First Ladies of Death Row Illinois

This week on Melanin Mayhem, we shine a light on two of the most audacious and overlooked women in Illinois criminal history — Geraldine Smith and Dorothy Williams. As the first and second women sentenced to death in the state, their stories are as chilling as they are complex. From ruthless motives to senseless murder, I unravel the crimes that put them on death row and in the history books.