Martha Rendell Child killer Date of Birth: 10.08.1871 Country: Australia

1. Biography of Martha Rendell
2. A Series of Murders
3. The Trial and Execution

Biography of Martha Rendell

Martha Rendell was born in 1871 in Western Australia. In the early 1900s, she met Thomas Morris and moved in with him after he divorced his previous wife. They had a seemingly happy family life, although Martha was known to have a deep hatred for children, particularly Thomas' two daughters, Annie and Olive. However, it was only after Martha's arrest that the true nature of their family was revealed.

A Series of Murders

Martha's first victim was Annie, the most lively and disobedient girl. She poisoned Annie with sulfuric acid and locked her in a room until she died of starvation on July 28, 1907. The family doctor, Dr. Cuthbert, initially believed her cause of death was diphtheria. Soon after, Olive, Thomas' other daughter, met the same fate. Martha followed the same method, and again, the doctor diagnosed her death as diphtheria.

In 1908, Martha set her sights on Thomas' eldest son, Arthur. However, her chosen method worked much slower on the 14-year-old boy. Nevertheless, on October 6, 1908, Arthur was found dead, locked in his own room. It was only then that the constant deaths in the family raised suspicion. The doctors performed an autopsy, but found nothing conclusive, attributing the deaths to the prevalent diphtheria outbreak in Australia at the time.

By April 1909, only Thomas' youngest son, George, remained. Martha attempted to poison him as well, but George managed to escape and seek help from his biological mother. The police were alerted, and during a search of their home, large quantities of sulfuric acid and other chemicals were discovered, stored openly near the dining table. George was eventually found, and he revealed that Martha had killed his sisters and brother and had also tried to poison him.

The Trial and Execution

Martha and Thomas were both found guilty of the murders of their three adopted children. Surprisingly, neither of them admitted their guilt. Nevertheless, Thomas was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Martha received the death penalty by hanging. On October 6, 1909, Martha Rendell was executed in Fremantle Prison. She became known as the "Mad Stepmother" after the news of her gruesome crimes made headlines.

Shortly after her execution, prison guards noticed a disturbing illusion. When looking at Martha's prison cell window from the outside, her image could be seen on the glass. Strangely, the illusion disappeared when someone was inside the cell. Despite attempts to clean or replace the glass, the image of the bloodthirsty stepmother of the 20th century continues to haunt the prisoners of Fremantle Prison to this day.