Louise Peete
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Louise Preslar Peete (1883 - 1947) was a woman in the United States who was found guilty of several murders.
Peete was born in Bienville, Louisiana. Her family was relatively wealthy, and she received an expensive education, but she was expelled from school for inappropriate behaviour. In 1903, she married a travelling salesman named Henry Bosley — Bosley committed suicide after discovering his wife in bed with another man in 1906. She then spent time in Boston, apparently working as a high-class prostitute, and stealing from her clients.
She later returned to Waco, Texas, where she became involved with wealthy oil baron Joe Appel. Appel was later found murdered, with his diamond jewelery missing. Peete was accused of the crime, but she convinced a grand jury that she had been defending herself from rape. In 1913, she married a hotel clerk, Harry Faurote — he later died, apparently of suicide caused by Peete's barely-concealed infidelity. In 1915, in Denver, she married again, this time to a salesman named Richard Peete. She apparently had a daughter with him, but later abandoned him to move to Los Angeles. There, she lived with Jacob C. Denton, another oil magnate. In 1920, Denton disappeared, with Peete presenting various excuses as to why he would not appear in public — by the time Denton's lawyer had police search his house, Peete had returned to her husband in Denver. Denton's body was found, and Peete was charged with his murder. She did not testify at her trial, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. During her time in prison, she ceased to respond to her husband's letters — he killed himself.
She was paroled in 1942. Returning to Los Angeles, Peete took a position as a housekeeper for a woman named Jessie Marcy, who died not long afterwards. An elderly co-worker also died under suspicious circumstances — police spoke to Peete, but were not aware of her past. Peete later worked for Emily Dwight Latham, who had helped to secure Peete's parole. Latham also died. The deaths of both Marcy and Latham were attributed to natural causes. Peete then became a housekeeper in Pacific Palisades for Arthur C. Logan and his wife Margaret, and married a man named Lee Borden Judson. Margaret Logan then disappeared, but suspicion was aroused by poor forgeries of her signature that Peete presented on checks and letters to parole authorities. Peete was arrested, and her husband Lee Judson told police of his suspicions about her. (Judson was acquitted of any involvement, but committed suicide the day afterwards). Peete was found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death. She went to the gas chamber on April 11, 1947.
