8. Belle Gunness
As far as murder motives go, money is definitely the plainest of the bunch. However, as it turns out, sometimes, people just kill for money — and for the removal of potential evidence, of course. This was the alleged case for Belle Gunness, who was said to have killed between 25 and 40 people throughout multiple decades during her lifetime, which lasted from 1859 to 1908.
At a staggering six feet tall height and weighing in at over 200 pounds, Gunness possessed considerable physical strength, which surely assisted her in her brutal murders. She was known to post ads in local papers, asking for financially-endowed men to come visit her for “courtship.” Here’s how one of those ads went: “Personal — comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes.
No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Triflers need not apply.” Of course, the vast majority of the men who came to visit Gunness were never seen again, and Gunness would make regular trips to the bank to deposit large checks. Gunness disappeared without a trace before she was ever tried for murder.
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