Caroline Grills (née Mickelson; between 1888 and 1890 – 6 October 1960) was an Australian

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who poisoned her victims. She was predominantly a comfort killer, who murdered well-off members of her extended family to maintain a respectable lifestyle, but her later murders had more unclear motives.

Biography

Caroline Michelson was the daughter of Mary Preiers and George Michelson in Balmain, Sydney, and born between 1888 and 1890. She married Richard William Grills on 22 April 1908, with whom she had four sons. She first became a murder suspect in 1947 after the deaths of four family members: her 87-year-old stepmother Christine Mickelson; relatives by marriage Angelina Thomas and John Lundberg; and sister in law Mary Anne Mickelson. Authorities tested

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

she had given to two additional family members (Christine Downey and John Downey of Redfern) on 13 April 1953, and detected the then-common household

rat poison Rodenticides are chemicals made and sold for the purpose of killing rodents. While commonly referred to as "rat poison", rodenticides are also used to kill mice, groundhog, woodchucks, chipmunks, porcupines, nutria, beavers, and voles. Some rod ...

thallium Thallium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a silvery-white post-transition metal that is not found free in nature. When isolated, thallium resembles tin, but discolors when exposed to air. Che ...

. At the time, thallium was easy to buy

over the counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...

in New South Wales. Mickelson had inherited from Grills' father a house in

Gladesville Gladesville is a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde a ...

, and Grills was speculated to have murdered her to inherit it. Similarly, Thomas was a close family friend of the Grills couple and had left her holiday home in the Blue Mountains to the couple. Grills, a short woman who wore thick-rimmed dark glasses, commonly served her friends and in-laws tea, cakes and biscuits. She appeared in court charged with four murders and three attempted murders (the third being Eveline Lundberg, of Redfern, Christine Downey's mother) in October 1953. She was convicted on 15 October 1953 and sentenced to

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

, but her sentence was later changed to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...

. She became affectionately known as "Aunt Thally" (a punning reference to "

Aunt Sally Aunt Sally is a traditional England, English game usually played in Pub game, pub gardens and fairgrounds, in which players throw sticks or battens at a ball, known as a 'dolly', balanced on top of a stick; traditionally, a model of an old woma ...

") to other inmates of Sydney's Long Bay Prison. In October 1960, she was rushed to the Prince Henry Hospital at Randwick where she died from

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

Garton, Stephe
Grills, Caroline (1888–1960
in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography Online'', ANU 1996. Accessed 28 April 2012. from a ruptured

gastric ulcer Peptic ulcer disease is when the inner part of the stomach's gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach), the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus, gets damaged. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while ...

. In the months that followed more cases of thallium poisoning were stated, including notably, prominent Australian Rugby League footballer Bobby Lulham.

References

''Hidden Evidence: Forty true crimes and how forensic science helped solve them''
by David Owen (Firefly Books, September 2000). *''Murder! 25 True Australian Crimes'' by Vivien Encel & Alan Sharpe 1960 deaths 20th-century murderers 20th-century Australian women Australian female serial killers Australian people convicted of murder Australian prisoners sentenced to death Criminals from Sydney Deaths from peritonitis People convicted of murder by New South Wales Poisoners Prisoners sentenced to death by New South Wales Prisoners who died in New South Wales detention Serial killers who died in prison custody Thallium poisoning Women sentenced to death Year of birth unknown {{AUS-crime-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References