Tainted Legacy: The Story of Alleged Serial Killer Bertha Gifford

In recent years, interest has been rekindled in the 1928 trial of Bertha Gifford, accused in the arsenic poisoning of several people in the small town of Catawissa, Missouri.  Gifford was tried for the murder of one man, but many individuals came forward in the course of her grand jury indictment to claim that she had intentionally poisoned others.  Now the subject of a controversial documentary, Gifford's life remains an enigma.  While some view her as a kind hearted woman who provided succor to the ill and dying, others insist that she was a psychopathic serial killer.  Tainted Legacy:  The Story of Alleged Serial Killer Bertha Gifford is a memoir written by Gifford's great-granddaughter, S. Kay Murphy.  Through interviews and archival research, Murphy explores the life and alleged crimes of Bertha Gifford, taking readers along on her quest to find the truth about her mother's beloved grandmother.