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Biography[]
Patricia Vann Taylor Allanson was born in 1937. She was adored by her aunts and especially by her grandmother. She was a beautiful child with big green eyes and blondish hair. She was quick and clever and grew up to be a beautiful teenager. Pat was spoiled by her mother, Margureitte and stepfather, Colonel Clifford Radcliffe. growing up to be an Army brat. She had a younger step-brother, Kent, whom she loved to bully and tease without mercy.
But there was a darker side to Pat. If she didn't get her way, she would throw a tantrum. If that didn't work, she manipulated her way. She learned how to charm both men and women—especially if they had something she wanted.
Pat married at the very young age of fifteen. Her new husband was Gil Taylor, a hopeful young Army sergeant, and Pat embarked on a military life. Soon she had three children, Susan, Debbie and Ronnie, but she discovered that she didn't want all of the hard work that involved being a mother. And the lifestyle in the military was not her dreams of having a fine home and raising horses. So Pat did what she always did—appeal to her parents for help.
Soon enough, Pat was living near or with her parents, having her mother help her out with the children, and Gil was often off on his deployments alone. The marriage started falling apart, and in 1971 they divorced.
In 1973, Pat met Tom Allanson, a tall, strong handsome man, son of a wealthy lawyer, who was just as passionately interested in horses as she was. He was six years younger than her. Although she had her eye on someone else, it looked like Tom could give her everything she ever wanted. Unfortunately, Tom was married and in the process of an ugly divorce from a woman known as Little Carolyn. However, the biggest problem for Pat was Tom's parents, Walter and Big Carolyn Allanson. They didn't approve of Pat. They were gravely disappointed in Tom and viewed divorce as not being an option. They sided with Little Carolyn, and the relationship between Tom and his family deteriorated. There were accusations flying between both sides along with some pretty dreadful threats.
The feud between Tom and his father over Pat escalated to the point that his father angrily tried to force Tom out of his life. To get even, Pat filed a complaint of sexual harassment against him, claiming that he had exposed himself to her. Tom grew alarmed over this, along with threats that he heard that his father was going to kill him, so he took out a restraining order. His father on the other hand believed that his own son was out to kill him. Someone had stolen a pistol and rifle from his home and he was convinced it was his son. The police searched Tom's home and came up empty-handed. The intense fear and anger continued to grow on both sides. With no communication taking place, it was the perfect set-up for a manipulative psychopath who wanted to get everything for herself.
On July 29, 1974, while taking a trip in their car, Walter and his wife, Carolyn, were shot at by someone. They survived the inexplicable attack and felt sure that Tom had been behind it. The situation between father and son grew more paranoid until August 3. On that day, Tom dropped Pat off at the doctor and then walked over to see his mother when he was sure his father would not be home. Pat had told him that someone had been calling their house all night long and said nothing. She felt sure it was Walter, so Tom felt it was time to try to straighten things out. Otherwise, he thought his father might try to shoot him off his horse in the parade that weekend. His mother was not home but Tom felt she would be returning shortly, so to avoid the possibility of running into Walter, he went to the basement to wait for his mother to return.
After receiving a call from an unknown woman informing him that Tom was at his home, Walter returned home. The electricity was off, so he went into the basement to look around. He found the switch box had been tampered with. He attempted to call the police, but the phone line had been cut. He went to a neighbor's home to use the phone to get the police out there. When they arrived, Walter said he'd take care of the situation himself, so they left. Carolyn was home by that time. He called up to her that he had Tom cornered and needed the gun he'd just purchased, so she grabbed it to bring it to him.
When the police officers arrived once again in response to an emergency call, they found Carolyn Allanson sitting upright on the basement steps, shot dead. Through the basement window, they could see Walter laying on the ground. He'd been shot numerous times. The police immediately suspected Tom. He'd been seen there, and a man matching his description had been seen running from the crime scene.
Tom was soon arrested. When Pat told a number of lies to the attorney in an alleged attempt to provide Tom with an alibi, the situation became even more suspicious. Tom had his own story—also a lie—and it didn't match with Pat's story. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. At the time of the murders, he and Pat had been married less than two months, and now Pat had the farm to herself. It wasn't long before she tried to talk Tom into a suicide pact, which he later felt sure was an attempt to get him to die so she would inherit everything.
Pat began working on Tom's wealthy grandparents until they finally named her in their will as the primary beneficiary. Her house and barns burned down, and she forged Tom's signature to get the insurance payments. She feed arsenic laced food to Tom's grandparents. However, when they grew ill she was caught and ended up in prison for eight years.
When she got out, she started her scheming again. This time, she persuaded a wealthy couple from Atlanta, Mr. and Mrs. James Crist, to hire her as a nurse. It wasn't long before they, also, got sick and Mr. Crist died.
Once again, Pat was facing prison time. In a shrewd and controversial plea bargain, she would agreed to seven charges, including theft, attempted murder, and posing as a registered nurse, if she would never be charged with the murder of Mr. Crist or investigated for the murder of Tom's parents. She was sentenced to eight years.
Patricia Taylor Allanson was released from prison in 1999. After her release went to live with her stepfather and his new wife (Marguerite, Pat's mother had died by this time). There she opened a doll shop she named Pat's Pretty Play Things.
In 2008, Pat was charged with doctor shopping and fraudentently obtaining over 3700 painkillers in less than a year. She was officially charge on three counts of unauthorized distribution. She entered a plea agreement with a sentence of probation only.
Pat's only son passed away in 2004. It was said she engaged in a heated battle with his widow over his remains. Why she believed she was entitled to an opinion escapes most, and the outcome of the disagreement is publicly unknown.
Victims[]
| Name | Age | Disappeared | Body Found | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Crist | 1991 | arsenic poisoning |
Survivors[]
| Name | Age | Date of Attack | Injury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papaw Allanson | attempted arsenic poisoning | ||
| Nona Allanson | attempted arsenic poisoning |
Suspected victims[]
| Name | Age | Date of Death | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Allanson | July 3, 1974 | Multiple gunshots | |
| Carolyn Allanson | July 3, 1974 | Shot |
Timeline[]
Bibliography[]
Literature[]
- Rule, Anne (1993). Everything She Ever Wanted, Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0671690717
Articles[]
Documentaries[]
Television[]
YouTube Documentaries[]
Podcasts[]
In popular culture[]
Film adaptation[]
- Everything She Ever Wanted on IMDb[1]
Related Articles[]
See also[]
Links[]
- Patricia Allanson on IMDb
- Patricia Vann Taylor Allanson. Radford University.
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted Trailer on YouTube