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By this time Wilson had become a figure of local gossip, concerning both the frequency at which her spouses died and her rather cheerful attitude towards the pattern; she had joked at her latest wedding reception that left-over sandwiches would be fresh enough to use at the next funeral. She had also
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poison in 1956 and 1957. The remains of her earlier two husbands were exhumed at a later date and pointed to the same cause of death. There was no reason, however, to have a second trial.
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226:. Her lover John Russell eventually moved in with them. In 1955, Knowles died. Five months later she married Russell. He died in 1956 (or early in 1957). The
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241:. He died only 12 days into their marriage, leaving her £50. She soon married a fourth husband, Ernest Wilson. His estate included up to £100, a
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She married her first husband John
Knowles around November 1914. They settled at a house in
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from the local undertaker, for providing him with plenty of business. These instances of
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1958. However the sentence was commuted to a prison sentence due to her advanced age.
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An exhumation of the bodies of her last two husbands revealed high levels of
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In June 1957, Wilson married her third husband, Oliver
Leonard, a retired
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but her advanced age allowed her to get a reprieve and her sentence was
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channel as the season 11 premiere episode entitled "Mid Life Murder".
291:. She died of natural causes on 5 December 1962 while incarcerated at
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Wilson was born Mary
Elizabeth Cassidy on 11 June 1889, in
517:"'Merry Widow Of Windy Nook' Has Death Sentence Commuted"
183:; 11 June 1889 – 5 December 1962), known in media as
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620:Prisoners sentenced to death by England and Wales
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375:. Newcastle upon Tyne. 31 March 1958. p. 3.
595:People convicted of murder by England and Wales
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459:. No. 18369. 10 January 1963. p. 11
493:. No. 26665. 10 January 1963. p. 3
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261:brought her to the attention of the police.
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630:Violence against men in the United Kingdom
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346:"Brassed off by the cold and back again"
431:"Merry Widow Is Sentenced To Be Hanged"
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501:– via British Newspaper Archive.
234:. Wilson inherited their money, £42.
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585:English prisoners sentenced to death
397:Sarah Robertson (28 November 2004).
369:"The day I called on Mrs. Wilson".
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610:People from Stanley, County Durham
580:English people convicted of murder
560:1957 murders in the United Kingdom
555:1956 murders in the United Kingdom
550:1955 murders in the United Kingdom
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641:
509:
484:"WINDY NOOK WIDOW DIES IN PRISON"
325:List of serial killers by country
344:Chris Lloyd (19 November 2008).
450:"'WIDOW OF WINDY NOOK' IS DEAD"
570:20th-century English criminals
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272:two of her four husbands with
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185:The Merry Widow of Windy Nook
575:Criminals from Tyne and Wear
354:. Darlington. Archived from
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230:declared that both men had
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565:20th-century English women
304:Her story was depicted in
51:, Stanley, Durham, England
469:British Newspaper Archive
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625:Suspected serial killers
312:Investigation Discovery
399:"Cops have last laugh"
232:died of natural causes
35:Mary Elizabeth Cassidy
600:People from Gateshead
358:on 28 September 2012.
172:Mary Elizabeth Wilson
25:Mary Elizabeth Wilson
522:St. Petersburg Times
605:People from Hebburn
435:The Palm Beach Post
372:Newcastle Chronicle
228:attending physician
137:Span of crimes
411:on 3 November 2011
299:In popular culture
293:HM Holloway Prison
281:sentenced to death
189:sentenced to death
490:Evening Chronicle
351:The Northern Echo
289:life imprisonment
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117:life imprisonment
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437:. 30 March 1958.
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407:. Archived from
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109:Criminal penalty
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80:Other names
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16:English murderer
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525:. 2 June 1958.
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495:. Retrieved
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413:. Retrieved
409:the original
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356:the original
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307:Deadly Women
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253:asked for a
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239:estate agent
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68:HMP Holloway
62:(1962-12-05)
45:11 June 1889
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590:Mariticides
545:1962 deaths
540:1889 births
279:Wilson was
155:Location(s)
534:Categories
404:Sunday Sun
331:References
266:phosphorus
220:Windy Nook
85:Windy Nook
41:1889-06-11
615:Poisoners
310:, on the
270:murdering
224:Gateshead
205:Catchgate
199:Biography
141:1955–1957
74:, England
49:Catchgate
497:11 March
463:11 March
415:11 March
319:See also
285:commuted
243:bungalow
209:Stanley
181:Cassidy
149:England
146:Country
128:Victims
123:Details
274:beetle
193:Durham
72:London
113:Death
499:2022
465:2022
417:2022
245:and
57:Died
31:Born
287:to
191:in
177:née
131:2–4
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