Born Anna Schonleben in Nuremberg, Germany in 1760, Anna ZWANZIGER will live in infamy as Bavaria's premiere poisoner. Described as "ugly, stunted, without attraction of face, figure, speech... this misshapen woman whom some people likened to a toad," Anna's life veered astray after an unfortunate choice for a husband. Her hubby, Zwanzinger, proved to be a drunken bully who went through her inheritance before dying of alcoholism.
By the time she was 40, after trying her hand at toymaking, she starting working as a domestic with the hope of finding the right man who would fall in love with her charms and cooking and would want her to be his wife. Her first potential husband was a judge named Glaser. Unfortunately the man, although separated , was still married. Thoughtful Anna engineered a reconciliation between Glaser and his wife. Once the Frau was back at home, Anna started feeding her arsenic in her tea until she died. Still, the judge wouldn't propose, so Anna poisoned several of the judge's guest. Fortunately they survived.
After being fired from the Glaser household Zwanzinger found work at another judge's home. Judge Grohmann and, unbeknownst to him, was a potential future husband for his new housekeeper. Once the judge announced his engagement to another woman, he unwillingly signed his death sentence. After feeding him a bowl of special Bavarian soup, Grohmann died an agonizing death. In the meantime two other servants poisoned unsuccessfully by Anna because they annoyed her.
Her next household was of yet another judge. Judge Gebhard was married to a woman who was sickly before Anna started feeding her poison. Her condition turned from bad to worse once and she too died following horrible stomach pains. Crazed with the power of death, Anna poisoned several servants and fed the judge's infant a biscuit dipped in arsenic. The servants survived, but the baby died. At the urging of his servants Judge Gebhard had their food analyzed. Traces of arsenic were found after Anna had already escaped. Before her getaway she filled every salt shaker and sugar container in the household with generous doses of arsenic.
On October 18, 1809 Anna was arrested after she had sent several letters to the Gebhard household extolling her love for the dead baby and saying the she was willing to forget the wrongs she had suffered and was ready to resume her duties.
After six months of questioning, Anna finally broke down confessed. She stated: "Yes, I killed them all and would have killed more if I had the chance." Then she referred to arsenic as her "truest friend." Before being beheaded in July 1811, she told her executers "It is perhaps better for the community that I should die, as it would be impossible for me to give up the practice of poisoning people."