Botkin, Cordelia (c. 1854–1910)

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Botkin, Cordelia (c. 1854–1910)

American murderer. Born c. 1854 in US; died Mar 7, 1910, at San Quentin; m. Welcome A. Botkin (sep. sometime before 1898); children: son, Beverly.

While living in San Francisco, took up with journalist John Presley Dunning, who left his wife Elizabeth and child for her; when Dunning was assigned to cover Spanish-American War (1898), feared war would make him return to his wife; seeded a box of candy with arsenic and mailed it to Elizabeth Dunning, killing her and her relative Leila Deane; in highly publicized trial, found guilty of first-degree murder (Dec 31, 1898) and received a life sentence.