Poison was often a weapon of choice when assassinating the powers that be. This practice started
very early in the history of Rome, and there are many examples of court proceedings against
poisoners in Roman sources, most famously among the court speeches of Cicero. But our
story is set in the days of the Roman empire. This is the story behind the first documented
serial killer in history. This is the story of Locusta.
Although the likes of Juvenal, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio wrote about her, we know very
little about the early life of Locusta. She was born in Gaul, either during the last years
of the reign of Augustus or the first years in the reign of Tiberius. Knowledge of herbs
was a storied tradition in Gaul, and as a young girl, Locusta learned about the medicinal
and harmful characteristics of the plants she encountered. She was highly educated and
skilled in the use of herbs. Sometime in the late 40s AD when Emperor Claudius
was in power, Locusta appeared in Rome. The Eternal City was still going through the painful
process of transforming into an empire, and the last two emperors Tiberius and Caligula
were murdered by those close to them. The city was rife with intrigue, power struggles
and assassinations, so Locusta found herself right at home. She started creating small
poisons for the clients. The details are lost, but it seems that Locusta was arrested and
even convicted a few times for poisoning and child murder during this period, but as her
clientele was of the upper class, they were able to save her from execution on a few occasions.
The wife of emperor Claudius - Agrippina managed to make Claudius declare her son from a previous
marriage – Nero as the heir. However, Claudius had a biological son – Britannicus, and
it was possible for him to change his will. Agrippina was eager to bring her son to the
throne as soon as possible, and in 54 she decided to employ Locusta, who by now was
very famous among the nobility. According to the sources, Agrippina and Locusta
waited for a day when the emperor’s most loyal servant was not on duty. They poisoned
the delicacy Claudius liked the most – mushrooms. The empress brought the dish herself, and
Claudius ate the first portion of the poison with his favorite food. He was in distress
after that and Agrippina gave him a second dose of the poison with the feather that should
have induced vomiting. Thus, Emperor Claudius died and was succeeded
by Nero. It seems that Agrippina wasn’t suspected, while Locusta was arrested and
convicted yet again. But Nero wasn’t eager to send the executioners, as he still needed
Locusta. Nero’s half-brother Britannicus was still alive and had a strong claim to
the throne. Locusta was quietly freed from prison and received an order to create another
poison. 13-year old Brittanicus was invited to a family
dinner with Nero and Agrippina. The Romans drank wine mixed with hot water, which sometimes
had to be chilled according to the taste of the drinker. Brittanicus requested his wine
be cooled, and his taster did not taste the clear water that had been added to Brittanicus’
goblet. That is where the poison created by Locusta had been added. Tacitus writes that
the poisoned cold water circulated so rapidly in Brittanicus’ veins that it deprived him
of speech and life.” Nero took advantage of the fact that Brittanicus
had epilepsy, a relatively open secret and well-known fact within the royal family. When
Brittanicus ingested the poisoned wine, he became incapacitated and lost the ability
to speak, much like a grand mal seizure. As Brittanicus convulsed, Nero merely reminded
his dinner guests that Brittanicus suffered from severe epilepsy and that there was no
need to summon assistance for him. Brittanicus was taken to another room to recover,
but he soon died. According to the sources, the poison could have turned the victim’s
skin either blue or red, so Brittanicus was to be buried the same night he died, with
his face covered with chalk to hide the strange color of his skin. Cassius wrote that “a
shower of rain washed the chalk away and revealed to the people the evidence of the crime.”
Locusta enjoyed her crimes, as she considered them to be the pinnacle of her craft. Nero
didn’t only exonerate her from her past crimes, but gave her immunity for all future
ones. The emperor allowed Locusta to open a school for poisoners. There new formulas
were tested on animals, slaves and condemned criminals. We don’t have the exact numbers,
but some modern sources claim that Locusta personally poisoned tens or even hundreds
of people, while her students caused thousands of deaths. She got rich and was granted land.
However, in 68 Nero was forced to commit suicide by his political opponents. Locusta was too
famous and was caught almost immediately. The new emperor – Galba - condemned her
to death in 69. The details of the trial are lost, but it is clear that Galba wanted to
execute Locusta as a symbol that the new regime would not abide by the old rules and would
act according to the law. Locusta was made into an example. The details of her execution
are too extreme for this video, but it was severe even by Roman standards.
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