HALIFAX — Two men preyed upon by an elderly woman known as the "Internet Black Widow" say they fear for public safety as a Nova Scotia prison prepares to release her onto the street.
Melissa Ann Shepard, in her early 80s, was sentenced in June 2013 to two years, nine months and 10 days of jail for spiking her newlywed husband's coffee with tranquilizers.
She gets out of jail on March 20, after being refused early release by the parole board last fall.
Shepard was convicted of administering a noxious substance and failing to provide the necessities of life to Fred Weeks, who was 76 at the time of her sentencing. Weeks says his former partner is a "smooth operator," and he would prefer she'd stay far away from his county.
Alex Strategos, who Shepard briefly lived with in Florida before she was convicted of stealing from him, says he doesn't think Shepard should be released without any supervision.
Shepard was convicted of manslaughter in 1992 in the death of her second husband, Gordon Stewart, whom she drugged and ran over twice with a car.
