Gesche Gottfried

Case record: Gesche Gottfried

Identity

Gesche Gottfried was born Gesche Margarethe Timm (6 March 1785 - 21 April 1831) and was known as Gesina Gottfried. She was a serial killer who murdered 15 people by arsenic poisoning in Bremen and Hanover, Germany, between 1813 and 1827.

She was the last person to be publicly executed in the city of Bremen.

Victims

The case record listed the following victims:

• 1 October 1813: Johann Miltenberg (first husband)
• 2 May 1815: Gesche Margarethe Timm (mother)
• 10 May 1815: Johanna Gottfried (daughter)
• 18 May 1815: Adelheid Gottfried (daughter)
• 28 June 1815: Johann Timm (father)
• 22 September 1815: Heinrich Gottfried (son)
• 1 June 1816: Johann Timm (brother)
• 5 July 1817: Michael Christoph Gottfried (second husband)
• 1 June 1823: Paul Thomas Zimmermann (fiancé)
• 21 March 1825: Anna Lucia Meyerholz (music teacher and friend)
• 5 December 1825: Johann Mosees (neighbor, friend and advisor)
• 22 December 1826: Wilhelmine Rumpff (landlady)
• 13 May 1827: Elise Schmidt (daughter of Beta Schmidt)
• 15 May 1827: Beta Schmidt (friend, maid)
• 24 July 1827: Friedrich Kleine (friend, creditor; murdered in Hanover)

Method and background details

Gottfried used arsenic poisoning and used a mixture of arsenic and fat called “mouse butter,” a term used because it was usually used to kill mice. She was known as the “Angel of Bremen” until her murders were discovered.

Her victims included her parents, her two husbands, her fiancé and her children. Before being suspected and convicted, she garnered widespread sympathy among the inhabitants of Bremen because so many of her family and friends fell ill and died. Her devoted nursing of the victims during their time of suffering led to her being known as the “Angel of Bremen.”

Arrest, incarceration, and trial outcome

Gottfried was apprehended after a strange white substance was found on food that she had prepared for friends. A local doctor identified the substance as arsenic. She was arrested on suspicion of murder on March 6, 1828.

She remained incarcerated for the next three years and was sentenced to death for her crimes.

Sentencing and execution

Gottfried was executed by guillotine on April 21, 1831.

A local custom required the condemned to drink a final glass of wine before stepping into history. The record stated that in a surprise move, Gottfried took only one sip and then offered the rest to the judges presiding over the execution. The record also noted that whether or not the glass contained a smattering of “mouse butter,” and whether or not the judges drank from it, was not recorded.

Timeline

• 6 March 1785 — Gesche Margarethe Timm was born.
• 1 October 1813 — Johann Miltenberg (first husband) was murdered.
• 2 May 1815 — Gesche Margarethe Timm (mother) was murdered.
• 10 May 1815 — Johanna Gottfried (daughter) was murdered.
• 18 May 1815 — Adelheid Gottfried (daughter) was murdered.
• 28 June 1815 — Johann Timm (father) was murdered.
• 22 September 1815 — Heinrich Gottfried (son) was murdered.
• 1 June 1816 — Johann Timm (brother) was murdered.
• 5 July 1817 — Michael Christoph Gottfried (second husband) was murdered.
• 1 June 1823 — Paul Thomas Zimmermann (fiancé) was murdered.
• 21 March 1825 — Anna Lucia Meyerholz (music teacher and friend) was murdered.
• 5 December 1825 — Johann Mosees (neighbor, friend and advisor) was murdered.
• 22 December 1826 — Wilhelmine Rumpff (landlady) was murdered.
• 13 May 1827 — Elise Schmidt (daughter of Beta Schmidt) was murdered.
• 15 May 1827 — Beta Schmidt (friend, maid) was murdered.
• 24 July 1827 — Friedrich Kleine (friend, creditor; murdered in Hanover) was murdered.
• 6 March 1828 — Gottfried was arrested on suspicion of murder.
• 21 April 1831 — Gottfried was executed by guillotine.