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http://murderpedia.org/female.C/c/cotton-mary-ann.htm
Growing up in the 1800's Mary Ann had a difficult childhood. Having young parents, a father with an unstable job and distant mother; Mary Ann felt very secluded.
Cotton was never diagnosed with a disorder since in this era, many mental disorders were not well known.
Cotton stated that all the murders occurred because of the dye in the wallpaper having arsenic in it. She stuck to this story until the day she was executed.
At the age of 16, Cotton moved away from home and began working as a servant. On the side, she would sell herself to men. Once it became known in her town and a scandal broke out, she moved and married her first victim soon later being pregnant.
Cotton was executed 3 weeks after trial. She was killed by hanging in Durham prison on March 24, 1873.
As a child, Mary Ann moved constantly and was a very shy child. Causing her to not have many friends. Also, her father died in a mining accident leading her mother to remarry a much stricter man.
In Cotton's first marriage she had 5 children, 4 died during infancy. At this time it was looked as common because of how weak the medical knowledge was and infant deaths occurred often after birth.
Yes, Mary Ann made herself out to be the innocent widow who lost many loved ones. Throughout the whole trial, she stuck to her story that the arsenic poison was caused through the dye in wallpaper.
http://www.murderuk.com/poisoners_mary_ann_cotton.html
Mary Ann killed approximately 21+ people. 4 husbands, 2 lovers, 8 of her own children, 7 step children, and was suspected of killing her own mother.
Mary's murders were all done in the same fashion, through poison. She would convince her victims to take out life insurance then later place arsenic into food or drinks.