E275: MURDER - Lizzie Halliday (part V)

In this fifth and final part of the Lizzie Halliday story, Lizzie escapes the electric chair—but not justice. She continues to lash out, nearly killing the sheriff’s wife, and ultimately stabbing a beloved young nurse more than 200 times in what would become the first recorded line-of-duty death of a female law enforcement officer in the U.S.

Along the way, Lizzie makes a claim to her murdered husband’s pension, attempts to set multiple fires, and spins wild tales of murderous gangs and poisoned whiskey. We also hear from journalist Nellie Bly, who sits face-to-face with Lizzie—and walks away unconvinced by her claims of madness.

How many people did Lizzie really kill? We may never know. But it’s clear that, even behind bars, she was never finished causing harm.

Lizzie Halliday, female serial killer, true crime, historical crime, 19th-century crime, Matteawan Asylum, Nellie Bly, Paul Halliday, Sarah Jane McQuillan, Margaret McQuillan, Nelly Wickes, first woman electric chair, American history, murder trial, criminally insane, Fresh Hell Podcast