326:, investigation appeared to show that Amy was buying the arsenic to kill large numbers of rats. However, it appears that she did not buy all of the arsenic which killed her patients. The doctor and some of the patients had signed off to purchase it. The investigation pursued Dr. King because more evidence was piling up against him, but suspicions were focused back on Amy when someone suggested to clearly check all records of arsenic purchases.
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Between 1907 and 1917, there were 60 deaths in the Archer Home. Relatives of her clients grew suspicious as they tallied the large number of deaths. Only 12 residents died between 1907 and 1910, but 48 residents died between 1911 and 1916. Among them was
Franklin R. Andrews, an apparently healthy
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In 1913, Amy married
Michael W. Gilligan, a widower with four adult sons. He was reportedly wealthy and interested in both Amy and in investing in the Archer Home. However, on February 20, 1914, after only three months married to Amy, Michael died. The official cause of death was "acute bilious
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After
Andrews' siblings (including Nellie Pierce) came into possession of some of his letters, they noted occasions where Amy Archer-Gilligan was pressing their brother for money. Amy's clients showed a pattern of dying not long after giving her a large sum of money.
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Archer-Gilligan was arrested and tried for murder, originally on five counts. Ultimately her lawyer managed to have the charges reduced to a single count, the murder of
Franklin R. Andrews. On June 18, 1917, a jury found her guilty, and she was sentenced to death.
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Amy Duggan married James Archer in 1897. A daughter, Mary J. Archer, was born in
December 1897. The Archers first became caretakers in 1901, hired to care for John Seymour, an elderly widower. They moved into his home in
315:. Local merchants were able to testify that Amy had been purchasing large quantities of arsenic, supposedly to "kill rats". A look into Gilligan's will established that it was actually a forgery written by Amy.
304:. On May 9, 1916, the first of several articles on the "Murder Factory" was published. A few months later, the police started to seriously investigate the case. The investigation took almost a year to complete.
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man. On the morning of May 29, 1914, Andrews was doing some gardening in the Archer house. His robust physical condition deteriorated in a single day and he was dead by evening. The official cause of death was
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for the elderly, and the
Archers remained to provide care for the elderly for a fee. They paid rent to Seymour's family. They ran the boarding house as Sister Amy's Nursing Home for the Elderly.
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It is possible that Archer-Gilligan was involved in more deaths. The authorities counted 48 deaths in her nursing home, the "Archer Home for the
Elderly and Infirm."
204:. She murdered at least five people by poisoning them. One of her victims was her second husband, Michael Gilligan; the others were residents of her nursing home.
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258:. Amy Archer had taken out an insurance policy on him a few weeks before his death. The policy benefit enabled her to continue operating Archer Home.
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When evidence was found of Amy sending her patients to the drugstore to buy quantities of arsenic, the police were able to arrest and convict her.
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The case attracted wide publicity at the time and has been cited as an inspiration for the play
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James Archer died in 1910, apparently of natural causes. The official cause of his death was
349:. Archer-Gilligan was again found guilty of murder, but this time she was sentenced only to
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In 1924, Archer-Gilligan was declared to be temporarily insane and was transferred to the
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Archer-Gilligan appealed and was granted a new trial in 1919. At this trial, she pled
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The Devil's
Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer
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as it was apparently written in handwriting matching Amy Archer-Gilligan's own.
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Amy E. Duggan was born on
October 31, 1873, to James Duggan and Mary Kennedy in
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As the deaths continued, Nellie Pierce reported her suspicions to the local
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which left his entire estate to her. The will would later be determined a
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In 1907, Seymour's heirs decided to sell the house. The Archers moved to
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in Middletown, where she remained until her death on April 23, 1962.
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429:"True crime story behind classic comedy, 'Arsenic & Old Lace'"
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236:. Seymour died in 1904. His heirs converted the residence into a
298:, but he mostly ignored her. So she took her story to the
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Health care professionals convicted of murdering patients
575:"Police Believe Archer Home for Aged a Murder Factory".
345:. Mary Archer testified that her mother was addicted to
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516:Chronicles of Milton: Village Left Behind by Time
385:List of serial killers with the nickname “Borgia”
380:List of medical and pseudo-medical serial killers
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483:1870 US Census of Litchfield, Connecticut, p. 73
598:. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press. pp.
655:"Amy Archer-Gilligan and Her Murder Factory"
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778:Prisoners who died in Connecticut detention
773:Prisoners sentenced to death by Connecticut
518:. Milton, Connecticut: Milton Women's Club.
375:List of serial killers in the United States
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192:(October 31, 1873 – April 23, 1962) was a
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758:People convicted of murder by Connecticut
497:1900 US Census of Litchfield, Connecticut
491:1900 US Census of Litchfield, Connecticut
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718:20th-century American businesswomen
708:19th-century American businesswomen
627:Phelps, M. William (June 1, 2011).
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363:Connecticut Hospital for the Insane
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763:People from Newington, Connecticut
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466:"Mary Kennedy Duggan, 1838-1915",
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783:Serial killers from Connecticut
703:20th-century American criminals
723:American female serial killers
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743:Deaths in mental institutions
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631:. Rowman & Littlefield.
449:"Archer-Gilligan obituary".
163:; 107 years ago
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590:Phelps, M. William (2010).
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738:Criminals from Connecticut
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594:The Devil's Rooming House
468:Connecticut Death Records
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262:attack" (in other words,
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70:Middletown, Connecticut
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16:American serial killer
254:, a generic term for
577:The Hartford Courant
452:The Hartford Courant
245:Windsor, Connecticut
213:Arsenic and Old Lace
202:Windsor, Connecticut
653:Montaldo, Charles.
226:Milton, Connecticut
129:Span of crimes
51:Milton, Connecticut
25:Amy Archer-Gilligan
264:severe indigestion
556:on April 15, 2012
351:life imprisonment
320:M. William Phelps
296:district attorney
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698:1962 deaths
688:1873 births
669:October 22,
560:October 28,
499:, sheet 24A
493:, sheet 18B
151:Connecticut
682:Categories
391:References
313:strychnine
182:Amy Duggan
768:Poisoners
659:About.com
133:1907–1917
535:, p. 12.
505:, p. 18.
369:See also
347:morphine
343:insanity
147:State(s)
309:arsenic
278:Murders
272:forgery
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138:Country
120:Victims
115:Details
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333:Trials
186:Sister
90:Motive
72:, U.S.
53:, U.S.
357:Death
200:from
105:Death
96:money
671:2006
633:ISBN
604:ISBN
562:2011
268:will
168:1917
161:1917
59:Died
40:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
