Description
This 1930s case involved some Italian immigrants who believed in curses, evil eyes, and witchcraft. An enterprising tailor who also believed in the supernatural decided to exploit these superstitions for profit. He began by taking out insurance policies on neighbors who he believed were close to death and then trying to hasten their demise and his collection of the insurance by cursing them or hiring others to invoke incantations designed to speed their death. They escalated their activities from curses to potions, which included arsenic. Before long, Philadelphia had its murder case of the century, with headlines screaming of “black widows” and “poisonous paramours.”
