When she got 53 years old, Marie Becker, born and bred in Liege, Belgium, overviewed her life and she concluded that it was just an average one. She thought she had been playing the role of good housewife for too long, but she didn't have much time left to change this. So, she decided to get on with it and she started a passionate affair with a certain Lambert Bayer. For a while, she was happy with how things were going. They had to keep their relation ship quiet, and that was something that changed Becker's boring life into an exciting one. After a while however, the affair also became common and Becker got tired of seeing Bayer secretly. She started to think of her husband as a burden. In the thirties it wasn't convenient to divorce, so Becker had to think of another way to get rid of him. She found the solution in an overdose of digitalis. After the standard process of mourning, she could openly see Bayer.
Something that's forbidden attracts. As soon as the forbidden becomes granted, it loses partly or fully its attraction. That was also the case with Becker's tempestuous affair with her dream lover. Just like a real dream, it quickly disappeared. But now, she knew how to arrange similar unpleasant situations. November 1934, Bayer died.
Because of the two inheritances, Marie Becker became a wealthy lady. She didn't intend to stash the fortune that fell to her share, so she spent it on her personal pleasures. Her friends and acquaintances were astonished to see her going out and letting surround her by young, attractive men who could have been her sons. Becker finally led the life she had always dreamed of.
But her fortune quickly shrunk. She had to find some income; otherwise, her future would be as gray as her past had been. She refused to go trough such times again, even if human lives had to be sacrificed. After taking that decision, Becker started to spend a lot of time on visiting friends. When Marie Castadot got sick in July 1935 - she experienced some dizziness - Marie Becker offered to take care of her. In spite of it, Castadot's physical condition gradually got worse. She died July 23rd. After that, most of her friends died, in a short period. Becker managed however to not once being suspected.
October 1936, the police of Liege received some anonymous letters, which accused Marie Becker of having poisoned two elderly women. An investigation started, and the police discovered some suspicious deaths. Becker's name showed up is most of the cases. Each time, she had been the one who had taken care of the women in their last hours. When Becker's house was searched, they found closets full of clothes that belonged to the victims, and a large amount of jewelry. Becker was taken in custody immediately. In her handbag, a little green bottle was found. It turned out to be digitalis, a drug used for heart diseases. Becker claimed the drug was for personal use, but large doses have the same effect as lethal poison, a fact the authorities were well aware of. Investigation of the bodies showed they were all killed with lethal doses of digitalis.
Becker maintained she was innocent, even during her trial, but the jury thought her guilt was well proven. She got sentenced to death, but conform the Belgian law, her death penalty was converted in a life sentence. She lived the rest of her life behind bars.