Shivangi Sinha
In September 1962, several witnesses in Cincinnati, Ohio, contacted police reporting that they had witnessed a killing. Upon arriving, authorities discovered that Betty Butler had killed Evelyn Clark, a woman she had been staying with for a short period. Betty claimed that she had acted in self-defense after allegedly enduring a period of abusive or intolerable behavior from Evelyn. ID’s ‘Deadly Women: Friends to Foes’ highlights the case. It explores Betty’s motivations and the dynamics of their relationship to provide a clearer understanding of the events that led to the fatal encounter.
Betty Butler Had Been Staying With Evelyn Clark Before the Killing
Betty Butler did not grow up with many luxuries. She spent much of her life in Cincinnati, Ohio, and after having several children and raising them as a single mother, life had been challenging for her. Little is known about her childhood or early years, but by 1952, she was struggling financially. Having been forced out of the home she had been living in, she needed to find a place to stay but lacked the means to do so. It was during this period that she met Evelyn Clark, a 35-year-old married woman with two children of her own.
Evelyn allowed Betty to move into her home for a while, giving Betty a temporary sense of security. However, on September 6, 1952, the two went fishing at Sharon Woods Lake in Cincinnati, where an argument erupted. The disagreement escalated into violence, and Betty strangled Evelyn with a handkerchief. She then dragged her into the lake and held her underwater until Evelyn drowned. Several bystanders witnessed the incident and immediately contacted the police. Betty fled the scene but was soon apprehended and charged with first-degree murder.
Betty Butler Was Executed After Being Convicted of Murder
The case against Betty Butler appeared straightforward, as multiple witnesses had seen her commit the crime, providing strong evidence. Her trial began in late 1952, during which she claimed that Evelyn had allegedly offered her a place to stay in exchange for sexual favors. Betty further alleged that Evelyn’s forceful behavior made her feel like a “sex slave,” and she had attacked Evelyn to escape unwanted advances. After six days of proceedings, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Despite filing numerous appeals, all of which were denied. On June 11, 1954, at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Cincinnati, she was executed in the electric chair. She became the last woman executed in Ohio and the only African American woman ever executed by the state.
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