Iranian «Black Widow» accused of murdering 11 husbands

In Iran, 56-year-old Kolsum Akbari is accused of poisoning and murdering 11 of her husbands over a period of 22 years. According to the investigation, she married elderly men with the intent of acquiring their property and money. The woman herself stated that the number of victims could be 13 or even 15, but noted that she could not remember the exact number.

Akbari's criminal activity began in 2000 and lasted until 2023. She met single, elderly men in various cities of Iran's Mazandaran province and married them. Due to the men's advanced age and poor health, their deaths were initially attributed to natural causes. Thus, the woman operated for many years without arousing suspicion.

«I don't know the exact number of people I killed»

During the interrogation, Akbari said the following about the number of her victims:

«I don't know how many people I killed. Maybe it's 13 or 15. I can't remember for sure».

The woman first married at the age of 18. Her first marriage did not last long, and her second husband was much older than her, constantly beating and humiliating her. According to investigators, Akbari's murders began after the death of her second husband.

She went around expressing her readiness to marry older, single men. After studying the financial situation of her prospective husbands, she agreed to marriages in exchange for large dowries or payments.

Poisoned her husbands and acquired their property

According to the charges, shortly after marrying, Akbari gave her husbands blood pressure and diabetes medications, sedatives, and industrial alcohol. If the poisoning did not yield results, in some cases she attempted to smother them using a pillow.

69-year-old Mirahmad Omrani, who married the woman in 2013, died a month later. 62-year-old Ismail Bakhshiy, who wed her in 2016, passed away two months later. And 83-year-old Ganjali Hamzey died 43 days after the marriage.

One of Akbari's husbands, named Maseh Nemati, survived an attempted poisoning in 2020. However, instead of going to the police, he simply threw the woman out of his house.

The son of the last victim exposed the crime

Akbari's crimes began to unravel in 2023, following the death of her last husband, 82-year-old Gholamreza Babouei. The deceased man's son heard from an acquaintance that his father had previously been married to a woman named Kolsum and that she had once attempted to poison him. Upon seeing the woman, he recognized her and reported her to the police.

Initially denying the accusations, Akbari later confessed to her crimes. However, she gave conflicting statements regarding the number of victims.

The woman could face the death penalty

Kolsum Akbari has been charged with 11 counts of premeditated murder and one count of attempted murder. If the court finds her guilty, she could face the death penalty.

More than 45 plaintiffs, including heirs of the deceased, are participating in the case. Prosecutors believe the woman's primary motive was to acquire her husbands' property and money. According to investigators, a large portion of the funds was registered in her daughter's name.

The court is expected to issue a verdict after hearing the testimonies of all plaintiffs and concluding the trial proceedings.