Anjette Lyles (née Donovan; August 23, 1925 – December 4, 1977) was an American restaurateur and serial killer responsible for the poisoning deaths of four relatives in Macon, Georgia, between 1952 and 1958.[1][2] Initially sentenced to death upon her conviction, Lyles was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and instead sent to the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, where she spent the rest of her life.
Anjette Lyles | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anjette Donovan August 23, 1925 |
| Died | December 4, 1977 (aged 52) |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Spouses | Ben Lyles (m. 1947; died 1952)Joe Neal Gabbert (m. 1955; died 1955) |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to involuntary commitment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
Span of crimes | 1952–1958 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Georgia |
Date apprehended | May 6, 1958 |
Biography
In 1947 she married Ben F. Lyles Jr., who owned the Lyles Restaurant in downtown Macon. She had two daughters with him: Marcia in 1948 and Carla in 1951. Lyles' husband died on January 25, 1952.[3]
In 1955, Lyles began dating Joe Neal Gabbert, a pilot for Capitol Airways. Gabbert died on December 2, 1955. With the inherited money, Lyles bought a new car and house.[4]
After the death of her first mother-in-law and her daughter Marcia's death, people began to be suspicious of her. An investigation in 1958 revealed that the three bodies had died from arsenic poisoning.[3]
On May 6, 1958, Lyles was arrested and charges with four counts of murder.[4]
Further reading
- White, Jaclyn Weldon Whisper to the Black Candle : Voodoo, Murder, and the Case of Anjette Lyles Mercer University Press, US, 2013 ISBN 978-0881460469 https://www.mupress.org/Whisper-to-the-Black-Candle-Voodoo-Murder-and-the-Case-of-Anjette-Lyles-P44.aspx
- Lyles v. The State, Supreme Court of Georgia, (1959) https://casetext.com/case/lyles-v-state-52