The creators of "American Horror Story" never fail to disappoint, and as each episode unfolds, we are taken deeper into the world of the strange & bizarre. However, a lot of the basis of their characters come from real live people, places and events that have actually occurred, this gives each episode an even eerier appeal, knowing that it's not solely fictional. In episode two of "American Horror Story" season six, we were introduced to two deranged nurses who were making a game of killing their patients by spelling the word 'murder' out by using the first letter of their names. After researching this, we discovered the story was based on the actual events of two women, that originated in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In 1986, Gwendolyn Gail Graham (born August 6, 1963) and Catherine May Woods (born March 7, 1962) both started working as nurse's aides at the Alpine Manor nursing home located in Walker, Michigan. Catherine (Cathy) had recently left her husband and fell madly in love with her coworker, Gwendolyn. The two women become lovers and made a forbidden love pact to which they unfortunately involved the innocent elderly residents of Alpine Manor. They made up a game, the 'murder game' they called it, in which they chose their victims based off their first letter of their names. The object was to spell out the word 'M-U-R-D-E-R,' however that became too difficult as some of the residents were able to fight back. So, they settled on choosing patients that were in poor health, or suffering from severe Alzheimer's or dementia. Gwendolyn would take a washcloth and suffocate the victim, while Cathy would act as the look out. The deaths appeared natural, so no investigation followed. The two would take souvenirs from their victims to remind them of the incidents, so they could relive it, and intensify their love making. This continued to happen for three months in 1987, with victims ranging in age from 60 to 98 years of age.
All seemed to be going well for the women which would later be referred to as, "The lethal lovers," at least until Gwendolyn wanted Cathy to kill one of the residents to prove her love as well. When Cathy refused, their relationship took a turn for the worst and Gwendolyn started dating someone else. Eventually, she relocated back to Texas, leaving Cathy alone and heartbroken. Cathy later confessed their crimes to her ex-husband who eventually went to the police. In 1988, an investigation ensued eventually leading to their arrests, more details can be found here in this article published by "The New York Times". The women both blamed each other for the murders, but due to Cathy taking a plea bargain, she received up to 40 years imprisonment at a minimum security facility in Florida, while Gwendolyn was charged with five counts of first degree murder, and received six life sentences with no possibility of parole. During trial, a poem written by Cathy surfaced in which she had stated to Gwendolyn, "I'll love you forever and five days" (the day symbolizing the number of their victims). Later, in 1992 an investigative reporter and author, Lowell Cauffiel, wrote a book based on the case evidence, called "Forever and Five Days," telling a very different story from what police found. In the book, Cathy was the mastermind behind the murders and pinned the entire thing on Gwendolyn. Whatever the case may be, we look forward to the next episode of "American Horror Story" which airs next Wednesday at 10 PM on FX.
