Iran's 'Black Widow' captured: She killed her husbands one by one over 22 years!

In Iran's Mazandaran province, it has been revealed that 56-year-old Gülsüm Ekberi spent 22 years marrying men older than herself, only to kill them using various methods after obtaining both their dowry payments and their inheritances. According to the Iranian press, the chain of murders began in 2000 and came to light in 2023 following the suspicious death of 82-year-old Azizullah Babai.

According to reports, a family friend told Babai's son that “a woman named Gülsüm had tried to poison his father” in the past. Following this, the police were contacted. After being taken into custody following the complaint, Ekberi initially denied the accusations during the hearing at the Sari Revolutionary Court. However, she confessed to the murders after being shown footage of the crime scene reenactments.

It was reported that the families of four victims have demanded the death penalty under Islamic law, and the case involves more than 45 plaintiffs, including heirs and close relatives of the deceased. The prosecutor's indictment states that Ekberi is charged with 11 counts of intentional homicide and 1 count of attempted murder.

According to the police investigation, Ekberi reached potential victims through acquaintances of her daughter, and after learning about their financial status, she would marry them in exchange for a high dowry. She would then slowly poison her victims using blood pressure medication, diabetes medication, sedatives, and in some cases, methyl alcohol. In instances where the drugs were ineffective, she would commit the murders by suffocating them with a pillow or towel.

It was determined that the murders were committed in the cities of Sari, Neka, Mahmudabad, Babol, and Ghaemshahr in Mazandaran province. Among the victims were 69-year-old Mirahmad Omrani, who died one month after their marriage in 2013; 62-year-old Ismail Bahshi, who lost his life two months after their wedding in 2016; and 83-year-old Ganjali Hamzei, who passed away 43 days after they were married. In 2020, her former husband Masih Nemati survived after drinking poisoned syrup, but he did not report the situation to the police.

It was stated that the court will deliver its final verdict after hearing the testimonies of more than 45 plaintiffs.