Idaho's First Female Serial Killer | Boise News

Boise News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 5, 2026 · 1m

Lyda Southard, Idaho’s first female serial killer and infamous “Lady Bluebeard,” married three times between 1915 and 1920—each husband dying mysteriously of typhoid, just as she stood to inherit their life insurance. When her fourth husband’s death revealed arsenic in his system, investigators zeroed in on her. She fled to Hawaii, was eventually captured, convicted of second-degree murder, and sentenced to 10 years to life. Escaping prison once, she was recaptured and returned to serve nearly 19 years before being pardoned in 1941—leaving behind a chilling legacy that still haunts Idaho’s…