I just read this news item concerning a sweet looking 80 year old woman, dubbed the Internet Black Widow due to her history of luring men to their death or at best hospital. She was released yesterday evidently, I must admit from her picture I would never suspect her. Prosecutors put strict conditions on Shepard's release this week, insisting that she report any relationship with a man, to allow police to inform him "of her history in these and other legal proceedings". They also bar Shepard from going online or even owning any device capable of accessing the internet, and she must allow police to photograph her if she alters her appearance. Halifax police went to the lengths of issuing a media release advising all citizens that "a high risk offender is residing in our community" and warning that she "has been assessed as being a high risk to re-offend". Halifax police went to the lengths of issuing a media release advising all citizens that "a high risk offender is residing in our community" and warning that she "has been assessed as being a high risk to re-offend". A woman dubbed the Internet Black Widow was released from prison in Canada on Friday, prompting police to issue a warning to potential victims - elderly men looking for love. What could have earned a sweet-talking 80-year-old such a sinister reputation? This week she was released after two years, nine months and 10 days in jail for spiking the coffee of a new partner, Fred Weeks, her neighbour in a quiet retirement community in Nova Scotia. According to court documents, she knocked on his door and told him she was lonely, and she'd heard he was lonely too. The couple had a civil union ceremony in his living room, and although the marriage was reportedly never certified, they went off on honeymoon to Newfoundland. Prosecutors said Shepard gave Weeks heavy doses of sedatives during the journey, leaving him unable to distinguish between the reverse and drive gears in his car, and to start the vehicle when they were disembarking from a ferry. The next day he needed a wheelchair, could not put on his shoes and did not know where his car keys were, the court heard. But it was not until he was hospitalised after falling out of bed that the drugs were found in his system and police realised something was wrong. Article here
This reminds me of my ex's stepmother. His dad lost the love of his life (his second wife, not the ex's mom), and was lonely. It wasn't long afterwards that he ran across the one we call the black widow. They had a short courtship and got married fairly quickly. It wasn't until after that, that he asked my ex to look into her, informally, on the internet. That's when he found out she'd been married many more times than she'd stated, and several of the husbands had died. I still suspect that she let his dad die when he was ill a few years back. He'd already had a few heart attacks and a stroke, but was mobile and doing fine. This time, she kept him at home, which wasn't difficult, since he didn't care to go to the doctor, but if she cared, she would have 'made' him go. Instead, she knew he was most likely in the middle of a serious cardiac event, and went off 'gardening' on the other side of the property for hours, leaving him alone, and he died. She then cleaned out the estate, taking what wasn't supposed to be hers (his fault for not updating his will), and fractured the family in the process. This sort of thing seems to happen quite frequently. I think many have an idea that older people are all sweet and harmless, but it's good to remember that evil people age just like the rest of us, and just because someone looks like a sweet, kind grandmother or grandfather, doesn't mean that is the case. Evil can lurk behind pleasant facades, and those who are older and alone can be particularly vulnerable, since they're often more trusting, and may not have people around who can help them discern the truth.
It's interesting how knowing the person is evil causes you to see the face differently, if I look now after reading your observation Ruby, her eyes do look evil.
Wow, amazing story Diane, and yes, you are so right that not all older people are sweet, and safe to be around. Evil people age the same as good folks.
Yes, and that so-called smile looks like a dirty sneer Ick, she's horrible looking I'd think that even if I hadn't read about her, horrible picture. What I don't get, is if she is high-risk to repeat, why do they let her out? I thought that people were granted their freedom if they were believed to be rehabilitated?
I have an aunt that did the same, left my grandfather to die on the floor after he had a stroke, so I'm less gullible when evaluating people. She would also troll for people to scam at Al-Anon meetings. There are a lot of evil people running around, and it's best to exercise a little caution when meeting new ones, especially if you have something people might be after.
I think caution should apply when forming any relationship - not just senior and not just dating. People often get excited and reveal too much too soon. They tend to shrug off red flags when they actually should take a step back.
A year of so ago I saw a story on Dateline about a woman who, over the course of a year or so "loaned" her lover her entire inheritance - $400,000. Suffice to say the red flags - sirens - were flashing all over the place. Of course he disappeared. I found it hard to sympathize with her. As I recall she was in her late 40s or early 50s.
There are probably many stories like that, Arlene. It amazes me how many people are so easily scammed.