Murdered 12 husbands: Iran's 'Black Widow' sentenced to death 10 times

An Iranian court has sentenced Kolsum Akbari, known as the 'Black Widow', to death ten times after convicting her of murdering 12 men over 20 years. She married them in temporary marriages and killed them with drugs. One victim's family reached a blood money settlement.

An Iranian court has sentenced Kolsum Akbari, 56, known as the 'Black Widow', to death ten times after she was convicted of murdering 12 men over 20 years. Akbari married elderly men in temporary marriages, permitted under Shia doctrine, and after about two to three months would kill them using drugs she forced them to swallow or dissolved in drinks. The last victim, an 82-year-old man, realized she wanted to kill him and told his children she was forcing him to take medication. After his death, his children contacted the prosecutor, and Akbari confessed to the murders. The spokesperson for the judiciary in Mazandaran province announced the verdict. Iranian law allows victims' families to cancel the death sentence in exchange for blood money, and one family has already reached a settlement.