Jane Toppan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Honora Kelley March 31, 1854 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Status | Deceased |
| Died | August 17, 1938 (aged 84) |
| Other names | Jolly Jane |
| Motive | Unclear, possibly sexual fetishism and/or sadism |
| Criminal charge | Murder (12 counts)
|
| Verdict | Not guilty by reason of insanity |
| Penalty | Involuntary commitment to a mental hospital for life |
| Details | |
| Victims | 12 confirmed, 31 confessed, more than 100 suspected |
Span of crimes | 1895–1901 |
| Country | US |
| State(s) | Massachusetts |
Date apprehended | October 29, 1901 |
Jane Toppan (born Honora Kelley; March 31, 1854 – August 17, 1938), nicknamed Jolly Jane, was an American serial killer who is known to have committed twelve murders in Massachusetts between 1895 and 1901. She confessed to thirty-one murders. The killings were carried out in Toppan's capacity as a nurse, targeting patients and their family members. Toppan, who admitted to have committed the murders to satisfy a sexual fetish, was quoted as saying that her ambition was "to have killed more people—helpless people—than any other man or woman who ever lived".[1]
- ^ Smith, Col Robert Barr (2015). "The Modest Ambition of Jane Toppan". Outlaw Women: America's Most Notorious Daughters, Wives, and Mothers. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-4422-4730-7.