At first, Erna Petri seemed totally harmless. She was coming home from work when she spotted six children, all Jewish, alone at the side of the road. The children had escaped from a train heading towards Sobibor extermination camp and Petri offered them shelter and food. But little did they know that she was married to an SS officer.
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Once at home, Petri fixed the children a hearty meal. After they had gotten settled, Petri rounded the children up and led them to a desolate spot in the woods. She shot and executed all six children at point-blank range. After the war, Petri was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison by the East German government. Her husband was sentenced to death.
12. Jane Toppan
This loathsome woman went by the nickname Jolly Jane. She also had a couple dozen kills to her name, which she openly boasted about. Something about harming helpless people gave her a sense of power. Needless to say, she was far from jolly.
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To make matters worse, Toppan was a nurse, which meant she had access to numerous helpless people daily. Eventually, she was arrested in 1901, at which point she openly confessed to 33 murders. However, officials had reasons to believe she was severely mentally ill. As a result, Toppan was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental institution for life.