Waneta Hoyt
Encyclopedia
Waneta Ethel Hoyt was an American
serial killer
. She was born in Richford
, New York
and died at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
.
She dropped out of Newark Valley
High School in the 10th grade to marry Tim Hoyt on January 11, 1964. Their son, Eric, died on January 26, 1965, only 101 days after he was born on October 17, 1964. None of the couple's other children—James (May 31, 1966 – September 26, 1968), Julie (July 19 – September 5, 1968), Molly (March 18 – June 5, 1970), and Noah (May 9 – July 28, 1971)—lived past 28 months. For over 20 years, it was believed that the babies had died of sudden infant death syndrome
. Several years after the death of their last child, Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt adopted a child, Jay, who remained healthy through childhood and was 17 years old when Mrs. Hoyt was arrested in 1994.
The last two biological Hoyt children, Molly and Noah, were subjects of pediatric research conducted by Dr. Alfred Steinschneider, who published an article in 1972 in the Journal Pediatrics proposing a connection between sleep apnea and SIDS. The article was controversial and many within the medical field believed that the death of the Hoyt children was more likely a case of a mother murdering her children than SIDS. In 1992, interest resumed in the Hoyt children's deaths and Hoyt confessed on March 23, 1994 that she had suffocated them.
During the trial, there was much testimony regarding the validity of Mrs. Hoyt's confession. Mrs. Hoyt was misled by the police, and told that she was participating in a SIDS research interview. An expert hired by the Defense, Dr. Charles Patrick Ewing, testified that: "It is my conclusion that her statement to the police on that day was not made knowingly, and it was not made voluntarily." He diagnosed Mrs. Hoyt with Dependent and Avoidant Personality disorders, and opined that she was particularly vulnerable to the tactics used during her interrogation. Dr. David Barry, a psychiatrist hired by the prosecution agreed that Waneta Hoyt had been manipulated by the police tactics.
On September 11, 1995, she was sentenced to 75 years in prison (15 years for each murder, to be served consecutively). It has been speculated since her conviction that Hoyt suffered from Münchausen syndrome by proxy
.
Mrs. Hoyt died in prison of pancreatic cancer in August 1998. She was formally exonerated under New York law because she died before her appeal had been heard.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. She was born in Richford
Richford, New York
Richford is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,170 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Ezekial Rich, an early settler and benefactor of the town....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and died at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is a prison for women in Bedford Hills in the Town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, USA. Bedford Hills, the only New York State Department of Correctional Services women's maximum security prison, is the largest women's prison in New York State...
.
She dropped out of Newark Valley
Newark Valley (town), New York
Newark Valley is a town in Tioga County, New York, USA. The population was 4,097 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the city of Newark, New Jersey....
High School in the 10th grade to marry Tim Hoyt on January 11, 1964. Their son, Eric, died on January 26, 1965, only 101 days after he was born on October 17, 1964. None of the couple's other children—James (May 31, 1966 – September 26, 1968), Julie (July 19 – September 5, 1968), Molly (March 18 – June 5, 1970), and Noah (May 9 – July 28, 1971)—lived past 28 months. For over 20 years, it was believed that the babies had died of sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
. Several years after the death of their last child, Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt adopted a child, Jay, who remained healthy through childhood and was 17 years old when Mrs. Hoyt was arrested in 1994.
The last two biological Hoyt children, Molly and Noah, were subjects of pediatric research conducted by Dr. Alfred Steinschneider, who published an article in 1972 in the Journal Pediatrics proposing a connection between sleep apnea and SIDS. The article was controversial and many within the medical field believed that the death of the Hoyt children was more likely a case of a mother murdering her children than SIDS. In 1992, interest resumed in the Hoyt children's deaths and Hoyt confessed on March 23, 1994 that she had suffocated them.
During the trial, there was much testimony regarding the validity of Mrs. Hoyt's confession. Mrs. Hoyt was misled by the police, and told that she was participating in a SIDS research interview. An expert hired by the Defense, Dr. Charles Patrick Ewing, testified that: "It is my conclusion that her statement to the police on that day was not made knowingly, and it was not made voluntarily." He diagnosed Mrs. Hoyt with Dependent and Avoidant Personality disorders, and opined that she was particularly vulnerable to the tactics used during her interrogation. Dr. David Barry, a psychiatrist hired by the prosecution agreed that Waneta Hoyt had been manipulated by the police tactics.
On September 11, 1995, she was sentenced to 75 years in prison (15 years for each murder, to be served consecutively). It has been speculated since her conviction that Hoyt suffered from Münchausen syndrome by proxy
Munchausen syndrome by proxy
Münchausen syndrome by proxy is a label for a pattern of behavior in which care-givers deliberately exaggerate, fabricate, and/or induce physical, psychological, behavioral, and/or mental health problems in others. Other experts classified MSbP as a mental illness...
.
Mrs. Hoyt died in prison of pancreatic cancer in August 1998. She was formally exonerated under New York law because she died before her appeal had been heard.
External links
- New York Times review of the book "The Death of Innocents" March 5, 2010
- "Wishing Away a Baby Murders Case" New York Times April 11, 1995 March 5, 2010
- "A Mother's Fatal Embrace" People October 09, 1995 March 5, 2010
- "Waneta Ethel Hoyt" Radford UniversityRadford UniversityRadford University is one of Virginia's eight doctoral-degree granting public universities. Originally founded in 1910, Radford offers comprehensive curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, and graduate programs including the M.F.A., M.B.A...
March 5, 2010 note: it incorrectly gives Massachusetts as the place of Hoyt's birth, reverses the last two digits of her birth year, and gives September 26, 1968 as Eric's DOD when it was actually James's DOD