The murder trial of the "Black Widow of Isère" has opened in France, alleging that a woman was responsible for killing her husband, 58-year-old Daniel Cano.
The accused, Manuela Gonzalez, has been nicknamed the "Black Widow," as two ex-lovers escaped death, two ex-partners are dead under suspicious circumstances, and she is court for drugging her husband and burning him to death in his car near their home in Villard-Bonnot in the Isère region of the Alps.
The authorities investigating the case believe that Cano consumed (either intentionally or unintentionally) a large amount of sleeping pills and the fire in the car was set with the intent to kill. The prosecutors in the case cite money as Gonzalez's motive, as she had a great deal of debt from gambling, reports The Telegraph.
Investigators looking into the case found that Gonzalez re-mortgaged their home for $227,733 (at 0.72 Euros to the dollar) without her husband's knowledge and incidentally, her deceased husband's life insurance covers the mortgage sum. Adding to suspicion is the fact that a month prior to Cano's death, there was a fire in his bedroom while Gonzalez claims she was cooking. She told authorities that their dog knocked over a candle in the room.
What's more, four of her previous partners were poisoned in a similar fashion:
1983: Gonzalez's husband at the time was in a coma for three months after consuming a large amount of anti-depressants. When he woke up, he divorced Gonzalez.
1984: Gonzalez was in a relationship with a jeweler, who was hospitalized after drinking a tea that she laced with morphine derivatives. Her goal: To get him to write her a check worth £10,000. Gonzalez was convicted in this crime and served two years in prison.
1989: Gonzalez's partner at the time died in his garage by asphyxiation from car exhaust fumes. At the time, his death was declared a suicide.
1991: Gonzalez's partner died from fumes of a fire in their shared apartment. She was accused of the death, but the charges were dropped few years later.
Here are four things to know about Manuela Gonzalez:
1. France's "Black Widow" was a former diving instructor.
2. Manuela Gonzalez is accused of having a split personality, by prosecutors. They allege that she has two sides to her personality: One is fun loving and the other is Machiavellian.
3. France's "Black Widow" knew Cano's son, now 30, since he was a child. “I have known her since I was six. She was kind, helpful, and smiley. She educated me and supported me throughout school. She was someone I loved very much and trusted,” said Nicolas Cano to Le Parisien before the trial. “Now I see her other face: Machiavellian, manipulating and full of hatred. I thought I knew her but I didn’t know her.”
4. Manuela Gonzalez faces a life sentence if found guilty. She maintains her innocence, claiming: "I continue to say that I am innocent of what I have been accused and that will be shown in court."
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