Loren Doxey (October 20, 1858 – June 19, 1912) and Dora Doxey (March 17, 1879 – 1921) were a husband and wife who were charged with murder in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1909, accused of killing a man whom Dora had married in a bigamous relationship. Dora was found not guilty of murder, and the case against Loren was dismissed. Dora was later convicted of bigamy.
Personal Background
Loren Doxey
Loren Doxey was born on October 20, 1858, in Waterloo, Iowa, the son of Thomas Biscoe Doxey and Margaret Henry Doxey. He earned a medical degree from Rush Medical College in 1894 and established a medical practice in Joy, Illinois. He married Mary Bridgeford, the principal of Joy High School, in May 1897; she died of tuberculosis in 1898. Loren Doxey drowned in the Tennessee River in Clifton, Tennessee, on June 19, 1912. A coroner's jury ruled the death accidental.
Dora Doxey
Dora Doxey was born on March 17, 1879, in Millersburg, Illinois, as Dora Fuller, the daughter of Jefferson Fuller and Josephine Himman Awbrey. She had two sisters. In December 1895, at age 16, she married Robert L. Downing, one of her teachers at Joy High School. They had four children, all of whom died young. The couple separated in September 1903 and divorced in 1905. She subsequently married Frank J. Le Gear in Devil's Lake, Wisconsin, in 1905; then Loren Doxey in 1906 in Burlington, Iowa; then William J. Erder in Clayton, Missouri, on April 26, 1909; then Fred Whitney in 1912 in Orofino, Idaho; and George Thomas in 1919. She died in 1921 in San Francisco.
Relationship and Marriage
Loren and Dora Doxey began a sexual relationship while she was a patient of his and still married to Robert Downing. They married on August 29, 1906, in Burlington, Iowa. During their marriage, Dora became addicted to morphine, which Loren prescribed and administered. They lived in Columbus, Nebraska, and later in Savannah, Tennessee.
Murder Trial
In December 1909, authorities in St. Louis found traces of arsenic in the body of William J. Erder, whom Dora had married in April 1909 and who died on July 10, 1909. A grand jury issued murder indictments against both Doxeys. Former Lieutenant Governor Charles P. Johnson was engaged as defense attorney. The charges were separated, and Dora Doxey was tried in May and June 1910. She was found not guilty on June 3, 1910, and Loren was set free on June 7, 1910, with charges against him dismissed.
Bigamy Trial
Dora Doxey was charged in St. Louis County, Missouri, in December 1909 with bigamy for marrying William J. Erder while still married to Loren Doxey. After many continuances, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail on December 1, 1913. While serving time in the county jail in Clayton, Missouri, she carried on a flirtation with another inmate, Earl Wheeler. She was released on February 24, 1914, and went to Idaho with Fred Whitney.
