The Enigma Woman: The Death Sentence of Nellie May Madison

"Crack shot." "Enigma woman." "Good with ponies and pistols." "A much-married woman."

What if such an unconventional woman-and the press unanimously agreed that Nellie May Madison was indeed unconventional-were to get away with murder? Shortly after her husband's bullet-riddled body was found in the couple's Burbank apartment, police issued an all-points bulletin for the "beautiful, dark-haired widow." The ensuing drama unfolded with all the twists and turns of a noir crime novel.

In thi...