‘Internet Black Widow’ assigned trial date

SYDNEY — A Nova Scotia woman with a criminal record of charges relating to former husbands and boyfriends is now scheduled to stand trial in June on a charge of attempted murder.

Melissa Ann Shephard, 77, made a brief Supreme Court appearance Monday during which the trial date was set, along with two other dates for legal arguments. The trial by judge and jury is now set for June 10-25.

In addition to attempted murder, Shephard is also charged with administering a noxious substance, benzodiazepine, with intent to endanger a life.

The charges relate to a former boyfriend whom Shephard did marry but the province declined to register the marriage citing false information submitted with the documents.

Also during Monday’s court appearance, Justice Simon MacDonald set aside April 25-26 to hear a motion by defence lawyer Alan Nicholson into how voluntary Shephard’s statement to police was.

The judge also scheduled two days — May 16-17 — to again hear a defence motion on alleged breaches of Shephard’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Shephard is being held at the provincial women’s correctional centre in Burnside and has waived her right to a bail hearing and a preliminary hearing.

Dubbed the “Internet Black Widow,” Shephard is charged with attempting to murder Fred Weeks, whom she married Sept. 25 in New Glasgow.

The charges were filed a week after the wedding.

The offences allegedly occurred between Sept. 24 and Sept. 30 in North Sydney.

The accused has gone by several surnames in the past, including Shephard and Stewart.

She was convicted in 1991 of manslaughter in connection with the death of another husband. She was also convicted of fraud and served time in a Florida jail in connection with another man she met on an Internet dating site.