Maria Pearson _ World_s Most Evil Killers

"A love rival was stabbed 17 times in a frenzied street attack. Police first thought it was a hit-and-run. Then they discovered the killer was the victim's ex-husband's ex-wife. And she had been stalking her for months."Maria Pearson, from Hartlepool, murdered 23-year-old Janet Newton in 1986 after Newton became engaged to Pearson's bigamous husband [citation:1][citation:4]. She tracked Newton's movements, then stabbed her repeatedly, piercing her heart [citation:1][citation:4]. Pearson was convicted of murder in 1987 and given a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 12 years [citation:1]. She became the UK's longest-serving female prisoner after spending nearly 39 years behind bars, serving longer than Moors murderer Myra Hindley [citation:1][citation:4]. After nine failed parole attempts, she was finally released in 2026 under strict conditions [citation:4][citation:7].