Ep 1. Obsession
- TV14
- February 8, 2005
- 42 min
Deadly Women season 1 episode 1, titled "Obsession," explores the dark and twisted minds of women who become killers out of a dangerous fixation on someone or something. The episode begins with a case from the early 1900s, where a young and beautiful woman named Belle Gunness had a disturbing obsession with money and killed her suitors for their inheritance. She lured multiple men to her farm with the promise of marriage, then killed and buried them in the pig pen.
Next, the show delves into the story of Betty Lou Beets, a Texan woman who became obsessed with money and control. She murdered her fifth husband, Jimmy Don Beets, and buried him in a backyard garden before arranging his belongings to make it look like he had abandoned her. Beets later went on to hire a hitman to murder her sixth husband for insurance money.
The episode also features the chilling story of Christine Falling, a woman who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. She would intentionally harm and poison children she was in charge of, enjoying the attention and sympathy she received as the caregiver of a sick child. She was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison.
The next case is that of Marybeth Tinning, a mother from upstate New York who became obsessed with death and losing her children. Over the course of several years, she killed nine of her own children by suffocating them or poisoning them with toxic levels of drugs. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
The episode concludes with the story of Genene Jones, a pediatric nurse from Texas who became obsessed with the attention she received as a lifesaver. She would purposely harm children, injecting them with lethal doses of drugs, and then swoop in to save them. She is believed to have killed up to 60 children in her care before being caught and sentenced to life in prison for one murder and attempted murder.
"Obsession" sets the tone for the rest of the Deadly Women series, showcasing the extreme lengths that some women will go to satisfy their unsettling desires. The episode highlights the psychological intricacies behind the lives of these women, shedding light on how their obsessions eventually culminated in fatal consequences. Deadly Women is a chilling true crime series that will leave viewers with a newfound awareness of the dangers of obsession and the lengths some people will go to satisfy their dark desires.