Tillie Klimek unscrupulously poisoned her husbands and lovers, neighbors and even animals. At the same time, she claimed that ... she predicted their death in prophetic dreams. Why has an apparently normal woman turned into a serial killer?
Tillie Klimek was born in 1876 as Teofila Gburek in the territory of the German partition. When she was one, her parents decided to emigrate to the USA and - as befits a Polish family - they settled in Chicago.
Ever since she was a child, Tillie believed she could predict the future. In practice, her gift of clairvoyance was that she knew the dates of her pets' deaths. At the age of 14 she got married, and her chosen one was Józef Mitkiewicz. They had a fairly quiet life for 25 years, but towards the end the woman began telling her husband about prophetic dreams in which she had seen Joseph die. And in fact - the man died soon.
Tillie Klimek unscrupulously poisoned her husbands and lovers, neighbors and even animals. At the same time, she claimed that… she predicted their deaths in prophetic dreams.
Jan Ruskowski was the new chosen one of Tillie. She also had a lover - Józef Guszkowski. By a strange coincidence, both gentlemen died after the prophecies of their beloved in 1914. It's time for a new love.
Unusual love
Her choice fell on Franciszek Kupczyk, who fell in love with the now mature Tillie. Conversations over wine, breaking the socket and romantic walks did not last long, however. The woman again had a premonition of her husband's terrible death, which she informed her mutual friends about, announcing:"Frank will not live long." Oddly enough, none of the friends had warned Frank about the predictions of his chosen one.
Meanwhile, a rather healthy man was losing his strength and health in the blink of an eye. Tillie was so concerned with his fate that she advised him to buy a life policy, which he eagerly did. When he was permanently bedridden because of his condition, his wife did not leave him in times of need. Concerned, she sat next to a chair and knitted the black hat she had promised to wear to his funeral. The neighbors got suspicious when Tillie bought a gift for her (still living) husband ... a coffin that she had placed in the basement. Franciszek Kupczyk met with St. Peter in 1921.
Tillie Klimek was born in 1876 as Teofila Gburek in the territory of the German partition. When she was one, her parents decided to emigrate to the USA and - as befits a Polish family - they settled in Chicago.
Prophetic dreams and mysterious deaths preceded by serious illnesses of husbands and lovers did not stand in the way of Tillie's happiness. Once again she fell in love with reciprocity - Józef Klimek fell victim to the amor's shot. The couple got married on July 30, 1921.
Up to three times a piece…
Although love flourished at the beginning of the relationship, it soon turned out that the new friend liked moonshine too much and other women. Tillie did not share her partner's interests. After a few weeks, Józef suddenly fell ill. The tragic prophecies made themselves known again, and Mrs. Klimek tried to chase away the bad omen. The life insurance policy was supposed to fix the situation.
This time, however, she did not manage to achieve her goal, because the family of the ailing man, analyzing the previous relationships of his chosen one, stated that there must be something wrong. Józef, in a serious condition, was taken to hospital for examination. Unfortunately, medicine can be objective and ruthless. In this case, she explained two things at once - the cause of the man's malaise and the secret of the effectiveness of Tillie's prophecy ...
Both issues were related to the presence of arsenic in the male body.
In October, a woman was arrested. Her husband left the hospital after a few months. When the facts were presented, Tillie admitted without emotion to poisoning Joseph. Probably in this way she wanted to distract the investigators from the mysterious deaths of her former partners. But her prophetic abilities failed her this time, as the Chicago Police decided to look at her previous relationships.
Crime and Punishment
After a detailed analysis of the legal and property situation of Tillie Klimek, it was established that she gained financial benefits from each death. The bodies were exhumed - and arsenic was found in them. The investigation also revealed other dark episodes from the murderer's past: unexplained deaths of neighbors who had stepped on her fingerprint, disappearances of nearby animals, mysterious deaths of women, that Klimek was jealous of during her relationships. Arsenic also treated her cohabitants who stopped loving her.
During numerous interrogations it was established that Klimek had an accomplice, his cousin Nellie Kulik. In light of incontrovertible evidence, both murderers were put on trial in 1923.
During numerous interrogations it was established that Klimek had an accomplice, his cousin Nellie Kulik. In the light of indisputable evidence, both murderers were brought to trial in 1923. The prosecutor filed an indictment in which he accused Klimek of poisoning 20 people, including 13 fatal.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to prove all the murders, as the partners refused to give explanations and did not confess to the crime. With evidence of the results of the exhumation of the body, traces of arsenic, and testimony from neighbors and the victims' families, the court sentenced Tillie and Nellie to life imprisonment. It was the first severe punishment given to a woman in Cook County.
Tillie Klimek died in prison on November 20, 1936 of a heart attack. She is still one of the greatest psychopaths in Chicago history.
Sources:
- Tillie Klimek, Murderpedia.org [accessed August 27, 2021].
- Miss Cellania, 8 Sensational Female Murderers from History , Mentalfloss.org [accessed August 27, 2021].
- Alison Martin, This week in history:Chicago serial killer Tillie Klimek dies in prison, Chicago Sun Times [accessed August 27, 2021].