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Woman known as ‘Black Widow’ agrees to sign new peace bond after alleged breach

Woman known as 'Black Widow' agrees to sign new peace bond after alleged breach | iNFOnews.ca
Melissa Ann Shepard, known as the Internet Black Widow, arrives at court in Dartmouth, N.S. on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. The elderly woman known as the "Internet Black Widow," who gained notoriety for killing and poisoning her intimate partners, has agreed to sign a two-year peace bond at the end of the month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX – The elderly woman known as the "Internet Black Widow," who gained notoriety for killing and poisoning her intimate partners, has agreed to sign a two-year peace bond at the end of the month.

Melissa Ann Shepard appeared briefly during a hearing in provincial court in Dartmouth, N.S., this morning.

The hearing was related to her challenge of 22 conditions imposed on the 80-year-old when she was released from prison in March after serving a full sentence of just under three years for spiking newlywed husband Fred Weeks's coffee with tranquilizers in 2012.

Under the conditions, Shepard was required to report to police any potential relationship with a man, keep authorities aware of where she is living, and inform police of changes to her appearance.

The conditions also included restrictions on her use of the Internet.

The lawyers agreed to return to court on Oct. 31, when defence lawyer Mark Knox told the court his client will sign a two-year peace bond with many of the same conditions.

According to police, the Halifax-based Shepard has a history of offences dating back to the early 1990s.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version reported that Mark Knox's first name is Paul.

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Marshall Jones

News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.

We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.

Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.

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