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Belle Gunness Outline

__**Childhood**__ • born on November 11, 1859, in Selbu, Norway • Name at birth was Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth • Her parents were Paul Pedersen Storset (a stonemason) and Berit Olsdatter. • Grew up in poverty • In 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant where she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the stomach, causing her to lose the child. • Personality changed after incident • She soon moved to the US and was desperate for money.

__**Jobs**__ • took service a big, wealthy farm and served there for 3 years in order to pay for the trip across the Atlantic. • she worked as a servant when she first came to the US • opened a confectionary store with husband Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago • Lived off of collecting insurance

__**Reason for Murders**__ • loved money and would do anything to have more • collected insurance so she wouldn’t have to work hard to make money

__**Early Victims**__ Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson • Killed by “heart failure” • July 30, 1900, the only day that two life insurance policies on him overlapped • $8,500 of insurance was collected after death Caroline and Axel Sorenson • Two youngest children in Belle’s first marriage • Died in infancy • Insurance was collected for both children Peter Gunness’ new born infant • Killed one week after Belle married Peter • Baby was alone in the house with Belle Peter Gunness • Peter allegedly died working in a shed when part of a sausage-grinding machine fell from a high shelf, split his skull open and killed him instantly • 4,000 dollars of insurance was collected. Jennie Olsen • Belle Gunness’ adopted daughter told a classmate that she had seen her mother kill her father. • Jennie denied this statement to the Court, and with much persuasion, the charges for murder against Belle were dropped. • Jennie soon “went to Lutheran College.” Her body was later found in Belle Gunness’ back yard.

__**Types of Victims Gunness Chose:**__ -Put advertisement in Newspapers that read: • “Personal - comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Triflers need not apply.” • middle-aged men with comfortable bank accounts and property responded to Belle's lovelorn column ads • men were desperate, wanted to prove they were worthy of Belle

__**Accomplice:**__ Ray Lamphere • The handyman that worked on her farm • Was in love with Belle • Would dig holes in the back of her farm and would bury her victims for her • Plead guilty to arson • Gunness fired Lamphere when she started to doubt his loyalty and went to the police saying he threatened her and her family in order to make her story believable • Belle soon hired new handyman, Joe Mason

__**“Death”**__ • Joe Mason awoke to a fire in the middle of the night and jumped out of his window. • There were four bodies found in the house once the fire was put out: one headless woman and 3 children • Upon further investigation, it was said that the woman in the fire could not have been Gunness because she died of strychnine poisoning, and she was only 5’3 and about 150 lbs, when Gunness was at least 5’8 and about 200 pounds. • Investigators next step was, due to Mason’s suspicions of the wholes in the back yard, to investigate Gunness’ property

__**Victims Found on Farm**__ • Jennie Olson • Small bodies of two unidentified children • Andrew Helgelien • Ole B. Budsburg • Thomas Lindboe • Henry Gurholdt, • Olaf Svenherud • John Moo • Olaf Lindbloom • There were many others who could not be identified. There were the remains of more than 40 men and children buried in shallow graves throughout her property.

__**Trial:**__ • Ray Lamphere pled guilty to Arson, but was proven innocent when charged with murder. • On his death bed, he told a priest that Gunness was still alive, and that he buried 42 bodies in her back yard. • Lamphere said that Gunness would charm her men, poison them, and then cut their heads with a butcher knife, and dump the remains in the hog pen in her back yard. • Gunness was never found but the body believed to be that of Belle Gunness was buried next to her first husband at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.