| Anjette Lyles | |
| Birth Name: | Anjette Donovan |
| Birth Date: | 23 August 1925 |
| Birth Place: | Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Central State Hospital, Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Victims: | 4 |
| Country: | United States |
| States: | Georgia |
| Beginyear: | 1952 |
| Endyear: | 1958 |
| Apprehended: | May 6, 1958 |
| Penalty: | Death
|
| Spouse: | |
| Conviction: | Murder |
| Conviction Status: | Deceased |
Anjette Lyles (née Donovan; August 23, 1925 - December 4, 1977) was an American restaurateur and serial killer responsible for the poisoning deaths of four relatives in Macon, Georgia, between 1952 and 1958.[1] [2] Initially sentenced to death upon her conviction, Lyles was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and instead sent to the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, where she spent the rest of her life.
In 1947 she married Ben F. Lyles Jr., who owned the Lyles Restaurant in downtown Macon. She had two daughters with him: Marcia in 1948 and Carla in 1951. Ben died on January 25, 1952.[3]
In 1955, Lyles began dating Joe Neal Gabbert, a pilot for Capitol Airways. Gabbert died on December 2, 1955. With the inherited money, Lyles bought a new car and house.[4]
After the death of her first mother-in-law and her daughter Marcia's death, people began to be suspicious of her. An investigation in 1958 revealed that the three bodies had died from arsenic poisoning.The arsenic had been found to have been given over a period of time to the victims by having them ingest small doses.[5]
On May 6, 1958, Lyles was arrested and charges with four counts of murder.
The victims were Ben F. Lyles Jr., Joe Neal Gabbert, Ben F. Lyles Jr.'s mother, and Marcia Lyles. The modus operandi for each murder was found to be massive financial gain.