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How does a young stepmother end up as the last woman publicly hanged in Britain—and was she a monster or a victim herself? The Horrifying and Tragic Case of Frances Kidder takes us to Romney Marsh, Kent, in August 1867, when twenty-five-year-old Frances took her eleven-year-old stepdaughter Louisa for a walk and returned alone, claiming the girl had fallen into a ditch. Louisa's body was found in a foot of water, face down. Witnesses testified that Frances had beaten the child, threatened to drown her, and told a neighbor she "hated the sight of the bitch." But the trial also revealed a violent husband, a household in chaos, and a young woman trapped in a marriage she never wanted. The jury took just twelve minutes to convict her. She confessed to the chaplain, was hanged on April 2, 1868, before a crowd of 2,000—and the bungled execution left her struggling for minutes. Press play, and don't listen alone. New episode every week—subscribe and leave your review. 🎧
