A Maryland woman known as “Black Widow” who was suspected of killing two of her ex-husbands and another lover was granted a pardon by President Biden on Wednesday in the latest pardon for non-violent offenders. He was released. “pissed off.”
Josephine Gray, a grandmother known for her flashy clothing, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2002 for insurance fraud related to the deaths of three men between 1974 and 1996.
Investigators at the time said she either aided or killed her lover and also found voodoo materials, including a doll filled with needles.
She was initially charged with murder, but was convicted of federal insurance fraud and avoided further murder trial because her lawyer argued that she was likely to die in prison because she was 55 years old at the time.
But to prosecutors' surprise, she was released after finding out she was on a long list of Biden's 1,499 commutations. The White House celebrated this as the largest presidential pardon in modern history.
And my second husband. Washington Post (via Getty Images)
“I don't see this as a 'rule of law' moment for the Biden administration,” said James Trustee, who prosecuted Gray in Maryland. He told the Washington Free Beacon..
“As you can imagine, that pisses me off.”
All of Gray's possible victims were shot to death inside the car, including her boyfriend of six years and her two ex-husbands.
Prosecutors at the time argued that Gray, a former guardian and grandmother, practiced voodoo and used her charm and influence to cause lovers to kill people on her behalf.
“Like the black widow spider, she basically kills her mates, and in this particular case she did it three times,” Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas Gansler said in 2002. He spoke on NBC's “Today” show.
Clarence Goode was Gray's lover before he was found dead. Her brother, Lenlon Good, said he was not surprised by the 2002 accusations given her past actions.
“Sometimes when you sit in church and look at someone, you see something else in them,” he says. “I can see the devil coming out of Josephine.”
Gray is also suspected of murdering her two husbands. Her first husband, Norman Stribling, was found dead in his car in Maryland in 1974. Her second husband, William Gray, was also found dead in the trunk of her car in 1996, and investigators claimed she convinced Clarence Gray to kill him.
Clarence Gray was also found dead in his car in 1996.
The White House did not say why Gray was on the list.
“America was built on possibility and the promise of second chances,” Biden said in a statement about his amnesty efforts. “I have the great honor of providing mercy to those who have shown remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunities for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities.
“We will take further steps in the coming weeks. My administration will continue to review clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law.”
