Angel Makers of Nagyrév
Angel Makers of Nagyrév | |
|---|---|
| Hungarian | Tiszazugi méregkeverők |
Defendants in the arsenic poisoning case walking in the Szolnok prison yard | |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Years active | 1914–1929 |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Penalty | 6 death sentences, only 3 of which were carried out; 8 others sentenced to life in prison |
| Details | |
| Location | Location of Nagyrév in Hungary |
| Target | abusive or unwanted relatives |
| Killed | 45–300 men |
| Weapons | Arsenic |
Date apprehended | 1929 |
The Angel Makers of Nagyrév (Hungarian: Tiszazugi méregkeverők, "Tiszazug poison-mixers") were a group of 26 women and two men from villages in the Tiszántúl region of Hungary, who were suspected of poisoning a confirmed 45–50 people and a speculated but not confirmed 300 more between 1911 and 1929.
Eight of the suspects were sentenced to life in prison, two were given shorter sentences, and six were sentenced to death (only three were actually executed). They were supplied arsenic and encouraged to use it by a local midwife named Zsuzsanna Fazekas, née Oláh (Hungarian: Fazekas Gyuláné Oláh Zsuzsanna), wife of Gyula Fazekas. Their story is the subject of the documentary film The Angelmakers and the feature film Hukkle.
While most of the poisoning cases were reported in the village of Nagyrév (hence the collective name for the women involved), several similar poisonings occurred in Tiszakürt, Ókécske, Tiszaföldvár, Kunszentmárton, Mesterszállás, and Öcsöd, and there were cases in Békés, Csongrád, and Zala counties.