Nellie May Madison | |
|---|---|
 Parole application photo of Madison (1941) | |
| Born | April 5, 1895 |
| Died | July 8, 1953 (aged 58) |
| Motive | Spousal abuse |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment; further commuted to time served |
| Details | |
| Date | March 24, 1934 |
| Location(s) | Burbank, California |
| Killed | 1 |
| Weapons | Handgun |
Nellie May Madison (née Mooney; April 5, 1895–July 8, 1953) was an American woman who was convicted of murder in 1934 for killing her husband.[1]
She was the first woman to be sentenced to death in the state of California. Due to public outcry, her sentence was later commuted to life in prison and she was eventually released. Her case helped garner legitimacy for the abuse defense, a concept virtually unknown at the time in criminal cases.[2]
The case was the subject of a 2015 episode of Investigation Discovery's series A Crime to Remember.
- ^ Cairns, Kathleen A. (October 2008). "Madison, Nellie May". American National Biography Online. American Council of Learned Societies. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ Cairns, Kathleen A. (2007). The enigma woman: the death sentence of Nellie May Madison. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-1141-4.