Hilda Nilsson

Case overview

Hilda Nilsson (1876 – 10 August 1917) was a Swedish serial killer from Helsingborg who became known as "the angel maker on Bruks Street". In 1917 she was imprisoned for murdering eight children. She was sentenced to death on 15 June 1917, but she died before the punishment could be carried out after committing suicide while in jail in Landskrona on 10 August 1917.

Background

Hilda Nilsson and her husband Gustaf lived in Helsingborg, Sweden. The couple had accrued large debts and needed a way to pay their bills. Nilsson cared for infants in return for money from mothers who were not married and needed help. This practice was known as baby farming. Nilsson kept her home in a good, clean condition, which made mothers more willing to leave their unwanted children in her care.

The offence

Nilsson murdered the children she took care of shortly after their mothers left them in her care. The murders were possible because the authorities rarely knew of these babies' existence, and the mothers almost never wanted to come back to learn how their children were doing.

One method Nilsson used for murdering the children was to put them into a washtub and then place heavy objects—such as a washboard and coal scuttle—on top of them. She then left the room and returned hours later when the children were dead.

After the killings, Nilsson burned their bodies. On occasions when she did not burn them, she dug graves and buried them. She was different from other baby-farmer child killers of that time, in that she actively killed the children; other similar killers mostly left the children with insufficient food and unhealthy living conditions, which led to their death.

Investigation

Nilsson's crimes were discovered when a woman named Blenda Henricsson wanted to contact her child. When Nilsson refused contact, Henricsson asked the police to investigate. The police soon found ample incriminating evidence of the murders.

Trial

Nilsson's trial included a mental examination. Her trial began on 2 June 1917. At the conclusion of the trial on 15 June 1917, she was sentenced to death.

Sentencing

Nilsson was sentenced to death by guillotine on 15 June 1917. Before the punishment could be carried out, she committed suicide.

On the same day, and without Nilsson's knowledge, the court had commuted her death sentence to life imprisonment.

Appeals

She was the last death penalty prisoner in Swedish history not to be pardoned. She died before the pardon could be officially carried out.

Outcome

Before the guillotine execution could be carried out, Nilsson committed suicide while in jail in Landskrona on 10 August 1917. She hanged herself with a linen cloth, which she had tied to a cell door.

Aftermath

Nilsson died before any officially carried out pardon could occur.