2 – Helene Jegado (1803-1852)
Also known as the ‘pious poisoner,’ Jegado murdered up to 36 people with arsenic in an 18 year period (1833-1851). She was born on a small farm near Lorient, France in 1803, and after her mother died when Jegado was 7-years-old, she lived and worked with her aunts in Bubry. Jegado moved to Seglien with an aunt in 1827 and quickly displayed her tendencies while working as a cook. Jegado was accused of adding hemp to his soup by the Curé although there are no records of any punishment.
Jegado is unusual for a serial killer insofar as her murders took place in two separate spells some 10 years apart. The first spree began in 1833 when she allegedly poisoned seven people (including her sister and her employer Fr. Francois Le Drogo) in the village of Guern. All seven victims died from arsenic poisoning in the period from late June to early October 1833. Jegado avoided suspicion because she grieved so convincingly for the loss of her sister and the others. Also, there had been a cholera epidemic the previous year, so most people assumed the deaths came as a result of residual infection.
She returned to Bubry to bury her sister, and another three people died in the next three months. Soon after, Jegado moved to Locmine where she lived with a woman called Marie-Jeanne Leboucher. The lady and her daughter died, and while her son also became ill, he refused to accept Jegado’s care and he survived. She moved from house to house, and while people always mysteriously died soon after her arrival, Jegado managed to avoid suspicion. This pattern continued until 1841 when it appears that she stopped for approximately a decade. During that period, she was dismissed from several jobs after being caught stealing.
The final phase of her murderous life began in 1849 when she moved to Rennes. In 1850 and 1851, two maids in the household of Theophile Bidard died, and doctors noticed a similarity between the deaths. A forensic examination revealed arsenic poisoning as the cause of death and Jegado foolishly aroused suspicion by declaring her innocence without being asked. She was arrested and charged with murder on July 1, 1851.
Her trial began in December, but she was only charged with three murders, three attempted murders and several counts of theft. Jegado constantly claimed to have no idea what arsenic was despite all evidence to the contrary. Exhumation of the most recent victims showed strong traces of antimony and arsenic. Her lawyer said Jegado should be spared the death penalty because she was dying of cancer, but she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Jegado was guillotined in February 1862.