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00:00she was a charming retiree who found love on the Internet voice was very soft and she was
00:11a very polite person she was very pleasant to actually be around she was just so sweet
00:19and kind and she would make a man feel like a million dollars she met him online get an
00:29elderly person that's being contacted by a beautiful woman she was looking for a place
00:36to stay she got down there and within a couple of days he was just really excited about her
00:44and was talking about marriage I didn't know what I was suspicious of us it just didn't seem quite
00:53rice their budding relationship would be cut short when a mysterious illness put him in the hospital
01:00he had never had an episode like that's where he just passed out on the floor I didn't hear
01:07anything more and then about a week later it happened again the unexpected results of a routine
01:16medical exam would spark an investigation which would cross borders and uncover a series of deadly
01:22crimes spanning three decades how could a predator in disguise have been able to get away for so long
01:30what made her dangerous was the fact that she was able to hide what she was really like in such a
01:39a masterful way she used her feminine wiles to get what she wanted out of life did I really meet this
01:57cold-blooded black widow
02:00December 27 2004 Pinellas Park Florida
02:24in the middle of the night 73 year old Alex Stratigas wakes up suffering from a sudden illness
02:31his heart races his vision blurs
02:34Alex barely makes it to the bathroom before he collapses
02:40luckily his new girlfriend 69 year old Melissa Friedrich is there to help
02:50she called 911 and they took him to the hospital he called me from the hospital to tell me what
03:00happened it was a mystery to him doctors begin a battery of tests to find out what's wrong with him
03:07and the answers will set in motion a chain of events that change Alex's life forever
03:14Alex Stratigas was a family man who spent most of his life in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
03:23my dad was a great guy to be around he was pretty quiet and when he did have to say something it was
03:33usually a value where it was funny he worked hard and he never failed to give us any kind of personal guidance
03:42things were very nice for our family when we were growing up during the 60s at the end of that decade I
03:52I don't know what happened with my parents but they grew apart they separated
03:58Alex had a successful career as a personal accountant but by his late 60s his health had begun to fail
04:09in the 90s when he lived in Pennsylvania he had a series of small strokes that were fixed later on
04:18but from then on he was having a problem walking without a cane and over the years it progressed
04:27it was 2000 when I invited him to move here to Florida
04:33dad really did need companionship at that time his health started to fail and he knew his time was coming
04:43and his plan was to meet somebody and fully disclose that he was just looking for somebody
04:50that liked to stay home and take things easy his search for love and companionship led Alex to join
04:59a dating site and before long he found a suitable match a widow named Melissa I didn't see too many of
05:07the emails that were sent between dad and Melissa but they looked like your typical introductory emails
05:16she seemed like she was a hundred percent a normal person and she in kind would respond with things such
05:25as how's the weather you know I'm planning on coming to Florida so on and so forth Melissa lived in I
05:33believe it was Prince Edward Island Canada which was about 2,000 miles away
05:38Melissa was born in Burn Church in New Brunswick Canada she had 13 half brothers and sisters she had a
05:50traumatic childhood and her mother was an alcoholic she was married a few times previously but she was
05:57single again and she was doing what a lot of older people at the time were doing which was using dating
06:02websites I didn't know that Alex was online trying to look for anybody to spend his life with I was
06:11at Dean's house one time and he came over and this was in early October and he said um I've met somebody
06:21online and she's gonna come down here and I said oh this was kind of just out of the blue oh by the way
06:30and she was going to be there in a couple weeks Alex's first date with Melissa would leave a lasting
06:38impression and set the course for the relationship to come
06:41she came across as this dear sweet little old lady they went out to a Greek restaurant that was
06:56fairly popular at the time and from what I understand they had a nice time and then they
07:02went back to his place had ice cream got to know each other but before things could progress any further
07:09Alex suddenly passed out
07:11he had gotten dizzy that night and fallen down and she called 9-1-1
07:20I thought did he have another stroke for him to fall like that I thought maybe that's what had happened
07:28I don't know if dad was embarrassed by it but really he was more concerned with Melissa feeling
07:36comfortable at home and worrying about her host being put in the hospital
07:41Alex was discharged but his diagnosis remained a mystery so Melissa offered to stay and help with his
07:50recovery she moves in with him that very day she's caring for him so much she's giving him ice cream
07:56every night she's taking such good care of him all of that excitement was sort of helping his mind and
08:05his outlook to think that his life may be changing and he might get himself a girlfriend
08:10I thought it was a little bit too much too quickly especially since I didn't have a chance to even see who this person was
08:21he went back to his condo with Melissa and I didn't hear anything more and then about a week later
08:28it happened again
08:30over the past several weeks Alex's strange symptoms have gotten progressively worse
08:38now Alex is in the hospital for the eighth time since Melissa moved in and his son has grown suspicious
08:46whenever dad went into the hospital after one of the episodes they'd have to run tests
08:52he would have to get better and bounce back before they would grant him an exit from the hospital
08:59what I thought was happening was probably one of two things either he was having spells on his own or there might be something more to it
09:12this time when doctors run a full battery of blood tests they find something alarming
09:21the toxicology report that they ran showed that he had a significant amount
09:27of benzodiazepines in his system
09:30which is what doctors usually give as a tranquilizer for extreme cases of insomnia or anxiety
09:39but it'll also put you on the floor and it can kill you if you have too much
09:43my first thought was she's drugging him
09:47she's drugging him
09:49coming up
09:54an investigation into Melissa leads to a secret she's hiding from her past
09:59there are some people who are actually born as a bad seed
10:03I'm just baffled that somebody could do something like that
10:06the detective ran a national crime-based check
10:10and found out that she had over 30 convictions
10:13after Alex Stratigas is hospitalized for the eighth time in two months
10:28doctors finally discover the source of his illness
10:31someone has been drugging the 73 year old man with tranquilizers
10:37and his son is convinced he knows who the culprit is
10:42he wasn't having strokes that's what this was and Alex said I think Melissa might have put it in the ice cream
10:52because she would feed me ice cream at night
10:57she would feed him ice cream
10:59he would pass out on the floor
11:01call 911
11:02wake up in the hospital bed and be there for a few days
11:06and then he'd be released to go back home to Melissa
11:09where it would start once again
11:11if we think why didn't doctors find out about this before
11:15we can think about the possibility that perhaps the drugs built up in his system
11:20or he wasn't tested because foul play was never suspected
11:23he had been in and out of the hospital
11:32and the rehab facility a number of times at this point
11:38but he was so sick they would not release him to go home
11:41instead they put him in a skilled nursing facility in Pinellas Park
11:47so they had eyes on him for a few extra days
11:51to where he was able to actually bounce back out of it
11:55and emotionally sound better
11:57and be able to think about what was actually happening with a clearer head
12:02and that is when I started to find out more about Melissa
12:09as Alex recovers
12:13his son learns more about the extent of his father's relationship with Melissa
12:18she just love bombed him
12:24and she was you know babying him
12:28one of the visits that we made to visit dad
12:34he told me that he allowed Melissa
12:38to obtain a power of attorney for his affairs
12:42I was pretty shocked because she never mentioned it to me
12:48she'd only known him for a couple of weeks
12:52when Dean asks Melissa about it
12:56she says she only needed power of attorney
12:58to take care of Alex's bills while he's in recovery
13:01but Dean isn't convinced
13:04she came across as your sweet auntie
13:09you couldn't believe that someone who presented like that
13:13could do anything bad
13:14she hadn't known Alex for very long
13:18and decided to move in with him and take care of him
13:21however when someone makes that big of a gesture
13:24that quickly
13:26they probably have an ulterior motive
13:28well I started talking to my co-workers
13:34because they were both married to police
13:38and one of them was married to a Pinellas Park policeman
13:42which is in the city that Alex lived in
13:45and I started talking to them early
13:48because it was like he fell again
13:50he's in the hospital again
13:52and they're both with me going
13:55this is just weird
13:56you know this something's wrong
13:58here something's off
14:00I was saying you know what
14:02she got power of attorney now
14:04so what what could that mean
14:06and they're like she could sell his condo
14:09she could sell his car
14:10she could get everything out of the bank
14:13she could just completely wipe him out
14:15I had talked to Dean
14:18and put him in touch with the detective
14:20and they talked
14:22and it went from there
14:24the detective immediately tells Dean
14:27to check his father's bank account
14:29I found out that she had drained out
14:33his entire savings and checking account there
14:36the amount I believe was around $18,000
14:43which was his life saving up to that period of time
14:47this is an unfortunate example of how unscrupulous people take advantage of the elderly
14:53Alex being lonely for companionship made him an easier target unfortunately
15:01Stunned by this shameless betrayal
15:06Dean and his girlfriend search his father's house
15:09they find evidence that Melissa also had other plans in store
15:14we saw a business card from a real estate agent
15:18and she had changed the answering machine
15:22to make it seem like she was the only person that lived there
15:28I thought she was looking to sell this
15:31I just assumed that because I did find a card there
15:34and I knew Alex was not looking to sell anything
15:38armed with mounting evidence of foul play
15:42investigators launch a probe into Melissa's background
15:46the detective ran a national crime-based check on Melissa
15:51and found out that she had over 30 convictions
15:55and 13 or so aliases up to that point
15:58at that point he suggested that I call the bank
16:04to let them know what was happening
16:06and try to put a hold on things
16:09my reaction was part disbelief
16:13but also I felt that we still had this situation under control
16:18because she didn't know that we had her made yet
16:22so we just sort of went along
16:24and let her have an extra couple of days
16:27to where we could actually plan to have her arrested
16:31and have this whole thing wind down
16:33without anybody getting hurt
16:35Florida police believe they're building a case
16:40against an unlikely con woman
16:43but as they're about to find out
16:45the truth is much more disturbing
16:47they thought they were just going to arrest her
16:50for poisoning Alex Stratigas
16:52but instead they find out that she's had multiple husbands
16:56that have died under mysterious circumstances
16:58Melissa through years and years of practice
17:04had been able to use her sweet grandma avatar
17:09to carry her through life
17:11little did you know that she was in the middle of a killing spree
17:16Dean Stratigas has just discovered
17:30that 69-year-old Melissa Friedrich
17:32has stolen his elderly father's life savings
17:35as the investigation into her past gets underway
17:39police uncover evidence that shows
17:42he's just her latest victim
17:44I started to find out more about Melissa
17:48after talking to the detective
17:51who told me everything about her past
17:54and I was pretty shocked
17:57she was raised by her grandmother
18:10until her mid-teens
18:11when she moved with her aunt in Ontario
18:13then in 1955 she married a factory worker
18:17named Russell Shepherd
18:18they lived in Toronto and Prince Edward Island
18:22and had two children
18:23some people have described her as a small town girl
18:27with big city aspirations
18:29that might explain why she was unsatisfied
18:32with the provincial life
18:33after a tumultuous childhood
18:39Melissa began dabbling in petty crimes
18:42to secure the life she wanted
18:44she was a scam artist
18:47and she was committing all sorts of petty thefts and frauds
18:52to the point that she had like over 30 convictions for fraud
18:56at the time she was doing all that she was a wife and a mother
19:00of course there are many reasons why this may have happened
19:03she could have been doing it for the money
19:06her husband couldn't provide
19:08or maybe she just liked taking risks
19:11in 1985 Melissa spent time in jail
19:16for multiple frauds
19:18including passing a bad check
19:19when she was released from jail
19:21her kids were already grown and out of the house
19:23so she and her husband decided to move to a new town
19:27to make a fresh start
19:28but only two years after her release
19:32Melissa's penchant for breaking the rules
19:35landed her in the arms of another man
19:3741-year-old Gordon Stewart
19:40Gordon Stewart was also from Prince Edward Island
19:45he was also from the Montague area
19:47Gordon had been in the military
19:51and he had a bit of a drinking problem
19:55and everyone who knew him acknowledges that
19:58but they also say he was a very kind man
20:01and he and Melissa like it was like a whirlwind
20:06this started out as an affair
20:09and after one year she decided to marry him
20:12they ran away and got married
20:15I'm pretty sure they got married in Las Vegas
20:17Melissa and Gordon were married for two years
20:21until things fell apart
20:23one violent evening in 1991
20:26on April 27th
20:34Melissa contacted local law enforcement
20:37to report that her husband was dead
20:39she claimed it was an accident
20:42and told the officers
20:43they could find Gordon's body
20:45on an abandoned logging road
20:47she told the cops
20:49that they had been fighting
20:52and that he had tried to rape her
20:56on that logging road
20:57and that he was drunk
21:01and that she had to get away from him
21:03and that she ran over him by mistake
21:07trying to escape
21:09however the evidence said
21:15something completely different
21:17they asked where the alleged rape occurred
21:21in the woods
21:23on the logging road
21:25and she showed them an area
21:28they took a dog there
21:29there was the dog could find no trace
21:32of her or her husband
21:34they did a rape kit on her
21:37and found no evidence of rape
21:39they were able to show
21:42that he had drugs in his system
21:45that he had been drugged prior
21:46to being taken out to that logging road
21:48that there was no way
21:49he could have driven himself out there
21:51they knew Gordon had a drinking problem
21:54but the toxicology report showed
21:56that he had a lethal dose
21:58of benzodiazepines in his system
22:00just like Alex Stratagas
22:02they also were able to prove
22:05that she had driven over him
22:07two times
22:08and then backed up over him
22:11and then drove over him
22:12a third time
22:13Melissa is charged
22:16with second degree murder
22:17but prosecutors
22:18couldn't convince a jury
22:19that it was premeditated
22:21they believed her motive
22:23was greed
22:23because Gordon served
22:25in the armed forces
22:26and he had a pension
22:28so as his wife
22:30she was entitled
22:30to those benefits
22:31they just couldn't prove
22:33beyond a shadow of a doubt
22:34that she did it
22:35instead
22:38Melissa was only convicted
22:39of manslaughter
22:40and sentenced to six years
22:42in Kingston Penitentiary
22:44while she was there
22:45she became an outspoken advocate
22:48for battered women
22:49this was shortly after
22:51battered women's syndrome
22:53had become a thing
22:55and there were
22:56absolutely legitimate cases
22:58of it happening
22:59she got parole
23:01and then she got grants
23:03to travel across Canada
23:05speaking
23:06as a battered woman
23:08who was forced
23:09to kill her husband
23:10she became famous
23:13across Canada
23:14so a couple of people
23:16reached out to me
23:18and pointed this out
23:19that she was making money
23:21off the death
23:21of Gordon Stewart
23:22so I wrote an investigative piece
23:26exposing her grift
23:28as the result
23:32of the expose
23:33Melissa's fame
23:35turned to notoriety
23:36so when her parole ended
23:39she decided
23:40to leave Canada
23:41despite her criminal record
23:44she was able
23:45to cross the border
23:46into the United States
23:47and wound up
23:48in Florida
23:49I had all the research
23:51I had done
23:52to expose that grift
23:54I had a file
23:55this big
23:56and I moved jobs
23:58and I thought
23:59I'm taking my Melissa
24:01Shepard file
24:03with me
24:03because I have a feeling
24:05that this is not the end
24:07this is not the last time
24:08I'm going to hear
24:09this woman
24:10coming up
24:13after eight quiet years
24:16another man
24:17in Melissa's web
24:18meets an untimely fate
24:20I couldn't stand her
24:23I said
24:24I stay away
24:24from this one
24:25but he wanted
24:27to do it anyway
24:28and that was the beginning
24:30of the end
24:30he's going to
24:32leave all the money
24:33to eat
24:34so try that on
24:35for size
24:35and have a nice day
24:37eight years
24:46after being sent
24:47to jail
24:47for the death
24:48of her second husband
24:49Melissa was living
24:51in the United States
24:52and she was ready
24:54to start over
24:55she would find
24:57her next husband
24:58in an unlikely place
25:0083 year old
25:03Robert Friedrich
25:04was a retired widower
25:06and devout Christian
25:07living in Florida
25:08my dad grew up
25:10during the depression era
25:11in Pittsburgh
25:13Pennsylvania
25:14he met my mom
25:16back in 1947
25:1848
25:18they were married
25:20for 54 years
25:23before my mother
25:24passed away
25:24he turned 81
25:26like a month
25:27after she died
25:28his health was
25:29okay for a guy
25:31his age
25:32but the biggest thing
25:34was that he was
25:34extremely lonely
25:36while attending
25:39a religious retreat
25:40in April of 2000
25:41Robert crossed paths
25:43with Melissa
25:44Melissa returned home
25:49and she wrote
25:50Mr. Friedrich a letter
25:51saying that she had
25:53seen him speak
25:54at the prayer group
25:56and that God
25:58had told her
25:58that they belong together
26:00at the time
26:02she was presenting
26:03herself
26:04as a devout
26:05Christian woman
26:06my dad
26:07was showing me
26:08this letter
26:08and I said
26:09stay away
26:10from this one
26:10dad
26:11so this is not
26:12the way you make
26:13people
26:13but he wanted
26:15to do it anyway
26:16can't stop him
26:17next thing you know
26:20Melissa
26:21comes down
26:22to Bradenton
26:23shows up
26:23at his doorstep
26:24within three days
26:25they're engaged
26:26he was just
26:28really excited
26:30about her
26:31and was talking
26:32about marriage
26:33I'm thinking
26:34are you crazy
26:37what's the rush
26:38take the time
26:40get to know her
26:41don't do it dad
26:42but he went ahead
26:43and did it anyway
26:44and that was the beginning
26:48of the end
26:48less than a week
26:52after they met
26:53Robert and Melissa
26:54were married
26:55Robert was enjoying
26:57an extended honeymoon
26:59with his new wife
27:00but his sons
27:01began to notice
27:02drastic changes
27:04there would be times
27:05when you call him
27:05up on the telephone
27:06and he would
27:07he would sound
27:07like he was drugged
27:08or like sleepy
27:10or just a little bit
27:11disoriented
27:11and it was like
27:12really kind of confusing
27:13then in 2002
27:17Dennis Friedrich
27:18and his two brothers
27:19received a disturbing
27:21phone call
27:22my dad's financial advisor
27:24contacted us
27:25in April of 2002
27:27telling us
27:28that they were
27:29deeply concerned
27:30about the way
27:31the accounts
27:31were beginning
27:32to drain
27:33at the time
27:34it was around
27:35$350,000
27:36and they contacted us
27:38when it was down
27:39to about $150,000
27:41and this was
27:42in a period
27:43of about a year
27:43and a half
27:44that he had been
27:45married to her
27:45we were saying
27:47dad you can't
27:48let this go on
27:49you've got to
27:49make this stop
27:50and he said
27:51what do you want
27:51me to do
27:52do you want
27:52me to divorce her
27:53from his Christian
27:55background
27:56he thought that
27:56that was just
27:57anathema
27:57you just don't
27:58go through divorce
27:59I couldn't stand her
28:01she was so cagey
28:02she had stories
28:04that just didn't
28:04make sense
28:05but my dad
28:06was still
28:07still somehow
28:09smitten
28:09not long
28:14after Robert's
28:15financial advisor
28:16told his son
28:16what was going
28:17on
28:18Melissa had
28:19Robert's
28:19will changed
28:20leaving everything
28:22to her
28:23your father
28:25and I
28:26are going to see
28:27a lawyer
28:28we've made
28:28an appointment
28:29and your father
28:31is going to
28:32change his will
28:33he's going to
28:34leave all the money
28:35to me
28:35except for the
28:37portion
28:37that he had
28:38set aside
28:38for you
28:39and your two
28:40brothers
28:40and that portion
28:42now
28:42is going to go
28:43to the Christian
28:44retreat
28:44and you guys
28:46are getting
28:46nothing
28:47a big
28:48fat
28:48funeral
28:49so try that
28:51on for size
28:52and have a nice
28:53day
28:53you realize
28:56that you're
28:56dealing with
28:57a very vindictive
28:58hostile
28:59agent
29:00she was trying
29:02to convince him
29:02that we were
29:03the bad guys
29:04in this situation
29:05but she was
29:06really turning
29:07dad against us
29:09less than a month
29:12later
29:12Robert died
29:13the official cause
29:15of death
29:15was cardiac arrest
29:17but Dennis
29:18immediately
29:19suspected
29:20foul play
29:21I think
29:21he was always
29:22too proud
29:22to come out
29:22and say
29:23I'm sorry
29:23I married her
29:24but I know
29:25that he was
29:25feeling trapped
29:26and did not
29:27know quite
29:28how to get
29:28himself out
29:29of this situation
29:30she saw
29:33the end coming
29:34and was like
29:34getting that
29:35money spent
29:35so she could
29:36like plan
29:37her retirement
29:37up in Canada
29:38get the property
29:39that she wanted
29:40and then
29:41and then
29:41do the
29:42coup de grace
29:43on my dad
29:43probably gave him
29:45a lethal dose
29:46of something
29:47and the doctor
29:49he basically
29:50signed
29:51the death
29:52certificate
29:52over the phone
29:53he never saw
29:54my father
29:55when a doctor
29:56does that
29:57it basically
29:58takes away
29:59the involvement
30:01of
30:01say in this case
30:03the medical examiner
30:04the coroner
30:04and the body
30:05would go directly
30:06to the funeral home
30:07so there would not
30:08be an autopsy
30:09once again
30:11Melissa is a widow
30:12but this time
30:14her husband's family
30:15suspects
30:16she's gotten
30:17away with murder
30:18based on information
30:19that we were getting
30:20that she was actually
30:21visiting different doctors
30:22to get prescription
30:24medications
30:25and the fact
30:26that he was
30:27lethargic
30:27that would have been
30:28the benzos
30:30Melissa had obtained
30:32two prescriptions
30:33for lorazepam
30:34so the effects
30:35that Robert's son
30:36saw
30:37could have been
30:38caused by those drugs
30:40she sold the house
30:42and she went back
30:44to Nova Scotia
30:45it wasn't until
30:47several months later
30:49I think it was
30:50Memorial Day
30:502002
30:51that I finally
30:53was able to
30:54dig up
30:55who she was
30:56and I had done
30:58a lot of research
30:59I mean
30:59they kept throwing
31:00her name
31:00in the computer
31:01trying to come up
31:02with this
31:02come up with that
31:03and it made
31:05this hit
31:05for a article
31:07in a Nova Scotia
31:09newspaper
31:10about a death
31:11I started reading
31:13the article
31:14and I saw the name
31:15and I realized
31:16oh my god
31:17this is her
31:20this is her
31:21she's killed before
31:24two years
31:38after the death
31:39of her third husband
31:40Melissa Friedrich's
31:42sordid history
31:43has convinced
31:43Florida investigators
31:45that she was
31:46setting up
31:46her 73 year old
31:47boyfriend
31:48Alex Stratigas
31:49to be her
31:50latest victim
31:51they believe
31:54that she was
31:54feeding Alex
31:55tranquilizers
31:56and his ice cream
31:57to get him sick
31:58then she got him
31:59to give her
32:00power of attorney
32:01so she could
32:01spend his money
32:02given what
32:03the investigators
32:04had found out
32:04about her
32:05previous husbands
32:06they knew
32:07his life
32:07could be in
32:08jeopardy
32:09it sounds
32:09creepy
32:10it sounds
32:10like she's
32:11extremely devoted
32:12to her craft
32:13just trying
32:14to maybe
32:14do it better
32:15the next time
32:16this time
32:19however
32:19Melissa's
32:20con game
32:21has caught
32:21up with her
32:22and police
32:23are determined
32:23not to let
32:24her get away
32:25with it
32:25they've been
32:27collecting evidence
32:28to arrest her
32:29for fraud
32:29and Alex's
32:31son Dean
32:31provides them
32:32with a golden
32:33opportunity
32:34after Dean
32:36and Detective
32:37Lynch
32:38went to the
32:39bank
32:40met with Alex
32:41Dean went
32:42home
32:42Alex went
32:43back to the
32:44station
32:44to write up
32:45the report
32:46and Melissa
32:47called Dean
32:48and told him
32:50she was having
32:50trouble with
32:51the computer
32:51could he come
32:53over and look
32:54at it
32:54I told her
32:57that I wasn't
32:57able to make
32:58it today
32:59this is when
32:59I already knew
33:00what was going
33:01on with her
33:01and at that
33:03point she said
33:04that's fine
33:05I'm going to
33:05go see your
33:06dad and how
33:06he's doing
33:07at the
33:07nursing home
33:08so that's
33:10when I
33:10called the
33:11detective
33:11to let him
33:12know that
33:13she was grabbing
33:14her keys
33:15getting ready
33:15to go
33:16to see him
33:17and he could
33:18head her
33:18off at the
33:19pass
33:19in the
33:24interview room
33:25Melissa
33:25claims she's
33:26innocent
33:27but conducting
33:29a search warrant
33:29inside the
33:30condominium
33:31police find
33:32bags of
33:33different pills
33:33and emails
33:34on her computer
33:35to several
33:36different men
33:37she had about
33:39three or four
33:39new dates
33:40and she was
33:41ready to go
33:41on a new
33:42one that
33:42very night
33:43when detective
33:44lynch came
33:45in and
33:45arrested her
33:46Melissa's
33:47already got
33:48the next
33:48victim lined
33:49up she's
33:50got the
33:50next mark
33:50lined up
33:51and she's
33:51ready to
33:51go
33:52Melissa was
33:54arrested on
33:55a couple of
33:56things none
33:58of which had
33:59to do with
33:59the drugs
34:00that she was
34:01giving him
34:02because it
34:03really couldn't
34:04have been
34:04proven it
34:05would be
34:05his word
34:06against hers
34:07but she
34:09did take
34:09advantage of
34:10an elderly
34:10person and
34:12steal from
34:13right underneath
34:13him
34:14realizing that
34:16the jig is
34:17up Melissa
34:18agrees to a
34:18plea deal
34:19they had a
34:20good case
34:21considering you
34:22know her
34:22pattern and
34:23her past and
34:24the fact various
34:26hospitalizations and
34:28the blood tests
34:30but they didn't
34:31think they had
34:32enough to convict
34:33her for attempted
34:34murder so in
34:36the end she
34:37ended up pleading
34:37guilty to an
34:39array of charges
34:40like fraud and
34:42abuse of the
34:43elderly and her
34:44sentence added up
34:45to five years in
34:47a Florida prison
34:48on april 4th 2009
34:5474 year old
34:56Melissa is
34:57released after
34:57serving four years
34:59and deported to
35:00Canada
35:00i thought that was
35:02going to be the
35:02last of her i
35:03really did
35:04i guess i was
35:06wrong
35:06it's a brisk
35:10october morning
35:11when two
35:11unexpected guests
35:12arrive at a
35:13bed and breakfast
35:14in north sydney
35:15i still had a
35:17full house and
35:18people were having
35:19breakfast and
35:20when the doorbell
35:21rang there was a
35:22lovely looking
35:23lady there all
35:24dressed in a
35:25beautiful red
35:26velvet suit and
35:28her husband was
35:29standing beside her
35:30and he looked
35:32very ill but she
35:34explained they had
35:35just got off the
35:35ferry from newfoundland
35:37and he was very
35:38seasick they
35:40introduced themselves
35:41as millie and
35:43fred weeks they
35:44seemed like a
35:45lovely couple they
35:46wanted a room so
35:48we accommodated
35:49them and i really
35:51didn't hear anything
35:52more from them until
35:53around supper time
35:54i was setting the
35:59table and i heard
36:01this huge crash and
36:03i saw the chandelier
36:05move but i ran
36:06upstairs because it
36:07sounded like someone
36:08fell and i said
36:10mrs weeks is
36:11everything all right
36:12she said oh we're
36:13fine
36:13later when the
36:16innkeeper goes
36:17upstairs to clean
36:18the rooms she makes
36:19a startling discovery
36:21when i was walking
36:22by their bedroom i
36:23heard a moan like
36:25it was just didn't
36:26sound very good i
36:28sort of backtracked
36:29and the door was
36:29open maybe an inch
36:31and a half or two
36:32inches i tried to
36:34look in the room and
36:35i just heard i knew
36:37there was something
36:37not right there was
36:38raspy like raspy
36:39breathing
36:40so i just came down
36:44and called the
36:45ambulance
36:45ambulance comes and
36:48takes him to the
36:49emergency department
36:50where they discover
36:52that his system is
36:54filled with
36:55tranquilizers and
36:56then when they
36:56search the room
36:57they find that
36:59it's full of
37:00tranquilizers all
37:02in melissa's name
37:03the doctor got
37:06suspicious enough
37:07that she contacted
37:09the police
37:09sure enough when
37:13they search her
37:13home and find
37:15multiple id cards
37:16police discover that
37:18millie weeks is
37:19none other than
37:20melissa friedrich
37:21when nova scotia
37:23police check melissa's
37:24record they find the
37:25previous charges and
37:27realize mr weeks could
37:28have been her fourth
37:29victim
37:30i think the thump that i heard
37:38was her pushing him out of
37:40bed it was october and had
37:43the window wide open and he
37:45was on the hardwood floor with
37:48nothing but a little pair of
37:49underwear on and a little
37:51undershirt she you know
37:53obviously gave him enough drugs
37:55that she was just waiting and
37:57hoping that he would die or
37:59freeze to death
38:00luckily 73 year old fred week
38:06survives the ordeal and melissa
38:08is arrested the question is will
38:12she finally face justice i thought
38:15can people really lie like that and
38:17get away with it like i was naive and
38:21now i realize that they can and they
38:23do all the time i always wondered you
38:27know how much more is out there
38:28over the course of her long life
38:44melissa ann shepherd went by several
38:47names
38:47and she went through several men
38:50as melissa stewart she was convicted
38:54of killing her second husband while
38:57still married to the first as melissa
39:01friedrich she was suspected of killing
39:03a third husband then arrested for
39:06defrauding her boyfriend now she's back
39:10in prison after drugging husband number
39:12four melissa was arrested and charged
39:16in canada with administering a noxious
39:19substance by poisoning fred weeks with
39:23the sedatives and the other drugs she
39:25made no admissions nor did she make any
39:28facts nor did she make any agreed
39:30statement of facts it was simply she
39:33pleaded guilty and that was it
39:37melissa's characteristics are not
39:40representative of your typical serial
39:42killer not only is she a woman she's
39:44octogenarian and she's a sweet old lady so
39:47you put all those factors together and
39:50that is really what made her more dangerous
39:54she's very very good at what she does she's very sweet never in a million years would you suspect her of doing anything like this
40:08at her sentencing hearing the judge warns anyone who might come in contact with melissa to be careful believing her to be a high risk to reoffend
40:21after serving almost three years melissa is paroled in 2016
40:28the conditions of the release is she was to stay off the internet completely to not date and to not make any attempts to date to not do any internet dating or to do any internet profiles and to not own any devices or be on any devices that are related to the internet
40:44i think it was in months months of her being released she was found at the library in halifax on the internet trying to date
40:57she couldn't stay off the internet it seemed like it was a tool that made her career easier by by a long shot she no longer had to cultivate these victims she could just go from one to another
41:14and literally that's what she did on april 11 2016 melissa was arrested and charged with breaking the terms of her release
41:24prosecutors ultimately determined there was little chance of convicting the 81 year old on circumstantial evidence
41:32so the charges were dropped on december 22nd 2016
41:36i don't think she's ever going to stop like i think she is so driven
41:42by whatever it is that drives her that she is going to keep looking until she finds someone else
41:50for the loved ones of melissa shepherd's victims
41:54it's difficult knowing that she continues to walk free
41:58my dad passed on september 29th 2020
42:04he always maintained his his positivity
42:08his quest for positivity and he never really was a complainer and i think that left a great example for me
42:17at her advanced age it seems unlikely that melissa is still a danger to society
42:24but then looks can be deceiving
42:28she was able to hide what she was really like in such a masterful way
42:36which has taken decades of perfecting
42:41to the point to where even a suspicious person like myself
42:45couldn't find myself enough to cast any doubt
42:49so that scared me because if i'm able to be fooled i'm sure that anybody can
42:56she was never about having a relationship
42:59she was never about having a man in her life
43:02she was about the money
43:04and if you follow her whole story
43:08whenever she ran out of money
43:10she would meet somebody
43:12and they would get married like within five minutes
43:16and then they would die
43:18and when she ran out of that
43:20she would meet the next guy
43:21she would meet the next guy
43:36and then she would die
43:39and then she would die
43:41and the black, she would have done it
43:42and thoseculos proximity
43:44and all that is insulting
43:46and everything
43:47that she would do
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