The Dark History of Poison Rings
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Asia Tabb
aired; July 29, 2026
Poison has long been one of history’s most infamous murder weapons, often chosen for its secrecy, accessibility, and ability to avoid suspicion. On The Spark, we explored the chilling history of organized poison rings with Shippensburg University Historian Chrissy Senecal, examining how these crimes unfolded across centuries and what they reveal about the societies in which they occurred.
Our conversation looked at three notorious cases: the 17th-century Affair of the Poisons in the court of King Louis XIV, the “Angel Makers of Nagyrév” in post-World War I Hungary, and Pennsylvania’s own Philadelphia Poison Ring of the late 1930s. We discussed why poison has been a preferred weapon in certain crimes, the common themes that linked these cases—including unhappy marriages, financial motives, and superstition—and why the Philadelphia ring, believed to have been responsible for dozens of deaths, remains one of the most disturbing true crime stories in the state’s history.
To hear the full conversation and learn more about these fascinating historical cases, listen to The Spark podcast.