Nellie May Madison: California’s First Woman on Death Row

On the afternoon of March 25, 1934, Belle Bradley found one of her tenants, forty-five-year-old Eric Madison, dead on the floor of the apartment he rented with his wife, Nellie. Madison had been shot in the back four times with a .32 caliber revolver and there was no sign of Nellie Madison, nor was there any evidence of a break-in or a robbery. In the days that followed, investigators quickly determined that Nellie had shot her husband and they tracked her to a remote cabin in northern California, where she was arrested and taken back to Los Angeles and charged with the murder.

To the Los Angeles police and press, Nellie Madison was suspicious from the very start; not for any obvious reason or evidence against her, but because she openly defied the categories and characteristics used to define a wife and woman at the time. Although she was only thirty-three years old, she had been married five times and yet had no children. She also had a strong skillset from having worked many jobs, and having been raised on a farm in Montana, she was a skilled survivalist who had never needed the help of a man. Going into the murder trial, it was these facts, more than any physical evidence or witness testimony, that would count against her.

After a two-week trial, Nellie Madison was found guilty for the murder of her husband and sentenced to death, making her the first woman to ever sit on death row in the state’s history. However, Nellie’s death sentence was hardly the end of her case; in fact, it was the turning point in the story that would finally bring the truth about Eric’s death into the light.

Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research!

References

Cairns, Kathleen. 2005. "Saved From the Gallows." California Supreme Court Historical Society 5-14.

—. 2007. The Enigma Woman: The Death Sentence of Nellie May Madison. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

2015. A Crime to Remember. Television. Directed by Christine Connor. Accessed July 23, 2024.

Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. 1934. "Calls woman Lady Macbeth." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, June 20: 1.

—. 1934. "Hint Madison is still alive." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, June 13: 1.

—. 1934. "Mrs. Madison facinc noose; plans appeal." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, June 23: 1.

—. 1934. "Self defense may be argued." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, June 6: 1.

—. 1934. "Widow unmoved by death story." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, April 12: 7.

Los Angeles Times. 1934. "Auditor found slain; wife hunted in inquiry." Los Angeles Times, March 26: 15.

—. 1934. "Death clew hunt pushed." Los Angeles Times, April 1: 17.

—. 1934. "Death plea hits widow." Los Angeles Times, June 20: 17.

—. 1934. "Deatn case widow mum." Los Angeles Times, Marchh 27: 19.

—. 1934. "Doubt cast on identity." Los Angeles Times, June 14: 17.

—. 1934. "Madison may be exhumed." Los Angeles Times, June 16: 13.

—. 1934. "Second pistol bought by Mrs. Madison hunted in mysrtery murder case." Los Angeles Times, March 28: 5.

—. 1934. "Slaying of mate denied." Los Angeles Times, June 15: 36.

—. 1934. "Widow veils death tale." Los Angeles Times, March 28: 17.

Rasmussen, Cecilia. 2007. "Unwitting pioneer of the battered-woman defense." Los Angeles Times, February 4.

The People of California v. Nellie May Madison. 1935. 3826 (Supreme Court of the State of California, May 27).

Underwood, Agness. 1934. "Widow weeps when held in murder quiz." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, March 29: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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