Kalthum Akbari, infamous as Iran’s “Black Widow,” was arrested in September 2023 after the suspicious death of her last husband, Azizollah Babai.
Authorities claim she spent over 20 years targeting elderly husbands, poisoning them to grab their property. Court records show she admitted to killing 11 husbands and attempting one more murder.
Investigators suggest she may have had 19 husbands, with many mysteriously dead, and some sources estimate her victims could exceed 20.
Akbari reportedly gave her husbands poisoned medicine after marriage, sometimes increasing doses after hospital visits. Many deaths were disguised as natural due to age or illness, keeping suspicion at bay.
Most incidents took place in northern Iranian cities such as Sari, Neka, Mahmoudabad, Babol, and Qaem Shahr.
Official charges include 11 murders and one attempted murder. Over 45 victims filed complaints, and four families have demanded the death penalty. Her lawyer sought a mental health assessment, but families rejected it.