Gwendolyn and Cathy Graham and Wood American serial killers. Country: USA

Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood Biography

Gwendolyn Graham, born on August 6, 1963, and Cathy Wood, who was a year older, were American serial killers. They committed their crimes in the 1980s in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at a private nursing home for the elderly and disabled called 'Alpine Manor', where they worked as nurse's aides.

The two women quickly became friends at work, and their friendship turned into a same-sex love affair in 1986. They engaged in sexual activities that involved asphyxia, pushing the boundaries of what was considered normal. Graham began suggesting that they add real murders to their sexual games. She attempted to kill several elderly women, but some of them were strong enough to fight back.

In January 1987, Graham entered the room of an Alzheimer's patient, who was unable to resist, and she became their first victim. The death of this resident was considered expected, so no autopsy was performed. Over the following months, five more patients, ranging in age from 65 to 97, died at 'Alpine Manor'. All of them were incapacitated and suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Graham would take an item belonging to each victim and use it as a fetish object in her sexual games with Wood. These stolen items provided a way for them to relive the feelings they experienced during the murders. They even openly shared their crimes with their co-workers, with Graham proudly displaying the stolen items. However, initially, no one believed them.

Eventually, Wood refused to participate in killing a patient to prove her love for Graham, and their relationship fell apart. Wood was transferred to a different shift, while Graham moved to Texas and started working at a hospital caring for newborns.

The murder investigation began in 1988 after Wood's ex-husband went to the police with the information she had shared with him about the killings. In October 1988, he informed the police, which led to further investigation. The body of the first victim was exhumed in November 1988, almost a year after burial, and sent for examination.

Evidence of the guilt of Graham and Wood was gathered, and an arrest warrant was issued. In December 1989, Graham was arrested in her hometown of Tyler, Texas. She claimed that she had only told scary stories to scare her coworkers.

During the trial, Wood made a deal to reduce her sentence by testifying that Graham was the mastermind behind the murders and her role was to distract other staff members. On November 3, 1989, Graham was found guilty of five counts of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. She received five life sentences. Wood was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder. She was sentenced to 20-40 years in prison with the possibility of parole.

After the high-profile case, 'Alpine Manor' closed down, and several families sued its owners for hiring "dangerous and unbalanced employees." The lesbian killer couple's story served as the basis for the crime novel 'Forever and Five Days' by Lowell Cauffiel in 1992. Gwendolyn and Cathy were featured in two episodes of the television series 'The Serial Killers', where they talked about their relationship and crimes.