Jane Toppan

Jane Toppan

Jane Toppan (1854 – August 17, 1938), born as Honora Kelley, was an American nurse who became one of the most infamous serial killers in the history of the United States. Toppan confessed to 31 murders in 1901, and it is believed that she may have been responsible for over 100 deaths. Her case has been extensively analyzed in the fields of criminal psychology, forensic science, and the history of nursing.

Early Life

Jane Toppan was born as Honora Kelley in Boston, Massachusetts, to Irish immigrants. Her mother, Bridget Kelley, died of tuberculosis when Jane was very young, and her father, Peter Kelley, was known to be mentally unstable. After her mother's death, Jane and her sister were taken to the Boston Female Asylum, an orphanage for indigent female children. Jane was eventually indentured to the Toppan family in Lowell, Massachusetts, where she took their surname.

Career and Crimes

Toppan trained as a nurse at Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts. She was well-liked by her patients and colleagues, but during her time there, she began experimenting with morphine and atropine on her patients. Toppan's experiments were aimed at seeing how these drugs affected the nervous system. She would alter her patients' dosages to see how it changed their mental and physical states, often leading to their deaths.

Her killing spree continued when she moved to work at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and later, while she was employed as a private nurse. Toppan's victims included her landlords, personal friends, and her own foster sister, Elizabeth Brigham.

Arrest and Confession

Jane Toppan was arrested in 1901 after a family she was nursing became suspicious when several members died under her care. During her trial, Toppan confessed to killing 31 people, but she claimed her goal was to have killed more people—helpless people—than any other man or woman who ever lived.

Trial and Institutionalization

Toppan was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to the Taunton State Hospital, where she remained until her death in 1938. Her trial brought significant attention to the issues of mental health and the legal system's handling of individuals deemed insane.

Legacy

Jane Toppan's case has been the subject of numerous books and articles, exploring the dark side of the nursing profession and the mind of a serial killer. Her story raises questions about the nature of evil, the ethics of medical experimentation, and the treatment of the mentally ill in the criminal justice system.

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