Susan Newell
Encyclopedia
Susan Newell was the last woman to be hanged
in Scotland
. She killed newspaper boy, John Johnston during a petty squabble, having failed to obtain a newspaper without paying for it. She killed her victim via strangulation on 20 May 1923.
Newell was caught after she and her daughter made an attempt to dispose of the body. She tried to implicate her husband for the crime, but he had a solid alibi
as he could prove he was at his brother's funeral at the time of the murder. Her daughter Janet, testified against her, describing how the body of the paperboy had been wheeled through the streets on a pram
.
At the trial her defence put forward a plea of insanity, but she was convicted on a majority verdict with one juror against.
Newell was executed on October 23rd 1923 at Duke Street Prison, Glasgow
.
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. She killed newspaper boy, John Johnston during a petty squabble, having failed to obtain a newspaper without paying for it. She killed her victim via strangulation on 20 May 1923.
Newell was caught after she and her daughter made an attempt to dispose of the body. She tried to implicate her husband for the crime, but he had a solid alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
as he could prove he was at his brother's funeral at the time of the murder. Her daughter Janet, testified against her, describing how the body of the paperboy had been wheeled through the streets on a pram
Pram
Pram may refer to:*Pram, Austria* Pram , a musical group* Pram , a type of shallow-draught, flat-bottomed ship * A type of dinghy with a flat bow* A type of wheeled baby transport...
.
At the trial her defence put forward a plea of insanity, but she was convicted on a majority verdict with one juror against.
Newell was executed on October 23rd 1923 at Duke Street Prison, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.