illness Most not psychotic

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Mary Ann Cotton

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  1. Mary Ann Cotton By Emily Casey

  2. What Makes a Serial Killer • Adolescent life • Dysfunctional backgrounds involving sexual or physical abuse • Bipolar mood disorder • Feeling of resentment towards society • Isolation • Absence of love or nurture • Unstable home life • Mental illness • Most not psychotic • Psychopaths • Perceives themselves as Gods • Become addicted t killing

  3. Early Life • Born in October 1832 in Low Moorsely, County Durham • Near poverty and abuse as a child • Feared her father • Age 8, family moved • Year after father fell down a mine shaft to his death • Mom remarried • Hated stepfather, but had to stay to keep money coming in for the family • Married early to get away from her stepfather Interpretation of a young Mary Ann Cotton

  4. First Marriage • Married William Mowbray • 20 years old • Had 5 children • 4 died from gastric fever • Husband later died of intestinal disorder in January of 1865 • Cotton then collect insurance when Mowbray died

  5. Second Marriage • George Ward in 1865 • 3 ½ year old daughter died • Daughter Isabelle lived with grandmother • Ward died due to intestinal problems • Cotton collect insurance as soon as he died • During marriage her mother died on June 9th 1867 of stomach pains

  6. Third Marriage • Married to James Robinson • Isabelle had stomach pains and died • Robinson’s two other children died of the same reason • Their child, Mary Isabelle, died after birth due to stomach pain • Robinson threw Cotton out 1800’s arsenic container

  7. Fourth Marriage • Cotton was living on the streets • Married Fredrick Cotton • Had sons Robert and Charles Edward • Fredrick died from gastric fever in December 1871 • Mary didn’t collect insurance Medical Certificate of Fredrick Cotton

  8. Charles Edward Cotton • After Fredrick died, Charles Edward was only Cotton boy still alive • Mary believed he was in the way of her • She told parish official, Thomas Riley,Charles was “sickly” and she “won’t be troubled long. He’ll go like all the rest of the Cottons.” • Five days later, July 12th 1872, Charles was dead • Riley was suspicious, so he told the doctor not to write a death certificate yet • Mary first call after death of Charles was to insurance office • She was told that she Death Certificate of Charles Edward Cotton

  9. Media Attention • Local newspaper found out about Mary Ann and her suspicion in killing Charles Edward • They found out she lost 3 husbands, a lover, 2 other family members, and a dozen of children. • All of them died of “stomach fevers”

  10. Trial • Trial began March 5th 1873 • Found that Mary Ann killed victims using arsenic poisoning • Only took 90 minutes to find her guilty. • She was hanged on March 24 1873 at Durham County Gaol by William Calcraft Death Sentence for Mary Ann Cotton

  11. Type of Killer • Serial Murderer • Killing of 3 or more victims over an extended period of time • Mary Ann Cotton killed about 20 people over a period of 10 years • Fit the demographics of a serial killer • Motive • Collect insurance money after death • Type • Hedonistic • Kill for pleasure • Just for fun or for profit

  12. Good or Evil? • Mary Ann Cotton is evil • Killed her family members to get money out of it • Killed by means of arsenic poisoning • Type • Moral evil- harms perpetrated by some agent • Characteristics of an evil person that Mary Ann has • Deceives others • High level of respectability to victims • Projects sins/evils onto very specific group • Mary Ann does not say if what she did was evil or not • If she did she probably wouldn’t because she repeatedly killed family members by arsenic poisoning

  13. Psychoanalysis • Descriptors • Age- killings during her twenties and thirties • Sex- female • Race- Caucasian • Residency- Murton in Durham County • Proximity- • Social skills- very good, she had 4 husbands and 2 lovers • Work history- worked in a factory • Educational level- fairly smart, but no college or other legitimate schooling

  14. Works Cited • http://heroinesofhistory.wikispaces.com/Mary+Ann+Cotton • http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/cotton/1.html • http://murderrevisited.blogspot.com/2009/05/mary-ann-cotton.html • http://www.maryanncotton.co.uk/

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