Evelyn Nesbit was a Gibson Girl model who got stuck in the middle of one of the most deranged love triangles.
As she rose to fame, she became a magnet for wealthy men, including the architect Stanford White, who was almost three times her age. She met him in 1901 when she was around 15 or 16, and according to her, he accosted her without her consent.
Still, they continued their relationship for a while longer, but his awful treatment of her would come back to haunt him. Enter multi millionaire Harry Thaw, who was also not a great catch. He had a reputation for being mentally unstable, and he was obsessed with Nesbit. He blamed Stanford White for taking Nesbit's virginity, and punished her brutally for her lack of chastity.
But he was rich, so she still married him in 1905. The very next year, all the players in this messed up love triangle attended the same musical review at Madison Square Garden, and during the finale, all hell broke loose. Harry Thaw approached Stanford White, drew his pistol, and shot him three times in the head and back.
Although reports vary, Thaw cried out something along the lines of, "I did it because he ruined my wife. He had it coming to him."
