Kolthoom Akbari: Iranian Woman Who Married 11 Men and Killed Them

Asghar Jahangir, spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary, announced that 10 death sentences have been issued against Kolthoom Akbari, whose case has sparked widespread controversy due to the nature of the crimes she committed. Akbari’s case, dubbed the “Black Widow,” is among the most bizarre and brutal in Iran; she was convicted of killing 11 men after marrying them. According to Iranian media reports, Akbari systematically married elderly men before killing them using diabetes medications and synthetic alcohol, with the aim of seizing their assets and inheriting their wealth. The victims’ families demanded the death penalty for her, and Akbari confessed to the crimes after initially denying them. The murders went undetected for over two decades, as the victims appeared to have died of natural causes, particularly given their advanced age and preexisting health conditions, which helped shield Akbari from suspicion, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph. The series of crimes began in 2000 and continued until 2023, when the death of her last victim, 82-year-old Gholam Reza Babaei, led to the exposure of the case and her arrest. The murders took place in several cities in Mazandaran province in northern Iran, including Sari, Nowshahr, Mahmudabad, Babol, and Qaem Shahr, which helped Akbari evade justice for many years.