Deadly Women is investigating three more female murderers this week; Catherina ‘Cat’ Voss, Grace Lusk, and Angela Taylor, all of whom participated in the murder or arranged murders of individuals they wanted out of their way. Two of these killers even organized the deaths of their own husbands.
Cat Voss was described as a bored housewife who cheated on her Navy husband while he was away serving his country. She then arranged to have him murdered so that she could claim life insurance money.
Across the Atlantic, in rural England, Angela Taylor and her partner, Paul Cannon, decided to murder her estranged husband, William Taylor, after he refused to get a divorce.
Deadly Women also like to occasionally examine a particularly old case from the past, so this week the show is looking at the 1917 murder of Mary Roberts, who was killed by the woman having an affair with her husband, high school teacher Grace Lusk.
Murder of Cory Allen Voss by wife Catherina Voss
In April 2007, respected Naval Officer Corey Voss was gunned down at a remote ATM in Newport News, VA, by hitman David Runyon.
Voss’s wife Catherina ‘Cat’ Voss played the role of a grieving wife and calmly pocketed a $400,000 life insurance policy, plus $100,000 from the Navy in benefits automatically awarded to the widows of serving officers.
However, there was a big problem. Cat and her lover, Michael Draven, had paid Runyon to kill her husband. Cat and Draven had been having an affair together while Voss had been out at sea. On his return, the pair plotted his murder so they could claim the insurance money.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelCat Voss and Draven were each given life sentences for the crime, while Runyon was given a death sentence.
Murder of William Taylor by Angela Taylor and Paul Cannon
Farmer William Taylor had been missing for 8 months before the 69-year-olds remains were found in a river near the small English town of Hitchin (about 40 miles north of London). He had first been reported missing by his lodger in June 2018.
An autopsy revealed that William was attacked and killed by strangulation or suffocation.
When the police examined his case, they found a triangle of bitterness and hatred encompassed by William and his estranged wife, Angela, and his son from a previous marriage, Richard Taylor.
The three individuals owned farming property in the area that amounted to tens of millions of dollars, but they seemed to have been engaged in constant arguments over ownership rights. The police said this was driven by greed.
The suspicion for the murder ultimately fell on Angela and her partner Paul Cannon. Angela and William had been married for over 15 years, but they separated in 2015, with William reportedly refusing to agree to a divorce.
Angela and Cannon were described as having a “venomous hatred” for William, and the police concluded that they had caused his death. They were both imprisoned on life sentences.
Murder of Mary Roberts by Grace Lusk
In 1917 Waukesha, Wisconsin, school teacher Grace Lusk, was having an affair with married veterinarian Dr. David Roberts. Unfortunately for the lovestruck pair, Roberts’s wife, Mary, discovered the affair and decided to confront Lusk, insisting that she stay away from her husband.
Lusk responded by shooting Mary dead; she then turned the gun around and shot herself in the chest in a botched suicide attempt. While lying in a hospital, she was charged with murder.
Lusk claimed that David Roberts had professed his love for her, and the cops found letters that seemed to indicate that he harbored strong feelings for the school teacher.
On being charged with murder, Lusk became angry with her former lover and said: “He has sacrificed his wife and me on the altar of desire.” And on hearing that her medical condition was improving, she said: “That’s too bad. I want to die. There can be no mental nor spiritual recovery, so why the physical.”
More from Deadly Women
Follow the links to read about more murderous women examined on ID.
Murderers Sonia Weidenfelder, Denise Gay, and Mary Rice conspired with others to kill individuals for terrible reasons, but thankfully, all were sent to prison.
Previously the show examined Ciera Harp, Linda Ricchio, and Loretta Burroughs, all of whom tried to get away with the murder of their boyfriend or husband.
Deadly Women airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.