Randolph County AlArchives News.....Sheppard, Geraldine Poisoned by Family Member  June 7, 1951
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Raonoke Leader June 7, 1951
The preliminary hearing in the case of the three Roanoke Negroes charged with 
the ant-poison slaying of four-year-old Geraldine Sheppard has been postponed 
indefinitely. The hearing was scheduled to be held in Wedowee on Monday morning, 
June 4, but legal counsel for the accused requested more time in which to 
prepare a defense. Those being held in this case are Corine Sheppard, mother of 
Geraldine Sheppard; an aunt of the child, Audrey Mae Holloway; and Audrey Maes 
brother-in-law, Awbrey Holloway. CORRECTION: Last week's Leader made one glaring 
error in reporting information received from the Roanoke Police Department 
regarding this case. The fifth paragraph of last week's news story stated that 
Geraldine Sheppard died Friday, May 25. This should have been May 18, as it was 
correctly reported in the last paragraph of the same article. The sequence of 
events as put together by police was: May 10. administration of ant poison to 
Geraldine in chocolate; eight days of illness; May 18, second dose of poison (in 
Kool-Aid), followed by the child's death the same day.

Ledger-Enquirer, Jun 15, 1951:
Randolph county Judge H. M. Britton today ordered Audrey Holloway 42-year-old 
Negro woman held for grand jury action in the "poison cake" death of her little 
niece Britton fixed her bond on a charge of murder at $1500. The grand jury 
meets in August. No action was taken on the cases of the little girl’s mother 
Corinne Sheppard and the mother’s uncle Aubrey Holloway who were arrested at the 
same time. The mother and her uncle said they were unable to obtain a lawyer in 
time for the hearing Judge Britton said the state toxicologist’s office reported 
that arsenic or some other substance that could have caused death was found in 
the body of 4-yeaf-old Geraldine Sheppard. Deputy Sheriff E.L. Chase said 
earlier that the three persons held in jail had five insurance policies on the 
little girl. He said they were suspected of nutting poison in a cake and then 
feeding it to Geraldine.

Roanoke Leader Aug 31, 1951:
Corene Sheppard, on trial for the first-degree murder of her daughter, four-
year-old Geraldine Sheppard, was found guilty Monday by the Randolph County 
Circuit Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. The two other Roanoke Negroes 
charged with murder in this same case, Audrey Holloway and Aubrey Holloway, 
entered pleas of guilty Tuesday morning and also received life sentences. 
Investigating rumors on the death of Geraldine Sheppard a few months ago, 
Roanoke, county, and state officers learned that the three defendants in the 
case had taken out several insurance policies on the little girl shortly before 
her death. Investigation indicated that the three defendants, all of whom 
occupied the same house, conspired together to poison Geraldine with ant poison, 
the second dose being given about a week after the first one. For a week the 
little girl had suffered without receiving any medical attention; she died 
shortly after the second dose. After piecing together this almost unbelievable 
story of inhumanity, officers arrested Corene Sheppard and Audrey and Aubrey 
Holloway. Their case was the one attracting the most interest in this session of 
circuit court. 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/randolph/newspapers/sheppard2284gnw.txt

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