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1937 Helen Tiernan... "murder mommy"...
1937 Helen Tiernan... "murder mommy"...
Item # 719988
May 17, 1937
ALBANY EVENING NEWS, New York, May 17, 1937
* Helen Tiernan (Murder Mommy)
* Hatchet Murderess whose kids where in the way
* Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York
The front page has a one column heading: "GIRL, 8, SLAIN; BOY SLASHED; MOTHER HELD" with subhead. (see images)
Complete with 28 pages, light toning at the margins, some binding slits along the spine, generally in nice condition.
AI notes: Helen Tiernan, a 28-year-old widow from New York, committed a shocking act of filicide in May 1937 when she murdered her 7-year-old daughter and attempted to kill her 5-year-old son. Taking the children to the woods near Brookhaven, she slashed her daughter’s throat, gravely injured her son, and then set their bodies on fire, believing them both dead. The motive was reportedly her desire to remarry, as she felt her small apartment could not accommodate both her children and a new partner. Initially, she tried to implicate her lover, George Christopoulos, but investigations confirmed his alibi, and Tiernan later admitted her guilt. In June 1937, she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, while her surviving son recovered and testified to her actions, making the case a notorious example of maternal filicide that captured widespread media attention.
Category: The 20th Century
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