HALIFAX — An elderly woman known as the Internet Black Widow who is scheduled to leave a Nova Scotia prison on Friday is expected to appear in court Tuesday for a rare Crown application attempting to impose conditions on her release.
Melissa Ann Shepard, now in her early 80s, was sentenced in June 2013 to two years, nine months and 10 days in jail for spiking her newlywed husband's coffee with tranquilizers.
Shepard was also convicted of manslaughter in 1992 in the death of her second husband, Gordon Stewart, who she drugged and ran over twice with a car.
She is scheduled to be released upon serving her full sentence for administering a noxious substance, after being denied parole in the fall by a two-person National Parole Board panel.
Crown prosecutor James Giacomantonio says the peace bond restrictions include that she report any potential relationship with a man, keep authorities aware of where she is living, and inform police of changes to her appearance.
The prosecutor says that Shepard can agree to the peace bond, or she could refuse and apply for bail while awaiting a hearing.
Giacomantonio said the application for the restrictive order required the consent of the province's attorney general.
