Lydia Sherman

Serial Killer

Lydia Sherman: The Derby Poisoner

Early Life and Family

Lydia Sherman, born Lydia Danbury on December 24, 1824, in Burlington, New Jersey, became one of the most notorious poisoners in nineteenth-century America. Newspapers later called her the "Derby Poisoner," the "Poison Fiend," the "Queen Poisoner," and the "Modern Lucretia Borgia." She was accused of methodically poisoning three husbands and numerous children, including several of her own, during a series of deaths that stretched from 1864 through 1871. Lydia lost her mother during infancy and was raised largely by an uncle in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At approximately sixteen years old, she worked as a tailor and became involved with a Methodist congregation. Through the church, she met Edward Struck, an older widower who had children from an earlier marriage. Lydia married Struck while she was still a teenager, and the couple eventually lived in the Harlem area of New York City. Edward worked as a carriage blacksmith and later as a New York police officer. Lydia and Edward had a large family, but their household became increasingly unstable after Edward lost his position. He reportedly became depressed and had difficulty supporting the family. Rather than continue caring for him, Lydia secretly administered arsenic, beginning a pattern in which members of her household developed severe stomach pain, fever, vomiting, cramps and other symptoms that could be mistaken for disease.

The Poisoning of Edward Struck

Edward Struck became suddenly and violently ill in May 1864. Lydia claimed that he had accidentally taken medicine from the wrong container, but people who observed his final illness suspected that poison may have been involved. Edward died in Harlem on May 24, 1864. No criminal investigation immediately followed his death, and Lydia was free to remain in control of the household. Within weeks, several of Lydia's youngest children also became sick. Their illnesses were generally attributed to fevers or other natural causes. Arsenic poisoning was difficult to identify without a deliberate chemical examination, and symptoms could resemble typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery or severe gastrointestinal illness. This allowed Lydia to present each death as another tragic episode in a family already overwhelmed by sickness. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)

Lydia Sherman - Wikipedia