fbpx
Wikipedia

Vera Renczi

Vera Renczi (dubbed the Black Widow, Mrs. Poison or Chatelaine of Berkerekul),[1][2] was a Romanian serial killer who was charged with poisoning 35 individuals including her two husbands, multiple lovers, and her son with arsenic during the 1920s.[3][4][5][6]

Vera Renczi
Born1903
Died1960 (aged 56–57)[anachronism]
NationalityRomanian
Other namesThe Black Widow
CitizenshipRomanian
OccupationHousewife
SpouseKarl Schick
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyLife imprisonment
Details
VictimsLovers/husbands
Span of crimes
1920–1930
CountryRomania
Yugoslavia
Hungary (alleged)
Killed35
WeaponArsenic

Journalist Otto Tolischus published the earliest known article in the United States in May 1925 based on letters from the readers without naming any reference.[7][8] Renczi's story has surfaced repeatedly, but without traceable details such as specific dates of her birth, marriages, arrest, conviction, incarceration or death.[9]

Most sources place the murders at Berkerekul, Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia), or Bečkerek, which changed the name to Zrenjanin in 1946; although, the spelling Berkerekul is unknown for this city. In 1972, the Guinness Book of World Records found no authoritative sources to support the claim that 35 people were killed by Renczi in early 20th-century Austro Hungarian Empire.[10]

Early life Edit

According to some accounts[by whom?], Renczi was born in Bucharest in 1903, but in view of the dates of her alleged crimes, a date in the late 19th century would be more appropriate. The accounts of her life are lacking in verifiable documentary supporting evidence. Her mother died when she was 13 and she moved with her father to Nagybecskerek (today Zrenjanin, Serbia) where she attended a boarding school.[11] By the age of fifteen, she had become increasingly unmanageable and had frequently run away from home with numerous boyfriends, many of whom were significantly older than she was.[12] Early childhood friends described Renczi as having an almost pathological desire for constant male companionship[citation needed] and possessing a highly jealous and suspicious nature.[13]

Shortly before the age of twenty, her first marriage was to a wealthy Austrian banker named Karl Schick, many years her senior.[14] They had a son named Lorenzo.[11][13] Left at home daily while her older husband worked, she began to suspect that her husband was being unfaithful. One evening, in a jealous rage, Renczi poisoned his dinner wine with arsenic and began to tell family, friends, and neighbors that he had abandoned her and their son.[citation needed] After approximately a year of "mourning", she then declared that she had heard word of her supposedly estranged husband's death in a car accident.[12]

Subsequent murders Edit

Shortly after allegedly hearing the news of her first husband's "automobile accident", Renczi remarried[citation needed], this time to a man nearer her own age[citation needed]. However, the relationship was a tumultuous one and Renczi was again plagued by the suspicion that her new husband was involved in extramarital affairs[citation needed]. After only months of marriage the man vanished[citation needed] and Renczi then told friends and family that he had abandoned her.[13] After a year had passed, she then claimed to have received a letter from her husband proclaiming his intentions of leaving her forever.[12] This would be her last marriage.[13]

Although Renczi did not remarry, she spent the next several years carrying out a number of affairs, some clandestine with married men, and others openly[citation needed]. The men came from an array of backgrounds and social positions. All would vanish within months, weeks, and in some cases, even days after becoming romantically involved with her.[citation needed] When connected to men she was openly having an affair with, she would invariably concoct stories of them being "unfaithful" and having "abandoned her".[citation needed]

She was caught after having poisoned her last lover, a bank officer named Milorad; his wife reported his disappearance to the Police, who ignored her. But she pursued her own investigation and rapidly found that Vera was her husband's mistress. She went back to the Police, who send two inspectors to the chateau. She admitted to them that Milorad had been her lover, but that he had quit her. Impressed by her beauty, wealth and excellent reputation, the Police abandoned their search. The wife went back to the Police and started to ask questions which should have been asked long time ago: where was her husband Joseph? Where was their son? What happen to the numerous other men who people knew they were her lover and had also disappeared? The Police went back to see her; not only she then denied that Milorad was her lover, which she had admitted before, but the Police had a proof, a love letter sent by her to her lover. The Police got a search warrant and discovered a locked round cellar underground. In it were 35 spaces, each with a zinc-lined coffin inside. In the middle of the cellar were a red armchair, a big church candle and an empty bottle of champagne. She told them that it was all family members, but they insisted in opening one coffin, in which was the decomposed body of a man ; they then opened all the others ones, in which they found the same thing. Arrested, she confessed that she had poisoned all of them with arsenic when she suspected they had been unfaithful to her or when she believed their interest in her was waning[citation needed]. She also confessed to the police that, on occasion, she liked to sit in the armchair, surrounded by the coffins of all her former lovers.[12]

She was convicted of 35 murders and sentenced to death, but, at that time, Yugoslavia did not execute women. She was instead condemned to life in prison. During her trial, she had started showing signs of delirium and amnesia. It became worse and worse in prison (she ended up talking to her victims and screaming obscenities). She died in 1960. Some have speculated that Renczi's story may have inspired Joseph Kesselring's play Arsenic and Old Lace, yet this is incorrect. It was the Amy Archer-Gilligan case which the playwright used as his model.[citation needed]

In 2005, The Discovery Channel's three-part series Deadly Women recounted the history of Renczi, portrayed through reenactments and commentaries from FBI agents and criminal profiler Candice DeLong and a forensic pathologist. Renczi was featured in the series' first episode titled "Obsession",[15] where she is described as having killed her victims in the "1930s in Bucharest, Romania".[16] As for her motivation, the voice-over says that "modern analysis suggest she was simply looking for love".[17]

On 17 March 2012, a depiction of Renczi appeared in the Daily Mirror, but it was proved to be a misidentified 2004 photograph, and an apology was printed.[18]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Ionela Stănilă (1 June 2016). "Sfârşitul cumplit al celei mai sadice criminale. Văduva Neagră, femeia misterioasă care a ucis 35 de bărbaţi". Adevărul.
  2. ^ Adrian Nicolae (11 October 2008). "Vaduva Neagra sau Castelana din Berkerekul". Descopera.ro.
  3. ^ William R. Cullen (2008). Is Arsenic an Aphrodisiac?: The Sociochemistry of an Element. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-85404-363-7.
  4. ^ Michael D. Kelleher; C. L. Kelleher (1999). Murder Most Rare. Random House Publishing Group. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-440-23473-9.
  5. ^ Mary Ellen Snodgrass: Encyclopedia of kitchen history. 549. ISBN 978-1-57958-380-4
  6. ^ Larissa MacFarquhar (March 9, 1998). "FEMMES FATALES. Women who kill: The new postfeminist icons". The New Yorker. Vol. 74, no. 1–10. pp. 88–91 (89).
  7. ^ Tolischus, O. [Otto] B. Woman Held For Killing 35 Persons Slew Lovers and Preserved Bodies In Cans In Her Cellar, syndicated (Universal Service), The Bee (Danville, Va.), May 22, 1925, p. 6
  8. ^ "Another Lucretia Borgia Found", Kingston Daily Freeman
  9. ^ Hannah Scott (2005). The female serial murderer a sociological study of homicide and the gentler sex. Edwin Mellen Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7734-6000-3.
  10. ^ Ross McWhirter; Norris McWhirter (1972). Guinness Book of World Records. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 288. A claim that Vera Renczi murdered 35 persons in Rumania this century lacks authority.
  11. ^ a b Crime Time (in Romanian)
  12. ^ a b c d Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. page 198. Checkmark Books. 2000. ISBN 0-8160-3979-8
  13. ^ a b c d Joseph Geringer, "Black Widows: Veiled in Their Own Web of Darkness 2007-10-01 at the Wayback Machine", CrimeLibrary.com
  14. ^ "Văduva Neagră a României. Povestea femeii care și-a ucis toți amanții, dar și fiul". Știri.md (in Romanian). 26 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  15. ^ Deadly Women: Season 1, Episode 1 Obsession (8 Feb. 2005)
  16. ^ 10:30 into the episode
  17. ^ 14:20 into the episode
  18. ^ MARCH 20, 2012 "THE DAILY MIRROR USED MY PICTURE TO ILLUSTRATE SERIAL KILLER, AND FOLLOWED APOLOGY"

Further reading Edit

  • Jones, Richard Glyn. The Mammoth Book of Women Who Kill. Transition Vendor. 2002. ISBN 0-7867-0953-7
  • Tolischus, O. [Otto] B. Woman Held For Killing 35 Persons Slew Lovers and Preserved Bodies In Cans In Her Cellar, syndicated (Universal Service), The Bee (Danville, Va.), May 22, 1925, p. 6 (the name is given as Madame Renici in this article)
  • A Real Female Bluebeard Strange Tragedy of the Jealous Beauty and Her Thirty-five Unlucky Sweethearts, American Weekly (San Antonio Light Sunday magazine section), Aug. 22, 1925, p. 5
  • Siân Lavinia Anaïs Valeriana better known by her artist name The Raveness made Renczi the subject of one of her most popular poems to date, taken from her 2006 book Lavinia: Volume one ISBN 9781502313966. The poem is entitled A coffin for a bed referring to Vera's method for murder. Prior to the books release in 2003, the poem was previously featured on her debut poetry extended-play self-titled The Raveness.

See also Edit

External links Edit

    vera, renczi, verifiability, claims, made, this, article, disputed, please, help, improve, this, article, verifying, references, removing, that, reliable, support, article, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, april, 2020, learn, when, remove, this, templa. The verifiability of the claims made in this article is disputed Please help improve this article by verifying its references and removing any that are not reliable or do not support the article Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page April 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Vera Renczi dubbed the Black Widow Mrs Poison or Chatelaine of Berkerekul 1 2 was a Romanian serial killer who was charged with poisoning 35 individuals including her two husbands multiple lovers and her son with arsenic during the 1920s 3 4 5 6 Vera RencziBorn1903Bucharest RomaniaDied1960 aged 56 57 anachronism Zrenjanin Yugoslavia now Serbia NationalityRomanianOther namesThe Black WidowCitizenshipRomanianOccupationHousewifeSpouseKarl SchickCriminal chargeMurderPenaltyLife imprisonmentDetailsVictimsLovers husbandsSpan of crimes1920 1930CountryRomania YugoslaviaHungary alleged Killed35WeaponArsenicJournalist Otto Tolischus published the earliest known article in the United States in May 1925 based on letters from the readers without naming any reference 7 8 Renczi s story has surfaced repeatedly but without traceable details such as specific dates of her birth marriages arrest conviction incarceration or death 9 Most sources place the murders at Berkerekul Yugoslavia present day Serbia or Beckerek which changed the name to Zrenjanin in 1946 although the spelling Berkerekul is unknown for this city In 1972 the Guinness Book of World Records found no authoritative sources to support the claim that 35 people were killed by Renczi in early 20th century Austro Hungarian Empire 10 Contents 1 Early life 2 Subsequent murders 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 See also 7 External linksEarly life EditAccording to some accounts by whom Renczi was born in Bucharest in 1903 but in view of the dates of her alleged crimes a date in the late 19th century would be more appropriate The accounts of her life are lacking in verifiable documentary supporting evidence Her mother died when she was 13 and she moved with her father to Nagybecskerek today Zrenjanin Serbia where she attended a boarding school 11 By the age of fifteen she had become increasingly unmanageable and had frequently run away from home with numerous boyfriends many of whom were significantly older than she was 12 Early childhood friends described Renczi as having an almost pathological desire for constant male companionship citation needed and possessing a highly jealous and suspicious nature 13 Shortly before the age of twenty her first marriage was to a wealthy Austrian banker named Karl Schick many years her senior 14 They had a son named Lorenzo 11 13 Left at home daily while her older husband worked she began to suspect that her husband was being unfaithful One evening in a jealous rage Renczi poisoned his dinner wine with arsenic and began to tell family friends and neighbors that he had abandoned her and their son citation needed After approximately a year of mourning she then declared that she had heard word of her supposedly estranged husband s death in a car accident 12 Subsequent murders EditShortly after allegedly hearing the news of her first husband s automobile accident Renczi remarried citation needed this time to a man nearer her own age citation needed However the relationship was a tumultuous one and Renczi was again plagued by the suspicion that her new husband was involved in extramarital affairs citation needed After only months of marriage the man vanished citation needed and Renczi then told friends and family that he had abandoned her 13 After a year had passed she then claimed to have received a letter from her husband proclaiming his intentions of leaving her forever 12 This would be her last marriage 13 Although Renczi did not remarry she spent the next several years carrying out a number of affairs some clandestine with married men and others openly citation needed The men came from an array of backgrounds and social positions All would vanish within months weeks and in some cases even days after becoming romantically involved with her citation needed When connected to men she was openly having an affair with she would invariably concoct stories of them being unfaithful and having abandoned her citation needed She was caught after having poisoned her last lover a bank officer named Milorad his wife reported his disappearance to the Police who ignored her But she pursued her own investigation and rapidly found that Vera was her husband s mistress She went back to the Police who send two inspectors to the chateau She admitted to them that Milorad had been her lover but that he had quit her Impressed by her beauty wealth and excellent reputation the Police abandoned their search The wife went back to the Police and started to ask questions which should have been asked long time ago where was her husband Joseph Where was their son What happen to the numerous other men who people knew they were her lover and had also disappeared The Police went back to see her not only she then denied that Milorad was her lover which she had admitted before but the Police had a proof a love letter sent by her to her lover The Police got a search warrant and discovered a locked round cellar underground In it were 35 spaces each with a zinc lined coffin inside In the middle of the cellar were a red armchair a big church candle and an empty bottle of champagne She told them that it was all family members but they insisted in opening one coffin in which was the decomposed body of a man they then opened all the others ones in which they found the same thing Arrested she confessed that she had poisoned all of them with arsenic when she suspected they had been unfaithful to her or when she believed their interest in her was waning citation needed She also confessed to the police that on occasion she liked to sit in the armchair surrounded by the coffins of all her former lovers 12 She was convicted of 35 murders and sentenced to death but at that time Yugoslavia did not execute women She was instead condemned to life in prison During her trial she had started showing signs of delirium and amnesia It became worse and worse in prison she ended up talking to her victims and screaming obscenities She died in 1960 Some have speculated that Renczi s story may have inspired Joseph Kesselring s play Arsenic and Old Lace yet this is incorrect It was the Amy Archer Gilligan case which the playwright used as his model citation needed In 2005 The Discovery Channel s three part series Deadly Women recounted the history of Renczi portrayed through reenactments and commentaries from FBI agents and criminal profiler Candice DeLong and a forensic pathologist Renczi was featured in the series first episode titled Obsession 15 where she is described as having killed her victims in the 1930s in Bucharest Romania 16 As for her motivation the voice over says that modern analysis suggest she was simply looking for love 17 On 17 March 2012 a depiction of Renczi appeared in the Daily Mirror but it was proved to be a misidentified 2004 photograph and an apology was printed 18 See also EditBaba Anujka Bela Kiss List of serial killers by number of victimsReferences Edit Ionela Stănilă 1 June 2016 Sfarsitul cumplit al celei mai sadice criminale Văduva Neagră femeia misterioasă care a ucis 35 de bărbaţi Adevărul Adrian Nicolae 11 October 2008 Vaduva Neagra sau Castelana din Berkerekul Descopera ro William R Cullen 2008 Is Arsenic an Aphrodisiac The Sociochemistry of an Element Royal Society of Chemistry p 194 ISBN 978 0 85404 363 7 Michael D Kelleher C L Kelleher 1999 Murder Most Rare Random House Publishing Group p 67 ISBN 978 0 440 23473 9 Mary Ellen Snodgrass Encyclopedia of kitchen history 549 ISBN 978 1 57958 380 4 Larissa MacFarquhar March 9 1998 FEMMES FATALES Women who kill The new postfeminist icons The New Yorker Vol 74 no 1 10 pp 88 91 89 Tolischus O Otto B Woman Held For Killing 35 Persons Slew Lovers and Preserved Bodies In Cans In Her Cellar syndicated Universal Service The Bee Danville Va May 22 1925 p 6 Another Lucretia Borgia Found Kingston Daily Freeman Hannah Scott 2005 The female serial murderer a sociological study of homicide and the gentler sex Edwin Mellen Press p 44 ISBN 978 0 7734 6000 3 Ross McWhirter Norris McWhirter 1972 Guinness Book of World Records Sterling Publishing Company p 288 A claim that Vera Renczi murdered 35 persons in Rumania this century lacks authority a b Crime Time in Romanian a b c d Newton Michael The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers page 198 Checkmark Books 2000 ISBN 0 8160 3979 8 a b c d Joseph Geringer Black Widows Veiled in Their Own Web of Darkness Archived 2007 10 01 at the Wayback Machine CrimeLibrary com Văduva Neagră a Romaniei Povestea femeii care și a ucis toți amanții dar și fiul Știri md in Romanian 26 June 2017 Retrieved 8 June 2021 Deadly Women Season 1 Episode 1 Obsession 8 Feb 2005 10 30 into the episode 14 20 into the episode MARCH 20 2012 THE DAILY MIRROR USED MY PICTURE TO ILLUSTRATE SERIAL KILLER AND FOLLOWED APOLOGY Further reading EditJones Richard Glyn The Mammoth Book of Women Who Kill Transition Vendor 2002 ISBN 0 7867 0953 7 Tolischus O Otto B Woman Held For Killing 35 Persons Slew Lovers and Preserved Bodies In Cans In Her Cellar syndicated Universal Service The Bee Danville Va May 22 1925 p 6 the name is given as Madame Renici in this article A Real Female Bluebeard Strange Tragedy of the Jealous Beauty and Her Thirty five Unlucky Sweethearts American Weekly San Antonio Light Sunday magazine section Aug 22 1925 p 5 Sian Lavinia Anais Valeriana better known by her artist name The Raveness made Renczi the subject of one of her most popular poems to date taken from her 2006 book Lavinia Volume one ISBN 9781502313966 The poem is entitled A coffin for a bed referring to Vera s method for murder Prior to the books release in 2003 the poem was previously featured on her debut poetry extended play self titled The Raveness See also EditList of serial killers by countryExternal links EditFrancis Farmer s Revenge Types of female Serial Killers Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vera Renczi amp oldid 1173217213, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

    article

    , read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.