For a crystal clear reason Thelma May Danville became known as the Black Widow. The old woman, who looked like she could be anyone's grandmother, stood accused of murdering her husbands. The question remained, was she guilty of the deplorable crimes that haunted her? Authorities unearthed two sets of remains on her property. As time passed, Thelma May grew more callous and less remorseful.

"Their dumb luck," she claimed to anyone who'd listen.

Several spectators awed by his impressive black and gold, notched lapel, floral-patterned, stylish suit, Defense Attorney Jock Marshall ambled up to the witness stand. A wry smile crossed his face as he studied the benevolent defendent.

Marshall drew a calm breath and asked, "Thelma May, can you tell the court about your harsh upbringing in North Hill, Georgia? Take your time."

"I'm the youngest of eight siblings from an abrasive cotton picking family. My parents were first-class drunkards. Raising us stayed on the bottom of their priority list. Our clapboard, pine shanty provided no electricity, or running water, or windows."

Marshall cast his eyes to the ceiling as if in deep thought. He twirled his fountain pen over in his fingers and inquired, "Mrs. Danville, is it not true that as a young child, because of your impoverished situation, you experienced several bouts of various illnesses?"

"I had a severe case of rubeola when I was seven years old that damaged the auditory nerve in my ear. This left me deaf in my right ear. Nor did I have any hearing aids or support."

"Still, you made it through the tenth grade. Mighty spectacular indeed. My congratulations to you. Now, let's move on to the subject of men. Did male relatives not take certain unwelcomed liberties with you soon after your family moved to Athens?"

"Because of the atrociousness of these assaults, my mother found herself institutionalized after she suffered a psychotic breakdown," Thelma May responded. She dabbed at the moisture in her damp eyes with the crumpled tissue in her hand.

"I'll give you a moment to recompose yourself before we continue, Thelma May," Marshall politely said, then asked his next question, "These actions forced you to withdraw from school, which depressed you and led you to decide the only way out of your miserable situation was to get married. Did they not?"

Thelma May nodded.

"It was at that time your dyed blonde hair, and emerald green eyes, caught the fancy of several suitors and, you found you enjoyed the attention heaved upon you by them."

"Yea. I was married five times. Most of them were violent. I lived a life of domestic abuse."

Marshall looked at his notes and questioned, "Did you not meet Thomas Johnson, your first husband, and your longest lasting marriage of twelve years, soon after you left school? Now, if memory served us correctly, Thelma May, you also had your first child one month after the two of you were married. A daughter you named Mavis."

"My life fell apart after I married Thomas Johnson, and I was hospitalized."

"Your marriage was so harsh that you attempted suicide. Was that because of post-partem depression? Post-traumatic stress? Or a combination of both?"

"Thomas and I were separated five months after we married before we began trying to work our problems out. We got back together, and Carlton, our second child, popped out of the oven."

"In reality, all of your children were born after you and Thomas Johnson reconciled. But, since you married so young, did you not feel restless like you never really had the opportunity to enjoy your life?"

"I hung out in bars and flirted with men. You know, I acted the way I saw myself as a teenaged girl. That's when I started drinking, too."

"Thomas Johnson would not tolerate your behaviors, and you and he were divorced. As you previously mentioned in earlier testimony, you felt devastated when he left, financially destroyed, and an emotional basket case. Then, you found yourself in a slight legal matter for public lewdness."

"My only income was the child support Thomas sent me from time to time. When he found work. The money never pulled me out of poverty. Escaping from reality, not being a tied down mother, became my Number One importance."

An uneasy murmur raced through the packed spectator area of the courtroom. To quash the restlessness, Marshall asked his next question, "Did George Billings not enter your life three months after you divorced Thomas Johnson?"

"Two months later. I had to get a restraining order to protect myself from George."

"Still, you married George Billings, and divorced him, in ten months time. However, you couldn't stay away from one another, could you? Though the two of you fought frequent battles, many in extreme methods, you actually married George Billings twice. Didn't you?"

"George punched me in the nose, and broke my nose. He also gave me black eyes."

"You faced an attempted murder charge for shooting George. But, even though he suffered nerve damage, which you helped him recuperate from, Billings dropped the charge and you were acquitted."

"I shot George in self-defense. He signed a sworn affidavit in which he admitted he threatened to murder me first."

"After your second divorce from George Billings, were you not slower to marry Merlin Threadby, your third husband, who you met in Milligan's Pub?"

"Merlin and I dated three years before we got married. But, there was a lot of turbulence, just like my first two marriages."

"How did this marriage to Merlin Threadby end?"

"I tried to run him over with my pickup truck, and he treated me a little better. For awhile."

"Like Billings before him, Threadby refused to press charges. Wasn't that when you began working as a nude pole dancer? Which led to being arrested for public lewdness and spending thirty days in detention?"

"I never worked as a nude pole dancer! The other events happened as you explained."

"Let's talk for a moment about Randy Morrison."

"A few weeks after Merlin and I divorced, I married Randy. He worked hard and bought me a new trailer home. Unfortunately, nine weeks later we separated cause Randy was as abusive as the rest."

"Randy Morrison disappeared, didn't he? You told anyone who asked you two fought and he stormed out in a wild rage."

"Yes, that's true."

"Even though Randy Morrison left his motorcycle at your home and had no other form of transportation."

"Randy wanted me to sell his bike."

"Thelma May, can you explain why you have been charged with shooting Randy Morrison to death with a .44 and burying him underneath an outhouse on the vacant property next to yours?"

"I did no such thing!"

"We're going to prove your innocence, Thelma May. And, I know some of these questions I am asking you are hard, but, they need to be answered. Before we do that, let's talk about Isaac Morton, your last husband. Being a long time retired construction worker, and popular in the community, he was the most successful, wasn't he? At the time, you were a restaurant dishwasher."

A nervous Thelma May shifted in her seat as Marshall continued speaking, "Thelma May, you're charged with murdering Isaac Morton by shooting him in the head. Allegedly, you dumped his deceased body into the opportunistic-feeding, alligator-infested, Okefenokee Swamp not too far from your trailer. The State is seeking the death penalty against you for these crimes."

"I told the police Isaac had been home earlier that morning. The police accepted what I told them without any to do."

"I will remind the court no foul play was suspected. Thelma May, was that not before you were accused of staging the rest of the scene by scattering Isaac Morton's eyeglasses, hearing aids, and other personal items around the outside of your trailer?"

"A search began for Isaac."

"There were no signs of him found. But, that's when you were taken in for questioning, because, according to the police, something did not add up."

"Two weeks after the search began, I wanted to have a memorial service for Isaac. The police told me that's not something a grieving widow normally does. The police said there was a confidential informant who told them Isaac's death was not an accident, and that they had found enough evidence to move the case forward against me. I got arrested and the police searched my trailer."

Jonathan Hatchett, the acclaimed prosecutor, jumped to his feet and interjected, "Here are proven facts. It did not take the authorities long to discover the truth. A portion of Isaac Morton's corpse was found on Thelma May Danville's property, as were Randy Morrison's remains. Both had been shot by a .44. One that was discovered buried in the bottom drawer of the dresser in Thelma May Danville's bedroom. Ballistic evidence demonstrated both victims had been shot in the head while they slept. Thelma May Danville's own children testified during this trial she confided in them she intended to kill both Isaac Morton and Randy Morrison before she committed the murders. Both offenses are categorized as capital crimes deserving of the death penalty. The defendant's motive was money. Thelma May Danville told the police she had no idea how the two bodies came to be discovered in the manner they were."

Slowing down long enough to catch his breath, the Prosecutor continued spelling out the case against the accused. "In jail, while she maintained her innocence in their demise, Thelma May Danville confessed she knew about the bodies being on her property. She also stated she did not report her knowledge to the police at any point during the investigations. Further, convinced the jury would believe her testimony, Thelma May Danville extolled her children were guilty of these hideous murders. All that is left for the defendant to do at this time is confess to her crimes, eat her last meal, explain her actions to this court and the family members of the two men she murdered, and make eye contact with the witnesses to her execution. The Prosecution rests!"

Judge Peterson pounded his gavel down with a loud force and screamed, "Order! Order in this court! Bailiff, remand the defendant! This court stands adjourned until eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Mr. Marshall, and Mr. Hatchett, approach the bench!"

Investigative Reporter Robbie Douglas looked up at Thelma May Danville. He knew the attorneys were about to be read the riot act and he must get to the factual bottom of this case. But, how should the youthful greenhorn best approach his quest?