Jane Toppan
Jane Toppan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Honora Kelley March 31, 1854 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Status | Deceased |
| Died | August 17, 1938 (aged 84) Taunton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names | Jolly Jane |
| Motive |
|
| Criminal charge | Murder (x12) |
| Verdict | Not guilty by reason of insanity |
| Penalty | Involuntary commitment to a mental hospital for life |
| Details | |
| Victims | 12 confirmed, 31 confessed, 100+ suspected |
Span of crimes | 1895–1901 |
| Country | U.S. |
| State | 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 murdered 12 people in Massachusetts between 1895 and 1901, although she confessed to killing 31 and is suspected of killing more than 100. The killings were carried out in Toppan's capacity as a nurse, targeting patients and their family members. Toppan, who admitted to having 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".