Black Widow
Everything you need to know about Sky documentary series, Black Widow
This new three-part true crime documentary series follows the decade-long police investigation into Dena Thompson, who became better known as The Black Widow.
Over a period of 20 years, she carried out a sustained campaign of fraud, deception, bigamy, and murder, using Lonely Hearts columns to lure a succession of husbands and dozens of lovers into her life.
Once she got them under her spell, she was able to coerce them into giving up their life’s savings, their homes, their families, and their freedom based on her bizarre but convincing stories.
Things later elevated to murder.
Dena was finally caught in 2003 and convicted for her crimes, but has since been released from prison, and her victims are still struggling to understand what happened to them.
The series includes first-hand testimony from those affected, with exclusive access to her first husband – who ended up homeless believing he was on the run from the mafia.
Where can I watch Black Widow?
Black Widow is coming to Sky Documentaries. Black Widow is not available to watch on Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime. It can only be watched on Sky in the UK.
What is the release date for Black Widow?
Black Widow will be arriving on Sky in 2024.
How many episodes of Black Widow are there?
This new documentary will have three episodes, each clocking in at around an hour in length.
What happened to Dena Thompson?
Dena Thompson was convicted to life in prison for the murder of her second husband, Julian Webb, in 2003.
At the time, police said Thompson had ‘sexually, financially and physically’ abused men for more than a decade before she was arrested.
She murdered Webb by lacing the food and drink she served him.
Dena was also a bigamist—marrying Lee Wyatt in 1984, before Julian Webb in 1991. After Webb’s death, she divorced Wyatt and tied the knot with Richard Thompson in 1998.
She was also convicted of fraud for conning both Wyatt and Thompson when she was finally caught.
She was cleared of attempted murder of her third husband, after her legal team successfully fought that she ‘feared for her life’ after having BDSM sex that ‘went wrong’.
However, in a controversial decision by the parole board, she was released in July 2022, after serving just 19 years.
Originally from Devon, her current whereabouts are not known.
Who did Dena Thompson kill?
Dena Thompson murdered Julian Webb on his 31st birthday in June 1994. She laced a curry she served him with antidepressants, causing him to overdose.
Thompson would later tell people he deliberately took his own life, and an inquest into his death returned an open verdict.
Just 24 hours after his death, she attempted to claim £35,000 from his work’s pension plan, but due to her still being married to her first husband, Webb’s family successfully stopped her.
After this, Thompson would unsuccessfully fight to cremate his body. Again, due to her bigamous marriage, she would not be able to establish herself as next of kin.
It would take seven years for the truth to come out about Webb’s killing, spurred on by her attempt on the life of third husband, Richard Thompson.
While she was never convicted in that case, it raised suspicions regarding her second husband’s death, and his body was exhumed in 2001, with an autopsy revealing what happened to him.
It’s believed she murdered Webb after her first husband called the family home, and she feared her double life would be exposed.
How can I watch Black Widow?
Black Widow will premiere on 15 September on Sky Documentaries.
The series will also be available to watch as a box set on Sky and NOW.