The Giggling Granny: Nannie Doss's Dark Journey Through Life
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Chapter 1: A Troubled Beginning
Nannie Doss, known as the "Giggling Granny," was born in 1905 in Blue Mountain, Alabama, as one of five children to Jim and Louisa Hazle. Her upbringing was marred by violence, with a domineering father whose explosive temper ruled the household. The children were forced to labor on the family farm instead of attending school, and their mother remained passive, ignoring the abuse that unfolded daily.
Laughter was a rarity in Nannie's childhood, overshadowed by the trauma she endured. At just nine years old, she suffered a severe head injury during a train ride, which many believe altered her personality and led to chronic headaches, mood swings, and depressive episodes.
As she matured, Nannie turned to romantic magazines, particularly the lonely hearts column, which heavily influenced her quest for love. By the age of 16, she married Charley Braggs after a brief courtship. This marriage, which resulted in four children, ended in divorce in 1928 under tragic circumstances, including the suspected food poisoning of two of their children. Charley fled, convinced that Nannie was responsible for their deaths—an assertion he would never retract.
After the dissolution of her first marriage, Nannie quickly sought another partner, Frank Harrelson, whom she met through a lonely hearts column. Their 16-year marriage was fraught with turmoil, largely due to Frank's alcoholism and the abuse he inflicted on Nannie. In a sinister twist, after she secretly poisoned him, he succumbed to food poisoning.
Physically, Nannie projected an image of warmth and friendliness, but beneath that facade lay a chilling darkness. Her subsequent husband, Arlie Lanning, also met a mysterious end, leaving no suspicion cast upon his grieving widow.
Her fourth husband, Richard Morton, whom she encountered through a singles club, similarly died under dubious circumstances, rumored to have been unfaithful during their marriage.
Section 1.1: The Final Straw
After a series of suspicious deaths among her spouses, Nannie’s final victim was Samuel Doss. Unlike her previous husbands, he was a kind-hearted man. Tragically, after enjoying a homemade prune cake prepared by Nannie, he experienced severe abdominal pain and was hospitalized. Although he initially survived, he was poisoned again when Nannie served him coffee laced with arsenic.
A doctor who treated Doss grew suspicious of Nannie's involvement and sought permission to conduct an autopsy. The results were shocking: Doss had enough poison in his system to kill twenty men. This discovery led to Nannie's arrest and subsequent confession to the murder of her husbands.
This video features an unseen 1957 interview with Nannie Doss, revealing her chilling demeanor and insights into her life as the Giggling Granny.
Section 1.2: The Unveiling of a Killer
Nannie’s trial was marked by her unsettling demeanor; she laughed and smiled as she recounted her crimes, revealing her method of using "sweet potato pies laced with arsenic" to murder her husbands. The exhumation of her victims confirmed that they had all been poisoned.
Due to her peculiar attitude while discussing the murders, she earned several nicknames, including the Jolly Black Widow and the Lonely Hearts Killer. While Nannie confessed to eleven murders, speculation suggests the actual number could be twelve, which included family members such as her mother and children.
In 1955, she was sentenced to life in prison after being deemed insane, attributing her actions to the childhood head injury she sustained. Nannie claimed that her fifth husband, Doss, had restricted her television viewing, contributing to her motive for his murder. Following his death, she quickly sought out another man, James Heel, with intentions of marrying him if she had not been apprehended.
Though she insisted that financial gain was not her motivation, she did admit to killing one husband to collect on life insurance policies. Nannie’s restless pursuit of romantic relationships ultimately led to her tragic and violent path.
This episode explores the life and crimes of Nannie Doss, providing a detailed account of her manipulative and deadly nature.
Chapter 2: The End of the Line
After pleading guilty, Nannie was sentenced in 1965 and subsequently passed away from leukemia. She was laid to rest in Oklahoma, leaving behind a legacy of horror and disbelief at the extent of her deceit and brutality.
