Elspeth Kerr

Black Sheep

Killer Nurse: the story of Elspeth Kerr (Part 2)

Released: 5 Feb 2026 Duration: 00:34:14

In the second of Black Sheep's two-part episode on Elspeth Kerr, detectives unravel the mystery of 9-year old Betty Kerr's poisoning and uncover more potential victims of a beloved nurse, turned serial poisoner.

The Trials of Nurse Kerr: The anatomy of a secret poisoner by Scott Bainbridge

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Black Sheep

Killer Nurse: the story of Elspeth Kerr (Part 1)

Released: 29 Jan 2026 Duration: 00:25:24

Elspeth Kerr was a beloved local nurse in 1930s Devonport, but when her husband died suddenly and her foster daughter fell into an inexplicable coma, locals discovered the shocking truth: Nurse Kerr was a serial poisoner. But more than 90 years later, elements of her crimes remain a mystery. In the … more

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Case Details

Crime: Murder / Attempted Murder (Serial poisoning by nurse — patients and family members)
Location: Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand
Date: 1932-01-10
Victim(s): Charles Kerr (husband, died 1932), Betty Kerr (foster daughter, survived), Emma Day (patient, died — exhumed), Vera Mason (suspected additional victim, died in Kerr's care), and potentially other nursing home patients
Perpetrator(s): Elspeth Kerr (née Elizabeth McArthur)
Motive: Disputed — possible Munchausen by proxy (factitious disorder imposed on another), financial gain (insurance policies on husband's life), addiction to Veronal herself, coercing patients to change wills
Verdict: Faced three trials in 1933 on charges of attempting to poison foster daughter Betty. Two hung juries, convicted on third trial. Husband's death ruled as Veronal overdose after exhumation. Suspected of additional killings but never charged for those.
Sentence: Convicted of attempted poisoning of Betty Kerr after three trials (two hung juries). Sentenced to imprisonment.
Evidence: Exhumation of Charles Kerr revealed massive Veronal overdose as cause of death (not cerebral haemorrhage as originally certified), exhumation of Emma Day, toxicology evidence, insurance policy documentation, hospital records showing Betty deteriorated each time she was in Kerr's care and recovered when separated from her
Episodes: 2
Podcasts: 1

Elspeth Kerr was a respected Scottish-born nurse who operated a private nursing home on Queens Parade in Devonport, Auckland, during the 1920s and 1930s. In January 1932, her husband Charles died suddenly — his death attributed to a cerebral haemorrhage by an elderly retired Navy surgeon. Shortly afterwards, her eight-year-old foster daughter Betty fell into a mysterious coma. Doctors noticed Betty deteriorated each time she was in Kerr's care and recovered when separated from her. After Betty was found to have been given a poisoned peppermint lolly while in hospital, Kerr was arrested. Police exhumed Charles Kerr's body and found he had died from a massive Veronal overdose, not the cerebral haemorrhage originally certified. The body of patient Emma Day was also exhumed. Kerr faced three trials in 1933 for attempting to poison Betty — two juries could not reach a verdict before the third convicted her. In 1992, builders demolishing a house at 2 Matai Road, Cheltenham, found a skeleton at a property formerly connected to Kerr, reigniting interest in the case and prompting claims of additional victims including teenager Vera Mason. Scott Bainbridge's 2024 book and RNZ's Black Sheep podcast (Season 9, 2026) have brought renewed attention to a case that may represent one of New Zealand's earliest instances of serial killing by a healthcare professional.

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Killer Nurse: the story of Elspeth Kerr (Part 2)

Killer Nurse: the story of Elspeth Kerr (Part 1)