THE PITTSBURGH BORGIA: THE ANGEL OF DEATH NEXT DOOR

Victorian Pittsburgh trusted her with the sick.

Martha Grinder was the woman neighbors called when illness crept into their homes — the quiet caregiver who brought soup, tea, clean linens, and patience. She sat through long nights at the bedside, whispering comfort, holding hands, earning a reputation as the perfect Victorian woman.

And then people died.

In this episode of CRIMERY: True Crime Uncovered, we examine one of the earliest and most disturbing “angel of death” cases in American history. Through court testimony, contemporary reporting, and forensic science that was revolutionary for its time, we trace how Martha Grinder used trust, caregiving, and arsenic to poison her neighbors — slowly, deliberately, and repeatedly.

The case unravels when one husband notices a pattern no one else wants to see, and insists on an autopsy that exposes massive arsenic poisoning. What follows is a sensational Victorian trial, a chilling confession, and an execution that forces society to confront an uncomfortable truth: some predators hide behind compassion, not violence.

We stay close to historical record — and when we infer, we tell you.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How a routine arrest and mounting suspicions cracked open deaths long dismissed as natural
 • Why arsenic was the perfect Victorian murder weapon — tasteless, legal, and almost impossible to detect
 • How a husband’s refusal to accept a diagnosis forced one of the earliest forensic poison investigations
 • Why prosecutors believed Martha Grinder wasn’t motivated by greed or revenge — but by fascination with death itself
 • How this 1860s case created the blueprint for modern “angel of death” killers

Content warning: poisoning, prolonged suffering, graphic descriptions of illness and execution, murder.

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Learn more: crimery.show
Host: Jennifer Novotney
Show: CRIMERY — True Crime Uncovered