Thompson, Edith (c. 1894–1923)

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Thompson, Edith (c. 1894–1923)

English accused murderer. Born c. 1894; hanged at Holloway Prison, Jan 9, 1923; m. Percy Thompson.

Began extramarital affair with Freddie Bywaters (1921), to whom she wrote numerous letters; was traveling with husband Percy from London to Ilford, when Bywaters stabbed him repeatedly before fleeing (early Oct); her letters to Bywaters—in which she had written about her own apparent attempts to kill Percy—were found; during a sensational trial, was tried for husband's murder along with Bywaters (Dec 1922), found guilty and condemned to death; her execution at Holloway Prison (Jan 9, 1923) did not go smoothly. Because Bywaters never wavered in his assertion that she had no hand in the actual murder, nor in inciting him to kill Percy, debate over her guilt or innocence continues to this day.

See also René Weis, Criminal Justice: the True Story of Edith Thompson (Penguin, 2001); (film) Another Life (2001).

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Thompson, Edith (c. 1894–1923)

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