Dark Secrets are the stock-in-trad of Deadly Women. -Dark Secrets, Deadly Women (S2, E4)
1. Judy Buenoano
Date: June 25, 1983 (the date of the explosion that was her downfall)
Victims: John Goodyear (husband), Michael Buenoano (son), and John Gentry (fiancé, survived)
Location: Pensacola, Florida
Circumstances: John Gentry found out his wife Judy was pregnant and he was excited about their future; then John left the house, got into his car, and the car blew up; someone blew the car up with dynamite and it got the attention of investigators; John survived the blast but the discovery of dynamite residue meant this was no accident; four days later, detectives asked John who would profit from his death; they learned his mother and his fiancé Judy did; although John never imagined Judy had anything to do with it because he thought the policy was cancelled; a reporter recognized Judy from the nail salon she went to; news of the explosion was on at the nail salon; Judy didn’t say a word and just quietly kept working on her nails; the reporter noticed she had a darkness about her; the reporter took notice of the feelings she had about her; investigators learned that Judy told John she was pregnant with his child but she was lying because she had been surgically sterilized five years earlier; investigators found an insurance policy that showed she took out $500,000 on John; John thought the policy was cancelled but it was not; John was in denial initially but began to realize this may not have been Judy’s first attempt to kill him; Judy pushed John to take vitamins and after he took them he would get sick and throw up; he went to the hospital and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong; he stopped taking them but hid it from Judy; they were Judy’s poison pills; John was shocked to learn she had a secret life insurance policy on him for half a million dollars; investigators believe Judy may have killed before; 12 years earlier, Judy was married to James Goodyear; James was an Air Force sergeant who served in Vietnam; he was home on leave enjoying some R&R with his new wife but what he got was arsenic poisoning; it had no odor and dissolved easily; Judy served up tiny amounts so it went unnoticed; it progressively damages the liver and the heart; chronic arsenic poisoning is hard to detect; within 3 months, James was dead and Judy collected a large insurance settlement; this first murder set the stage for Judy’s career as a serial killer because she killed for profit; a decade later, James spoke from the grave when he was exhumed and they found arsenic in his system; Judy got away with murder for 12 years; investigators also learned when her son Michael turned 18, he wanted to join the military; on his way to a post in Georgia, he visited with his mom at which time Judy fed him arsenic because she had several life insurance policies on her son too; sociopaths don’t feel love and lack empathy; to Judy, her son was just another check waiting to get in her bank account; Michael didn’t die but he became crippled from the arsenic and was discharged from the Army as a result; he wore braces on both his arms and legs because he was paralyzed from the elbow down and the knee down; he was back in Judy’s care at it wasn’t long before Judy took Michael on a canoeing trip; he had 15 lbs of weighted braces on his arms and legs and could barely walk, let alone swim; she took him out of site of the landing and public view and the canoe some how capsized; one of her stories was they hit a log and the canoe overturned; she also said a snake fell in the boat; Michael, weighted down by the braces, could not swim and sunk to the bottom of the lake; Judy never attempted to save her son and he drowned; most parents would do whatever they could to save their child; later Judy hailed a passing fisherman, told him about the accident and drank a cold beer; she collected from two life insurance policies; she knew the braces would render Michael helpless; the police finally pieced together Judy’s secrets; she went too far when she used the dynamite because she wanted too much, too soon; the prosecutor said he never witnessed the sense of evil he did with Judy in his 30 years of prosecuting cases; Judy insisted she was innocent to her grave but those who knew her had no question about her guilt
Motive: Greed (life insurance money)
Disposition: Judy Buenoano was found guilty of first degree murder and first degree grand theft and sentenced to death; Judy was executed on March 30, 1998 by the State of Florida
Related Links:
The Black Widow
Wikipedia: Judy Buenoano
Michael Buenoano Goodyear
The prosecutor in the murder trial of a woman…
New Twist In Trial Of Buenoano Daughter Says Brother Poisoned Stepfather
Jury deliberates ‘Black Widow’ case
`Black Widow` Convicted Of Murder
The Black Widow
No tears for the ‘Black Widow’ of Death Row
Supreme Court of Florida: Judy A. Buenoano (1988)
United States Court of Appeals: Judy A. Buenoano (1998)
Florida court denies appeal to killer known as ‘black widow’
‘Black Widow’ Faces Electric Chair Judy Buenoano Was Convicted Of Killing Husband And Son, And Bombing Boyfriend
Buenoano Goes To Chair Appearing Small, Scared
Florida woman dies in electric chair
`Black Widow’ Executed In Florida
Florida Executes ‘Black Widow’
Florida Puts to Death First Woman in 150 Years
Judy Buenoano was executed by electrocution
After a series of insurance fraud schemes — and several poisoned lovers — a southern con artist met her electrifying end
These 20 Lethal Ladies Will Give You The Chills. Seriously Creepy.
The Black Widows of Death Row
On Death Row, Women Want Salad for Last Meal
Women Who Murder: 10 Deadliest ‘Black Widows’
5 Super-Twisted Serial Killers You’ve Never Heard Of
12 Female Poisoners Who Killed With Arsenic
Pensacola’s most memorable crime stories
A Look Back: The Execution of Florida “Black Widow” Judy Buenoano
Air Force Sgt. James Goodyear Died of Arsenic Poisoning; Judy Buenoano Murdered Husband and Son Michael for Military Life Insurance Benefits, Executed in Florida (September 16, 1971)
Deadly Women Premiered ‘Dark Secrets’ on Investigation Discovery: Judy Buenoano (October 30, 2008)
International Men’s Day: FIVE Female Killers who Murdered Soldiers, Veterans and Spouses (November 19, 2017)
Life Insurance Fraud is a Common Motive for Murder in the Military
The New Detectives: Season 3 – Ep 5 “Lethal Dosage”
About the Show | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery
Dark Secrets | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (website)
Season 2 | Deadly Women | Investigation Discovery (Amazon)
Judy Buenoano | Death Penalty Information Center
Judy Buenoano | The Next to Die | The Marshall Project
My Favorite Murder – MFM #96: Live at the Hard Rock in Orlando | Aileen Wuornos & Judy Buenoano
Judy Buenoano | Crime Museum
Judy Buenoano Documentary | Female Killers
2. Eugenia Falleni
Date: September 28, 1917
Victim: Annie Burkett (wife)
Location: Australia
Circumstances: Harry Crawford was barely scraping by in life; he had a lot of different jobs and moved often; if people asked too many questions, he would move again; Annie Burkett was married to Harry and he was a stepfather to her son; they were a typical family and Annie didn’t know Harry was living a lie; his name really wasn’t Harry Crawford because he wasn’t even a man; his name was Eugenia Falleni, and she wasn’t a Scotsman, she was an Italian woman; it was a secret he would kill to protect; he deceived everyone for decades; Eugenia was a woman living as a man at a time transsexuals were not accepted; she could be discovered at any time and jailed for living as a deviant; what she was doing was actually quite dangerous in those times because she would experience a lot of hostility; the marriage to Annie was actually null and void because she entered into a marriage as a man under false pretenses; Annie had no idea her husband was a woman because Eugenia hid it from her in the bedroom too; but after 4 years of marriage, Annie realized she’d been duped and she was devastated; she discovered the true gender of her life partner and threatened to expose Harry; he was afraid he would go to prison; Harry lured Annie to a secluded park for a picnic and smashed Annie over the head with a bottle, then she panicked; while Annie was still alive, Eugenia set her body on fire in a campfire because she believed she could burn the body beyond recognition; but Eugenia’s body was found yet not identified right away; Eugenia’s motivation for killing was to save herself and her standing in the community, she wanted to protect her identity; now her biggest concern was Annie’s son Harry; with Annie out of the way, there was only one other obstacle so she took Harry to a notorious suicide spot and tried to lure him to the edge; Harry hung back and it literally saved his life because she couldn’t convince him to go to the edge; the fear and panic was not enough to drive her to kill Harry; Eugenia kept this dark secret hidden for another 3 years; she went on to marry another woman and after 12 months, she was arrested by the police and charged with the murder of Annie Burkett whose body was finally identified; after the arrest, she became a freak show and even the media referred to her as a “freak,” “monster,” and “pervert”
Motive: Wife Annie threatened to reveal the true identity of Eugenia; she did not want to go to prison or lose standing in the community
Disposition: On July 5, 1920, Eugenia Falleni was charged with the murder of Annie Burkett; on October 6, 1920, she was convicted of murder and sentenced to death; although in the end, she was spared execution and released after 11 years in prison; she lived the rest of her life as a woman
Related Links:
The woman who was charged with murdering her wife
Convicted transgender killer sets first wife’s body on fire in 1920 murder case
Was ‘transgender warrior’ a victim of an Australian miscarriage of justice?
What We Know about Eugenia Falleni, According to Historical Sources
The murder and fraught queer history of ‘Half Wild’
The case of Eugenia Falleni, who lived life as a man in turn of the century Sydney and was sentenced to death for murder
Half Wild review: Pip Smith’s tackles the curious life of Eugenia Falleni
Pip Smith’s novel reimagines old Sydney and murderess Eugenia Falleni
Friday essay: tall ships, tall tales, and the mysteries of Eugenia Falleni
The He She Killer : The True Story of Eugenia Falleni
Mugshots of Australian women criminals from the 1920s
S1E4: Eugenia Falleni | Planet Broadcasting Podcast
Felon – S1E4 – Eugenia Falleni | Felon True Crime Podcast
Episode 13- Eugenia Falleni | Wander the Podcast
Girl Loves Girls. Man Kills Woman | Sword and Scale Podcast
Eugenia Fallen | Murderpedia
Eugenia Falleni | Channel Pod
1920s Trans Man Murdered To Keep Secret I The Feed
Eugenia Falleni – A True Story of Adversity, Tragedy, Crime and Courage by Mark Tedeschi
Eugenia Falleni Documentary | Female Killers
3. Genene Anne Jones
Date: 1977-1982
Victims: Chelsea McClellan (Genene is suspected of killing up to 60 infants)
Location: Bexar County, Texas (San Antonio and Kerrville)
Circumstances: Babies were dying without cause at a medical center in San Antonio, Texas; they saw an increase in pulmonary arrests in the children’s ward; the death rate went from one a week to 3-5 a week; staff knew they had a murderer inside the hospital and the prime suspect was nurse Genene Jones, a 31 year old vocational nurse who had a hero complex; she liked the idea that she could save lives in an emergency; when someone has a strong need to be seen as a hero or savior, this is the hero complex; when someone creates a scenario where they can rush in and save the person, that’s dangerous; Genene used a variety of drugs to stress her patients like blood thinners and cardiac arrest agents; she didn’t necessarily want to kill her victims, just make them sick enough so she can rescue them; this was her way of getting attention; she would call a code red and people would rush to the scene; she would resuscitate them and bring them back to life when she could but all too often Genene miscalculated her poison; she was searching for respect; she felt important and powerful when she was tending to defenseless children; perhaps Genene was overcompensating for previous losses; soon after birth, Genene was abandoned by her natural parents and given up for adoption; at 16, her closest brother died in a car accident; another brother succumbed to cancer 8 years later; cancer also took her father at age 56; if someone feels unloved, they may spend the rest of their adult life trying to acquire the attention they did not get as a child and engage in various behavior including criminal behavior to gain the attention; in one two week period at the San Antonio medical center, 7 children died; but co-workers started to connect the dots and asked questions; they discovered all of the deaths were on the same shift and were taken care of by Genene; they thought it was suspicious and reported it to administrators; but administrators failed to report the information to the medical examiner’s office and didn’t instantly remove Nurse Jones; she was left on the ward even after they knew what was going on; they finally did something when staff insisted but they were fearful of getting sued more than saving the lives of the children; according to the medical examiner at the time, Genene was the worse serial murderer in the history of Texas; and what’s worse is that a nurse could murder and it was covered up; no one is sure how many children died because a lot of the records disappeared and the deaths were not reported or autopsied; eventually the hospital raised the qualifications for nurses in the ward and Genene no longer qualified so they let her go but gave her an excellent letter of recommendation; she was free to kill again; soon she was working in a pediatric facility in Kerrville, Texas; her new boss had no idea about Genene’s past; Genene was asked to look after a child with a cold and suddenly Chelsea stopped breathing; she saved her and was hailed a hero; the need to do this is a bottomless pit that is never filled; one month later, Chelsea is once again in respiratory arrest after another routine check up by Nurse Jones; she was rushed to the ER but didn’t survive this time; death was incidental to all the excitement Genene got from trying to save a child; Chelsea’s death was initially ruled Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) but upon closer inspection, Genene’s secret was discovered; the death was suspicious and Genene was once again investigated; the autopsy revealed that the baby suffocated to death from Succinylcholine poisoning; and after Chelsea’s death, Genene visited Chelsea’s grave and appeared genuinely remorseful; Chelsea’s mother happened to visit at the same time and she was curious why this nurse was at the gravesite, so distraught; more evidence was discovered; hospital staff noticed pinholes in the agent used to kill little Chelsea; she replaced what she took with saline solution; Chelsea’s body revealed traces of Succinylcholine (anectine); Genene’s colleagues at her last job confirmed that she was a suspected killer long before she arrived at the Kerrville clinic; Chelsea’s murder was the one that finally put her way for good but no one was ever charged for the several deaths at the medical center in San Antonio; to this day, Genene insists that she’s innocent; professionals acknowledge this is a common form of denial that comes with who have the hero complex; they need to be incarcerated for the rest of their lives because there is no way to know if they won’t kill again
Motive: Attention, hero complex
Disposition: Genene Jones was found guilty of first degree murder and causing injury to seven other children; she was sentenced to 99 years in prison
Related Links:
Convicted baby killer Genene Jones returns to Bexar County
‘Angel of Death’ nurse Genene Jones back in San Antonio to face murder charges
Texas nurse indicted in second child’s death
Killer nurse Genene Jones indicted in two more infant deaths
Texas ‘angel of death’ nurse charged again in baby killing spree
Genene Jones, “killer nurse” suspected in deaths of dozens of infants, is indicted again
Former Texas nurse, in prison for toddler’s death, now accused of killing dozens
Nurse who may have killed 60 Texas children indicted for another murder
‘Killer Nurse’ Genene Jones pleads not guilty to five new murder charges
Prosecutor: Former Texas Nurse Confessed In Deaths Of Babies
‘Killer Nurse’ admits to killing babies, prison inmate says in letter
‘Angel of Death’ admits to killing babies to fellow inmate, prosecutors say
Genene Jones Murdered 60 Children Working As A Nurse And Will Soon Be Released
‘I Really Did Kill Those Babies’ (2018)
“I Really Did Kill Those Babies” (ProPublica)
Texas Nurse Allegedly Confessed to Killing Dozens of Small Children: ‘I Really Did Kill Those Babies’
Genene Jones: The Nurse With A Savior Complex Who May Have Killed Up To 60 Infants
Woman linked to 47 baby deaths to be set free
Raising America investigates: Genene Jones
FILE VIDEO: Genene Jones taken into custody 1983
Baby-Killing Nurse Approaches Expected Release From Prison – Pt. 1 – Crime Watch Daily
Baby-Killing Nurse Approaches Expected Release From Prison – Pt. 2 – Crime Watch Daily
Convicted baby killer Genene Jones heading back to court
Video: Judge orders mental exam for ‘Killer Nurse’ Genene Jones
Testimony reveals ‘killer nurse’ Genene Jones’ alleged first confession
‘Killer Nurse’ admits to killing babies, prison inmate says in letter
VIDEO: ‘Killer Nurse’ Genene Jones pleads not guilty to 5 murder charges
‘Killer Nurse’ Genene Jones pleads not guilty to 5 murder charges
Forensic Files – Season 5, Ep 10: Nursery Crimes
Genene Jones Documentary | Female Killers
Genene Jones Documentary | Female Killers (2)
Genene Jones | Murderpedia
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 