Murder, Mystery & Makeup - The Grandma Who Poisoned Her Family (and Laughed About It) Nannie Doss *Podcast Exclusive*

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

Hi friends, Happy Tuesday! I'm back with all new AUDIO EXCLUSIVE for you!! I love these so much. So, lemme tell you about this one. She looked like the sweet grandma next door — but behind that wa...rm smile...and cute nickname... was something deadly. In this chilling episode, we dig into the twisted story of Nannie Doss, the so-called “Giggling Granny,” who poisoned her way through husbands, children, and even her own family — all while laughing about it.  From her rough childhood and string of Lonely Hearts romances to the disturbing confession that made national headlines, this one’s as dark as it is unbelievable. Grab your snacks (and maybe skip the coffee for this one... you'll find out why), because we’re diving deep into The Grandma Who Poisoned Her Family — and Laughed About It. Also, let me know who you want me to talk about next time. Hope you have a great rest of your week, make good choices and I'll be seeing you very soon xo Bailey Sarian ________ FOLLOW ME AROUND Tik Tok: https://bit.ly/3e3jL9v Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nbO4PR Goodreads: https://bit.ly/44P51lp Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdZtK6 Twitter: http://bit.ly/2yT4BLV Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2mVpXnY Youtube: http://bit.ly/1HGw3Og Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3cC0V9d Discord: https://discord.gg/BaileySarian RECOMMEND A STORY HERE: cases4bailey@gmail.com Business Related Emails: bailey@underscoretalent.com Business Related Mail: Bailey Sarian 4400 W. Riverside Dr., Ste 110-300 Burbank, CA 91505 _________ Get all the big stuff for your small business right with Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at shopify.com/makeup. Go to shopify.com/makeup. Whether it’s a weekend away, a big night out, or just a little style refresh – your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to revolve.com/mmm, shop my edit, and take 15% off your first order with code MMM. Fast two-day shipping, easy returns – it’s literally the only place you need to shop from. That’s revolve.com/mmm to shop my favorites and get 15% off your first order with code MMM. Offer ends November 4th, so happy shopping!

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, friends. How are you today? I hope you're having a wonderful day so far. My name is Bailey Sarian, and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Murder, Mystery, and Makeup. Now, you might follow me over on YouTube where you can actually watch these episodes, but today we have an audio exclusive. That's right, baby. So don't forget to subscribe for these little exclusives. So listen, today we are diving into the dark story of a woman who looked like the sweet grandma next door. But behind her friendly smile was something deadly. Her name was Nanny Doss. Now, to some, she was a wife, a mother, a grandmother. But to at least 11 people, she was their killer. Now they called her the giggling granny, a black widow who poisoned her way
Starting point is 00:00:53 through husbands, family members, and anyone else unlucky enough to get too close. And the While this part, she managed to keep it up for decades, laughing her way through every investigation before anyone finally caught on. So grab a snack, lock up your prune cake, and let's talk about the life and crimes of Nanny Doss. So Nanny was born in 1905 as Nancy Hazel in the tiny town of Blue Mountain, Alabama. And when I say tiny town, I mean, it was tiny. The population in 1910 was like 528 people, so it's small. Now, seven of those people were actually part of Nanny's family. Nanny, she was one of five kids born to Jim and Lou Hazel.
Starting point is 00:02:02 And it seems like her dad, Papa Jim, wasn't the greatest guy, you know. Apparently he was quite abusive and very controlling, which made for a difficult childhood for Nanny. Jim would make the kids stay home and work on the farm. And because of this, you know, Nanny and her siblings, they barely even made it to school. Now, it was said Nanny only made it through the fifth grade before being forced to drop out of school altogether. Then, at seven years old, Nanny was riding the train, and she suffered a head injury. I guess the train suddenly stopped, and she, like, whacked her head on the metal seat that was in front of her. Now, look, if you've been following Murder Mystery and Mika for a long time, or just true crime in general, you know, or maybe you've put the pieces together.
Starting point is 00:02:52 that usually traumatic head injuries, kind of, you know, there's always that common thread when it comes to some serial killers. Home life was rough. Again, her father, abusive and controlling. He wouldn't let Nanny wear, you know, dress clothes, dress as a young girl. When she got older, she wasn't allowed to wear makeup. And he also forbade her from going to any social events, like dances or hell anywhere other than home. And I was like, you know who he, he kind of reminded me of the mother in the movie
Starting point is 00:03:28 The Water Boy, remember, Bobby Boucher's mom? She'd be like, foosball is the devil. School is the devil. Women are the devil. Like literally everything was the devil. That's what Nanny's father was kind of giving. Foo's ball is the devil. But then, in 1921, when Nanny was 16 years old, she went to work at a textile company in Anniston, Alabama. Aniston was like a larger town, and it was near Nanny's hometown, so that's where she was able to find work. And it was there where she met Charlie Braggs. It was said, this Charlie guy, he was tall, he was handsome, and he had luscious curls. And luckily for Nanny, he instantly took a liking to her.
Starting point is 00:04:18 Charlie wooed the heck out of Nanny. And for some reason, Nanny's dad actually approved of this guy. I was like, why? Well, Charlie was the only son of a widow, still living at home with his mom, and to pop a gym, you know, that seemed safe. He was respectable. And in his mind, Nanny wouldn't be out running around with some troublemaker. She just moved from his roof, straight to another household where a mother figure
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Starting point is 00:06:47 four months of meeting. Nanny and Charlie, they got married. And yes, Nanny, she was still just 16 at the time. What difference does it make? Because technically, to this day, it's still legal in Alabama to get married at 16, as long as you have parental consent. So, there's that. Now, reports don't show a specific age for Charlie, but he was described as, quote, unquote, young. So, teenage nanny she moves in with her new husband charlie and his mother now kind of a bummer for nanny because it turns out charlie's mom was just as controlling as her own father had been like if nanny like ever wanted to do something anything i don't know go out mama brags she wouldn't want to do it all of a sudden she would like pretend to be sick so if charlie wanted to like take his wife out
Starting point is 00:07:42 let's go out for dinner or something. His mom would be like, I'm sick, I need you to stay home and take care of me. So Nanny was still locked down and, like, forced to stay at home all the time. Nanny and Charlie went on to have four daughters together. Her youngest was born in 1927, which meant Nanny had four kids by the time she was 22 years old. And it was around this time that Nanny, you know,
Starting point is 00:08:09 she started to drink and she started to smoke. Don't blame her, you know? She's like, give me a cigarette. God damn it. Got four kids, I'm 22. At this time, Nanny was known to visit gin mills, aka bars, all the time. And, you know, it was said apparently she wasn't just drinking and smoking. Allegedly, she was having multiple affairs as well. But it was also said that Charlie was having affairs too. So, you know, yeah. It was said that, like, sometimes Charlie would disappear for, like, days on. end. So yeah, you know, nobody was faithful in this marriage. But things went from like not so great to freaking awful when in 1927 two of their daughters died mysteriously. Now the girls had
Starting point is 00:08:59 just eaten breakfast when all of a sudden they fell ill. Now their deaths were thought to have been from food poisoning and there were some rumors that nanny had poisoned the food but they were just that. Rumors. It was said, though, that after this, Charlie stopped eating any of the food that Nanny prepared. Like he thought something was up. Not only did Charlie not eat her food, but he ended up leaving her altogether. When Charlie left, he ended up taking their eldest daughter, Melvina, with him. But he left behind their newborn to stay with Nanny. Oh, and Charlie's mom, too. So, So Nanny's now living, you know, at the house with her newborn and her mother-in-law. So about a year goes by, and then Charlie ends up coming back.
Starting point is 00:09:52 Except this time, he brought with him a new lover. So Nanny kind of like got the message. She's like, oh, okay, I see how it is. Fine. And then she and Charlie ended up getting divorced. So Nanny then took her two surviving daughters and moved back in with her parents. And in order to support herself and her two kids, she ended up getting work in a cotton mill. Shortly after divorcing Charlie and moving back in with her parents, Nanny met Frank Harrelson.
Starting point is 00:10:26 And rumor has it that Frank looked like a freaking movie star. He was hot. And he too was looking for love. And luckily, the lonely hearts column of the local newspaper was there. to help. Now, back in the day before dating apps and all that jazz, people had to get a little more creative, you know, when it came to finding love. One popular option was the Lonely Hearts column that was like in newspapers and magazines. People would write short ads about themselves, sharing their age, their looks, hobbies, what they were looking for, and then the paper would
Starting point is 00:11:04 publish it. And then if you saw it and you were interested, you would respond by mail. I'm all dark and handsome and I have a job looking for love. It's always vague. Just kind of cross your fingers and hope for the best. You're like, I hope all this is true. So it turns out, Nanny and Frank, they had met through the lonely hearts column and he like started wooing her with his poetry. She wrote openly about what she wanted to do with him, the kind of attention she wanted, and how much she longed for him in bed. Her responses were a little sexual, you could say. listen this was a time when women were expected to be modest okay you didn't talk like this so to frank this was different and she seemed fun and frank was in love nanny and frank would end up getting married
Starting point is 00:11:55 in 1929 which was less than two years after the death of her two daughters and her divorce from charlie but you know back then it didn't matter people you got to move on quick okay and listen it seems like there was no honeymoon period for Frank and Nanny. Apparently their marriage almost immediately turned sour. Turns out the reason Frank was probably single was because he was an alcoholic with a bad temper. She's like, oh, he didn't put that in the ad. Yeah. So I guess he would get like arrested all the time for getting into bar fights. And on top of that, Frank and it like would beat Nanny and then would often like threaten her kids too. But Nanny, she stuck it out. for as long as she could with Frank.
Starting point is 00:12:39 Meanwhile, Nanny's eldest daughter from her first marriage, Melvina, she ended up getting married and went on to have two children officially making Nanny a grandma. Now, at first, it should have been like a joyful time, you know? But things took a dark turn. Melvina's newborn daughter,
Starting point is 00:13:00 I guess she died just hours after birth. And though nothing was proven, Melvina suspected her own mother did it. Melvina thought Nanny killed the baby by sticking a hairpin into the baby's head, which is like kind of random, huh? A hairpin into the head? Then only a few months later, tragedy struck again when Melvina's two-year-old son passed away. The cause of death was ruled asphyxiation.
Starting point is 00:13:36 Well, after this, Nanny collected a $500 life insurance policy that she had taken out on her grandson, which at the time was not a small amount. In today's money, that would be almost $9,000. Now, it might seem strange that she and not Melvina had the policy, right? But Nanny, I guess, liked to be the one in control. She was the one who signed the papers. She made herself the beneficiary and quietly signed. set up a financial safety net that only she could access.
Starting point is 00:14:12 Mm-mm, mm-mm. Now, Nanny, she denied, you know, having anything to do with the children's deaths. The fact that she had money writing on their lives made people deeply skeptical if she was innocent or not. And the deaths in Nanny's orbit just kept piling up. Later that same year, her husband, Frank, was next. One night, he came home drunk after hanging out with some friends.
Starting point is 00:14:39 I guess these friends had just returned from World War II. So they're hanging out, they're drinking, you know, he comes home. And being drunk wasn't the only problem. That night, he forced himself on nanny. Back then, there was nothing she could do legally. Marital rape wasn't even recognized as a crime. Husbands had what was called implied consent. So it didn't matter, that's what I'm getting at.
Starting point is 00:15:04 So Nanny took matters into her own hands. The very next day, she laced Frank's moonshine with rat poison. He drank it, and by the following day, he was dead. Apparently, his last words were, quote, It must have been the coffee, end quote. Frank's death was written off as natural causes, and no one suspected Nanny a foul play. After all, by this point, the two had been married for 16 years.
Starting point is 00:15:33 So with Frank got out of the way, Nanny collected his life insurance and used the money to buy herself a piece of land and a house in Jacksonville. So there I was, standing in front of my closet, realizing everything in there is outdated. It honestly doesn't fit. or I've just worn it to death. I wear the same thing every day. I really do. Plus, I had a wedding coming up. Oh no.
Starting point is 00:16:11 Oh, no. Because when I look at my closet, I'm like, what am I going to wear? What am I going to wear? What am I going to wear? But that's when I turn to Revolve because they show up big time, okay? Listen, they will save you tremendously. Revolve is the next generation fashion retailer
Starting point is 00:16:29 for Millennial and Gen Z. It's my go-to style destination because no matter what vibe I'm going for, like, I don't know, romantic date night, chic wedding guest. Or like, I might run into my ex so I want to look good outfit, you know. They always have whatever it is you need. I got this silky emerald dress from Amanda up Richard that I wore to the wedding. Oh yeah. And it was a hit. Everyone was like, ooh, I've never seen you in something like that.
Starting point is 00:16:59 I'm like, I know, right? I look good. And then right now I've got my eye on like some lovers and friends pieces for an upcoming Halloween party. Listen, Revolve has everything. And they've curated edits that are like very helpful, okay? And kind of a game changer. Because they've organized these edits for like birthday looks, vacation vibes, wedding guest.
Starting point is 00:17:23 And like if you click that, it'll just show you the best options. So you're not scrolling endlessly. It's very helpful. Plus, with over 1,200 brands and daily new arrivals, I feel like I'm constantly discovering something new. Oh, there's so much. I mean, it's dangerous in the best way possible. So if your closet needs a serious glow-up like mine does, oh yes, it does, go give Revolve a look. Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out, or just like a little style refresh, your dream wardrobe is just one click away.
Starting point is 00:17:56 Head to Revolve.com slash MMM, shop my edit, and take 15% off your first order with code MMM. Plus, listen, Revolve has fast, two-day shipping, easy returns. It's literally the only place you need to shop from. Again, that's revolve.com slash MMM to shop my favorites and get 15% off your first order with code MMM. Offer ends November 4th. So, happy show. shopping. Now, after Frank's death, Nanny kind of disappeared for a bit. Some say she traveled around, maybe even married a man named Hendricks, but nothing about that part of her life is confirmed.
Starting point is 00:18:50 What we do know is that she eventually resurfaced in the small town of Lexington, North Carolina. And of course, Nanny didn't move there for the scenery. She moved there for a man. Enter Arley Lannning. Now, just like before, the two had connected through a lonely hearts ad. And if there's one thing about Nanny, it's that she wasted no time. By 1946, the two were married. This was barely a year after her two grandchildren and her last husband, Frank, had passed away.
Starting point is 00:19:26 Again, Nanny and Arlie's marriage was very rocky. Arly liked to drink and sleep with other women, which would then make Nanny pack up and leave, sometimes for months. And the only time Arlie would hear from her was when she sent telegrams asking for money. I mean, hey, at least Arley wasn't abusive, like the first two husbands. Yeah, he was just cheating and an alcoholic, but he wasn't abusive? I don't know. trying to see the positive, but the couple would tell people that Nanny would leave for long periods of time to visit friends or family, and like, that's why she wasn't around, you know, not because there were issues. No, no, no, no, no. And to be fair, that wasn't a total lie. Nanny's sister, her name was Dovee. She was battling cancer at the time, and Nanny would go and, like, visit her pretty often. But there was, like, you know, one visit in, particular, where Nanny went, saw her, and Dovey, she passed away. Now, because she had cancer, no one suspected anything. You know, they assumed she had passed away from cancer. But then,
Starting point is 00:20:39 just two years after Dovey's death, Nanny's husband, Arleigh, he was gone too. The couple I'd been married for six years by this point, when Nanny slipped rat poison into his food. And things kind of worked in her favor because there was a flu epidemic spreading through the area and also Arley already had a reputation as a heavy drinker you know so that was like well it could be it could be that and then also like nanny had like carefully cultivated this image of being a devoted wife you know she was just the perfect partner so with all that in mind no one thought twice about his sudden decline. His official cause of death was listed as heart failure.
Starting point is 00:21:30 About eight weeks after Arlie's death, the house that he and Nanny had lived in, it freaking out of nowhere burned to the ground. Jeez, Louise, talk about bad luck, huh? And listen, of course, insurance. And yeah, she had it. And the insurance company, they wasted no time and sent Nanny a nice, you know, a nice lump sum. Now here's the interesting part. If the house didn't burn down, it actually would have gone to Arlie's sister. That detail was actually spelled out in his will. But apparently,
Starting point is 00:22:08 you know, no one was paying too much attention to that and she burned it down before it could actually happen. Well, allegedly she burnt it down. We don't know. Wink, wink. So while all this is happening, Nanny had been living with Arlie's mother. But right around the same time the house went up in flames, Arly's mother conveniently died in her sleep. Jeez, Louise. With no one left asking questions, Nanny cashed that insurance check,
Starting point is 00:22:38 and she just kind of slipped right out of North Carolina. Yeah, crazy, huh? Literally everyone is dying around her, house has burned down, and no one is thinking twice about it. Well, she killed all the people who could probably think, twice about it. Now, you would think that maybe at this point Nanny would take a break. She's 47 years old. She already, like, had buried three husbands. But laying low just wasn't her style. Within months of Arlie's death, she was already on the hunt for husband number four. This time she
Starting point is 00:23:12 joined something called the Diamond Circle Club. It was like another version of a lonely Hart's group. Instead of simple ads, they mailed out newsletters full of potential partners. And that's how Nanny met Richard L. Morton from Emporia, Kansas. Now, Richard was a retired salesman. It was said he was tall, dark, and handsome with eyes that would cut right through you. Now, he gave off the vibe that he was a wealthy man. But the reality was Richard was freaking broke. and drowning in debt. But Nanny didn't know any of that. When she saw Richard, she's like, oh my gosh, he's very handsome and he looks like he has money, you know. So, you know, they started flirting, talking, seeing each other. But throughout Nanny and Richard's courtship, I guess he
Starting point is 00:24:06 kept his options open and he continued to see other ladies. But that didn't seem to bother Nanny. She and Richard tied the knot in October of 1952. Just a few months after meeting. Not long after, in December of that same year, Nanny's father passed away. So with her dad gone, Nanny's mother, Mama Lou, she moved in with the newlyweds in Emporia. But, listen, a month later, Mama Lou, she died in her sleep.
Starting point is 00:24:40 Maybe it was natural causes. Maybe it wasn't, but no one thought twice about it. Unfortunately for Richard, his time was running out too. By October of 1953, just a year into the marriage, Nanny discovered that he was still cheating. And when she found out about the affairs, she reached for her favorite weapon. Poison.
Starting point is 00:25:05 And listen, Richard was dead soon after. Nanny collected $1,400 from his life insurance, which in today's money comes out. to about $16,600. At this point, Nanny wasn't just unlucky in love. She was perfecting her craft. Now here's the thing. Shortly before Richard died, Nanny had met this guy named Sam Doss.
Starting point is 00:25:35 Sam was 59, and unlike the previous men in her life, Sam didn't chase women, he didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he didn't gamble, he didn't. even used curse words. Yeah, so Sam was very pure. And on top of that, he was also a very thrifty guy. He was good with his money. And he also just seemed to like try to see the good and everything. So Nanny and Sam, they became pen pals. When they first connected Nanny was still technically married to Richard. But then as we know, like Richard suddenly died. So after this, it gave Nanny and Sam the green light to pursue their romantic connection. And boy, did they jump into things quickly.
Starting point is 00:26:21 In July of 1954, Nanny moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be with Sam. And then that very same month, the two ended up getting married. And just so we're tracking the, okay, and just so we're like tracking the timeline here, this was less than a year after Richard's death. But honestly, it seemed like after four terrible marriages, Her fifth one was finally, like, a good guy. Sam was solid. He had a steady job.
Starting point is 00:26:49 And get this, he even helped around the house. I know, gasp. What? And the best part, he was never violent toward Nanny. This sounds great, great. This is what you want in a partner, right? But Nanny, she wasn't satisfied. Apparently she thought Sam was boring.
Starting point is 00:27:12 Yeah. Plus, she didn't like that he tried to get her to stop spending so much money on romance novels. I guess Nanny, she loved romantic books. But Sam, he saw these books as evil idleness. Sam also didn't let Nanny listen to love stories on the radio. And he kept her from watching her favorite television programs. It turns out romance wasn't really Sam's strong suit. because even their sexual relations had to be pre-scheduled. And they were not allowed to get it on after 9.30 p.m. Because Sam was very strict about that being their bedtime. Sam was seen as like a frugal guy, and this really started to bother Nanny.
Starting point is 00:28:01 I mean, she said that he wouldn't even let her use the electric fan unless it was like a thousand degrees outside. She was annoyed. So she went back to Alabama for a bit, hung out there. She needed some space. And once Nanny left, Sam had begged her for forgiveness. He's like, please come back, please. He even agreed to give her equal control of their bank account. And he took out two life insurance policies on himself
Starting point is 00:28:30 and named Nanny as the beneficiary. Obviously, this was very appealing to Miss Nanny. So she's like, okay, that's a good. That sounds great, and she moved back to Tulsa. In September of 1954, she whipped up one of her specialties, a homemade prune cake, and served it to Sam. I guess that very night, he started having horrible stomach pains and ended up dropping 16 pounds.
Starting point is 00:28:58 After weeks of being sick and losing so much weight, Sam finally went to the doctor. He ended up spending like 23 days in the hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a severe infection. in his digestive tract. But listen, things were good. After three weeks, he seemed to be recovering, and then he was discharged.
Starting point is 00:29:18 So nanny, she's at home. She greets him. She's like, oh, I'm so glad you're home. Let me make you dinner, whatever. So she serves him, like, pork roast and a hot cup of coffee. And it seemed like a very sweet gesture, you know? Until later that night, when Sam died.
Starting point is 00:29:38 When Sam's doctor heard that he had passed, oh, he was baffled. I mean, the doctor's thinking, like, Sam was getting better. So this, like, sudden death, like, did not make any sense. Now, because of this doctor, he was very suspicious. So he ordered an autopsy to be performed. And this was the first time anyone had ever pushed for an autopsy to be performed in Nanny's Long Trail of Bodies, you know? So they do the autopsy, and the results were shocking. Sam's digestive tract contained enough arsenic to kill a horse, and that is not me exaggerating.
Starting point is 00:30:20 That's what investigators actually said. It turns out that, you know, sweet cup of coffee that Nanny had made him, you know, when he came home, yeah, it was laced with arsenic. He had it coming. He had it coming. And it's just, anytime I hear arsenic, I just think of Chicago. It's not funny, but, you know, it's a great musical. Once authorities put the pieces together, Nanny was arrested. Investigators take Nanny into custody, and right away, she is not having any of it.
Starting point is 00:30:54 She's not taking it seriously. At first, she's talking to them about, like, random stuff. She's acting like she's just there for casual conversation. But when it came to the case, she clamped up. At this point, like, investigators had, like, looked into her background, so they're asking her about her fourth husband, Richard Morton. And they're like, did you kill him? Are you responsible for his death? And she straight up denied, even knowing him. She's like, I've never heard of this person. Who are you talking about? But the authorities, they had receipts.
Starting point is 00:31:29 They showed her proof that she had cashed in on his life insurance after his death. They're like, here you know him and nanny's response well i guess she just shrugged and said quote well you got me trapped i guess i did know him and quote and like that was it that's all she gave them about richard after that she just kind of like tuned the investigators out she flipped through a magazine she's just sat there refusing to answer any questions and when she's did respond, it was said that she would just start giggling. Now the bizarre little laugh she was having, plus paired with her like sweet grandmotherly looks, is what got her the nickname that would stick forever.
Starting point is 00:32:23 The giggling granny. Mind you, Nanny, she was only 49 at this time. So she's still young and they're like, this grandma, this old woman. you're like, geez, she's 49. The giggling Granny's case, like, blew up. It was everywhere. The Associated Press even picked it as Oklahoma's top story of 1954. But back to Nanny's first round of questioning,
Starting point is 00:32:51 investigators kept her in for a full 24 hours of on and off girling. At one point, they even took away her magazines, they snatched those magazines, and they told her she could have them back if she confessed to killing Sam, her fifth husband. And weirdly enough, it worked. Nanny confessed. Throughout her confession, she was giggling,
Starting point is 00:33:17 but she went on to describe slipping arsenic into his coffee. And then, as if that wasn't enough, she started complaining. She whined about how Sam wouldn't let her watch her favorite TV shows and how he made her sleep without a fan. Even in the middle of like a scorching hot night, she literally asked or said, What's a woman to do under those conditions? I thought that was kind of funny. So once she admitted to poisoning Sam, the floodgates opened.
Starting point is 00:33:47 She went on to confess to killing her other husbands as well. And after hearing all of this, a judge ordered that Nanny be committed to a mental institution. So the plan was for Nanny to spend 90 days under observation. at a mental hospital. After that, the court would decide if she should go to trial or be committed permanently. During this time, Nanny tried to blame her behavior on that childhood head injury. Remember? The one where she smacked her head on the metal train seat? Yeah. She hinted that maybe, you know, maybe that's why she wasn't right in her mind. It's the train's fault. But after a full evaluation, doctors concluded that Nanny wasn't psychotic. She understood right from wrong.
Starting point is 00:34:36 In other words, she was sane and competent to stand trial. Her defense team fought back, and the state attorney pushed for a jury hearing to settle it once and for all. That hearing lasted three days, with psychiatrists on both sides giving testimony. Some argued, yeah, she was insane. And others said, no, absolutely not. She is not insane. Psychiatrists for the defense went so far as to claim that Nanny functioned on the level of a five or six-year-old child. The prosecution fired back, bringing in their own experts, who argued Nanny wasn't childlike at all. Instead, they believe she showed traits of narcissistic personality disorder.
Starting point is 00:35:21 Yeah, because, I mean, what five- or six-year-old knows how to cash, like, insurance checks, you know? But okay. around this time nanny's daughter melvina she was like 28 years old she told the press that she believed her mother had committed the murders yeah and really like poor melvina she likely never recovered from losing her two young children and to think like it was her own mom who was responsible i mean that is deep that hurt in the end the jury ruled that nanny was sane enough to stand trial but before the trial even started Nanny pleaded guilty to Sam's murder. Her attorneys were banking on that confession to spare her from the death penalty and secure a life sentence instead. After her nanny's confession, the court handed down her sentence. In June of 1955, she was officially sentenced to life in prison.
Starting point is 00:36:20 Now, you might be wondering why the judge didn't give Nanny the death penalty. I mean, she admitted to killing her her freaking house. But here's the thing. At the time, Oklahoma had never executed a woman before. And in the judge's eyes, handing down the electric chair to Nanny would, quote, set a poor precedent, end quote. Back then, women were often viewed as too fragile for that kind of punishment, no matter how brutal their crimes were. On top of that, the judge argued that Nanny wasn't entirely mentally sound. And that executing her wouldn't be the Christian thing to do. So again, instead, he sentenced her to life. Now, as she was being let out of the courtroom, photographers, they shouted for one last
Starting point is 00:37:10 smile. And Nanny, you know, true to form, she flashed a big grin and told them she didn't feel bad at all about going to prison. Now, you're probably wondering, or I was wondering, If Nanny was ever officially convicted in the deaths of her children, her sister, her mother, her grandkids, her mother-in-law, or whatever, you know, the answer is no. After her conviction and life sentence for Sam's murder, the other states where she was suspected of killing former husbands and family members decided not to prosecute. That said, many of those bodies were exhumed. And sure enough, most of them showed traces of arsenic. So again, I was like, wait, what? Like, if they exhumed the bodies and they found traces of arsenic,
Starting point is 00:38:00 why didn't they go after Nanny for those deaths? Well, it comes down to a few things. First, Nanny was already sentenced to life in prison. She was never getting out. So to the courts, putting her on trial again, like, wouldn't have changed anything. Second, the trials would be expensive. We're talking about digging up bodies, paying experts, dragging witnesses, from all over, and her victims were scattered across different states. So that meant like multiple
Starting point is 00:38:27 jurisdictions involved. And honestly, they saw it as too much work. And then finally, in the public's eyes, Nanny was already guilty of way more than just one murder. She was the quote-unquote giggling granny, and her reputation alone had cemented her as a serial killer. So prosecutors probably felt that the one conviction was enough. But still, you're like, ding, you just want the, it's, it's the principle. You just want justice, you know? This feels lazy, but it is what it is. Nanny ended up serving exactly 10 years in prison before dying of leukemia.
Starting point is 00:39:09 One of the last things ever written about her came from a reporter at the Tulsa World. Nanny joked, saying, quote, When they get short-handed in the kitchen here, I always offer to help out, but they never do let me. You know, because she killed people with poison. Yeah. She thought she was funny. And that, my friends, is a story of Nanny Doss, the so-called Giggling Granny, or Black Widow. And apparently, oh, stand-up comic in her own mind, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:39:44 It blows my mind that she was able to allegedly kill at least 11 people before anyone finally put a stop to her. You know, but really what gets me thinking is like how many red flags were ignored? Husbands, kids, grandkids, even her own mother, sister, I mean, all dying mysteriously. The insurance claims, the house fire, the insurance claims, I mean, come on. I'm sure people around her had their opinions, but that didn't stop her. Or maybe, maybe, really, nobody was connecting the dots. Was it because she looked harmless? Or because people just didn't want to believe a grandmother could do something so evil?
Starting point is 00:40:27 And sure, she was finally caught before she could claim a sixth husband, thank God. And it makes you wonder if Sam's doctor hadn't pushed for that autopsy, how many more victims would follow? Mm-mm, mm-mm. I feel like these stories are always really common in the quote-unquote olden days. Because in my mind, I'm like, okay, women weren't allowed to, you weren't allowed to do anything. You had to be married. It was heavily frowned upon if you weren't married. You weren't allowed to have like credit cards, own a home, really hold a good job, get paid well. Couldn't survive on your own. So I feel like women back then, you know, they would kill because it was the only way to survive.
Starting point is 00:41:12 Am I excusing the behavior? No, absolutely not. I'm just saying it seems like a common theme around this time. And I feel like if women's rights ever get taken away and we end up back here or we're stuck at home, not allowed to do anything, I bet you shit like this would happen again. Do do, do, do, do.
Starting point is 00:41:34 Just saying, I don't know. It was their only way to survive. I don't, yep, okay. Anywho, thank you so much for, for hanging out with me today. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Stay safe out there. Make good choices. Okay. And I'll be seeing you guys later. Goodbye. Thank you.

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