Victim questions release of notorious Internet Black Widow: 'She'll never change'
She's been dubbed the Internet Black Widow, for attacking a series of men she met online. But in just a few days, she'll be out of prison.
On Friday, March 18, Melissa Ann Shepard will be released from prison in Nova Scotia for spiking her newlywed husband's coffee with tranquilizers in 2013.
Shepard was previously convicted of manslaughter in the 1991 death of her second husband. Then, in 2005, she did time in Florida for stealing from Alex Strategos, a man she'd met online.
"To tell you the truth, I was surprised," Alex Strategos tells As It Happens host Carol Off. "I don't think she should be out at all. She did it before, she'll do it again."
"I was lonely and I thought she was lonely too, but she had other things in mind," Strategos explains. "She wanted to do me in and take my money."
Eventually, Strategos ended up in the hospital after Shepard put drugs in his food. His son's girlfriend knew a detective, and recognized foul play, so they intervened.
The courts have imposed conditions on Shepard's release which include a curfew and no internet access. She also must disclose any romantic relationships to the police.
Shepard's release comes after serving nearly three years for administering a noxious substance to another romantic partner — her newlywed husband, Fred Weeks. Like Alex Strategos, Weeks survived his romantic relationship with Melissa Ann Shepard. But her first known victim, Gordon Stewart, did not. She served 2 years of a 6 year sentence for manslaughter in his death.
