17.08.2026 07:40
Kolthoum Akbari, a 56-year-old woman known as the "Black Widow" in Iran, was found guilty of murdering elderly men she had married over a period of about 20 years. Held responsible for at least 10 murders, with the actual number of victims possibly exceeding 12, Akbari was sentenced to 10 separate death penalties following the families of the victims' demand for "qisas" (retribution).
Kolthoum Akbari, a 56-year-old woman known as the "Black Widow" in Iran, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of murdering elderly men she married over a period of about 20 years. The woman, determined to have killed at least 10 of her husbands, had her crimes come to light following the suspicious death of her latest spouse.
SHE KILLED HER VICTIMS WITH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
It is not definitively known how many husbands or partners of Akbari lost their lives over a period spanning nearly 20 years. However, while authorities state that the number of victims could be 12 or more, it is believed that only one of the men she was with survived. According to allegations, the woman killed most of her victims using industrial alcohol, sedatives, and various medications. Authorities state that the primary motive behind the murders was financial gain, noting that Akbari took gold, cash, and other assets given as dowry from her victims.
THE DEATH OF HER LAST HUSBAND RAISED SUSPICIONS
Akbari's series of murders, which she carried out unnoticed for years, came to light after the death of her 82-year-old husband, Gholamreza Babaei, in 2023. According to Iranian media, shortly before his death, Babaei told his family that his wife was forcing him to take medication, and he passed away soon after. Following this, an investigation was launched, and the deaths of men Akbari had been with in the past were also scrutinized. The fact that the victims lived in different cities and the deaths occurred in different places created the groundwork for the murders to remain hidden for years.
"I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, I USED A TOWEL"
According to a report by the British newspaper The Telegraph, Akbari, in a confession made about a year ago, stated that she herself did not know the exact number of victims. It was reported that in her statement, Akbari said she did not know how many people she had killed, that the number could be 13 or 15, and confessed that she first gave drugs to her victims and then committed the murders using a towel.
According to a report by the Iran-based Faraz Daily, it was determined that the woman, who was born in Malekabad village and divorced her first husband, committed her first murder by killing her second husband, Alijan. It was stated that Akbari, after pouring industrial alcohol into the mouth of her husband, whom she claimed to be abusive, strangled him.
10 SEPARATE DEATH SENTENCES AT THE REQUEST OF THE FAMILIES
In the country where Sharia law is applied, the court process was shaped by the demands of the victims' families. The families of 10 murder victims requested the death penalty for Akbari under the "qisas" (retaliation) practice. As a result of the trial, Akbari was given 10 separate death sentences, while it was announced that the family of only one of the victims chose to accept blood money (diyya) instead of the death penalty.