Black Widow Granny?

Synopsis

In the autumn of 2008, Al Gentry from Albemarle, North Carolina, achieved his goal of 22 years hard work - he had Betty Neumar arrested for the murder of his brother Harold who was Betty's husband back in 1986.

Only then did it emerge that Harold Gentry was just one of Betty's former husbands. She'd in fact been married five times in total - and all five husbands appear to have died in suspicious circumstances. The US media had a field day and labelled her 'The Black Widow', but could this 76-year-old grandmother really have got away with murder, not just once but five times?

Made by acclaimed director Norman Hull, this film seeks the answer, tracking down some of the surviving relatives of the dead husbands, some of Betty's own children from these marriages, and finally the alleged 'The Black Widow' herself who completely denies all the accusations and presents a very plausible defence.

Betty has been charged with solicitation to murder Harold Gentry. As her trial approaches the film pieces together a trail of destruction and broken lives through investigation and reportage in a journey which is not over yet.

Related Links

• Wikipedia: Betty Neumar (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Guardian: Grandmother, 76, investigated over deaths of five husbands (www.guardian.co.uk)

Credits

Director

Norman Hull

Producer

Sarah McCarthy

Broadcasts

1. Tue 3 Nov 2009
   22:35
   BBC One (except Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales)
2. Tue 3 Nov 2009
   23:05
   BBC One (Northern Ireland, Wales only)
3. Wed 4 Nov 2009
   22:45
   BBC One (Scotland only)
4. Sat 12 Dec 2009
   02:05
   BBC One