Canadian woman nicknamed 'Black Widow' pleads guilty to drugging another husband days after their wedding

• Melissa Ann Shepard, 78, admitted she spiked the coffee of her latest husband Fred Weeks, 75, while they were on their honeymoon
• Weeks went from a sprightly septuagenarian to requiring a wheelchair and struggling to speak after the drugging, but he didn't die
• Shepard was convicted of manslaughter in 1992 in the death of her second husband, who she drugged and ran over twice with a car

Black Widow: Melissa Ann Shepard, pictured, confessed to drugging her latest husband

A Canadian woman dubbed the 'Black Widow' for her track record of persuading grieving widowers to marry her pleaded guilty on Monday to spiking her latest husband's coffee on their honeymoon.

Melissa Ann Shepard, 78, was charged last October after Fred Weeks, 75, fell ill at a bed and breakfast in Nova Scotia four days after they were married.

She pleaded guilty to administering a noxious substance and failing to provide the necessities of life but an attempted murder charge was dropped because the prosecution couldn't prove the woman intended to kill Weeks.

She confessed to mixing tranquilizers Lorazepam and Temazepam into Weeks' drinks while they were aboard a ferry from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on their way to Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland for their honeymoon.

Shepard married Weeks in a civil ceremony at his home in a New Glasgow seniors' complex on September 25, 2012, a few weeks after they met. She reportedly moved into the same complex in August and introduced herself, saying she was lonely.

The day after their wedding, on September 26, they set off on vacation.

A ferry employee told investigators that when Weeks came aboard the ferry bound for Newfoundland, he was spry enough to easily walk 200 meters from his car to an elevator and was cracking jokes when he and Shepard were escorted to their cabin.

 

But Weeks was 'a totally different person' the next day, the employee said, adding that he  was unable to walk, couldn't put on his sneakers, didn't know where his car keys were and required the use of a wheelchair.

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Victim: Fred Weeks, pictured left yesterday, was drugged by Shepard, right sporting a blonde hair do at court, on their honeymoon last year

Hospitalized: Weeks became ill at The Chamber's Guest House Bed and Breakfast in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, pictured

Prison: Shepard, pictured on Monday, faces up to 3.5 years in prison

The couple briefly stayed in a Newfoundland hotel but checked out that same day before returning to North Sydney, where they stayed at a bed and breakfast.

It was there he fell out of bed and was hospitalized, the statement said. At the hospital, Shepard misinformed nurses and doctors about his health, saying he had prostate problems, bowel surgery and was suffering from dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, the court heard. She also told hospital officials that Weeks, a father of six adult children, had no other family.

Police found Shepard in possession of several prescription medications including lorazepam and temazepam along with several pieces of identification which listed other last names used by the woman, including Friedrich and Russell.

Shepard became known as the 'Black Widow' because of her prior convictions stemming from her past relationships. She was convicted of manslaughter in 1992 in the death of her second husband, Gordon Stewart, who she drugged and run over twice with a car.

Past life: Shepard, pictured left and right, had a long history of persuading grieving men to marry her

Manslaughter: Shepard, left, was convicted of manslaughter in 1992 in the death of her second husband, Gordon Stewart, right, who she drugged and run over twice with a car

Theft: Alex Strategos, pictured right with Shepard, said she stole $20,000 from him over the month that they lived together in 2005

In 2005, Shepard -- who has gone by several other surnames -- was sentenced to five years in prison on seven counts of theft from a man in Florida who she had met online. Alex Strategos, now 81, said she stole $20,000 from him over the month that they lived together.

She faces a maximum sentence of two years for the charge of administering a noxious thing and 18 months for failing to provide the necessities of life.

Her marriage to Weeks has now been declared invalid by the province's Vital Statistics Division after it said false information was provided on the marriage certificate.

Weeks was in the courtroom on Monday but didn't comment.

Court: She was escorted to the courtroom sporting a blonde do on Monday

Previous arrests: Shepard, pictured, has gone by several surnames and has been seen with brown, blonde and red hair