Daisy de Melker gave ‘care’ of a special kind

After almost a century, Daisy de Melker’s name still comes up when one mentions women serial killers. Daisy, like many other women killers, had a “caregiving” role – she trained as a nurse and knew how the body worked. In 1923, when she was living in Johannesburg, she prepared Epsom salts for her first husband, William Cowle, adding a poisonous substance. This became clear only after a second doctor had seen him — by which time Cowle was foaming at the mouth, turning blue, and screaming in pain if anyone touched him. The doctor suspected strychnine poisoning but the death certificate – signed by another doctor – blamed chronic nephritis. Daisy inherited £1 795. Four years later, after she had married again, her husband Robert Sproat became violently ill after ingesting something she had prepared. His symptoms resembled Cowle’s – but he survived. A few weeks later, he drank some beer in Daisy’s company, and died. No autopsy was done, and Daisy inherited about £4 500. After four years she struck again. Now on her third marriage, to Sydney de Melker, Daisy bought arsenic from a chemist, claiming it was to kill a sick cat. A week later, her 20-year-old son, Rhodes Cowle, fell violently ill after drinking coffee from a flask Daisy had prepared. He died hours later. Daisy inherited a measly £100 from Rhodes’s life insurance policy. She was hanged on December 30 1932, having been convicted of the murder of her son.