Audrey Marie Hilley
| Audrey Marie Hilley | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 4, 1933 Blue Mountain, Alabama |
| Died | February 26, 1987 (aged 53) Anniston, Alabama |
| Cause of death | Heart attack due to hypothermia from exposure. |
| Criminal charge | Murder, attempted murder |
Audrey Marie Hilley (June 4, 1933 – February 26, 1987) was an American murderer. Her life and spree are the subjects of the 1991 telefilm Wife, Mother, Murderer. The movie starred Judith Light in the title role, with Whip Hubley and David Ogden Stiers.
Audrey Marie Frazier was born on June 4, 1933 in Blue Mountain, Alabama to Lucille (née Meads) and Huey Frazier. She married Frank Hilley on May 8, 1951. She still has surviving family in Brookland, AR.
In his late teens, their son had a mystery illness written off as stomach flu. The symptoms went on until he went away to college and then abruptly stopped. Not known to anyone at the time, his mother had a life insurance policy on him.
While visiting from college, his father confided to him that he had walked in on the mother in bed with one of his workers and was strongly contemplating divorce. A short time after, in May 1975, Frank Hilley visited his doctor complaining of nausea and tenderness in his abdomen. He was diagnosed with a viral stomachache. The condition persisted and he was admitted to a hospital for tests that indicated liver malfunction. Physicians then diagnosed infectious hepatitis. He died early in the morning of May 25, 1975.
An autopsy was performed with Audrey Hilley's permission. It revealed hepatitis, swelling of the kidneys and lungs, bilateral pneumonia, and inflammation of the stomach. Because the symptoms closely resembled those of hepatitis, no tests for poison were conducted. The cause of death was listed as infectious hepatitis.
Frank Hilley had maintained a moderate life insurance policy that his widow redeemed for $31,140. Slightly over three years later, she took out a $25,000 life insurance policy on her daughter, Carol. A $25,000 accidental death rider took effect in August 1978.
Within a few months, Carol began to experience trouble with nausea and was admitted to the emergency room several times. A year after insuring her daughter, Hilley gave her daughter an injection that she said would alleviate the nausea. However, the symptoms did not disappear, and eventually worsened. Carol began to experience numbness in her extremities and was admitted to the hospital for tests.
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