Love, Lies, and Poisonous Murder | The Case of “The Black Widow” Dena Thompson

Dena Thompson, infamously known as the “Black Widow,” manipulated, deceived, and ultimately committed murder. Her life was marked by a series of fraudulent schemes, violent relationships, and murder.

Dena Holmes, born in 1960 in Hendon, North London, was the eldest of three children. She had a seemingly stable upbringing, with a father working as a prison officer and a mother as a primary school teacher. Described as a disciplined athlete, she excelled in gymnastics during her teenage years. After leaving school with ten O-levels, Dena began her professional life at a Halifax bank branch, where she became familiar with financial systems — a skill that would later aid her in elaborate fraud schemes.

In 1982, Dena met Lee Wyatt, a medical representative, and they quickly moved in together. The couple married in 1984 and welcomed their son Darren by 1987. Dena convinced Lee to start a soft toy business, “Denalee Crafts,” and manipulated him into believing that Disney was interested in one of her toy designs. To further deceive him, she forged letters from Disney and claimed the Mafia was also involved. This Mafia deceit forced Lee to go into hiding with the hopes of protecting his family.

While Lee was on the run, Dena moved another man into their home. 

In 1991, Dena married Julian Webb, a sales executive at the West Sussex Gazette, without first divorcing Lee. The marriage came after just a three-month romance. To mark Julian’s 31st birthday, on June 24, 1994, Dena prepared a special surprise dinner featuring his favorite dish, an extra-hot curry. What Julian didn’t know was that Dena laced the meal with a lethal dose of antidepressants and aspirin. After eating the curry, Julian began to feel seriously sick, but Dena did nothing to help. Instead, she watched him suffer and allowed him to die slowly overnight in their home.

The very next morning, Dena went to Julian’s workplace to ask about how quickly she could claim his £36,000 death benefit. The company didn’t give Dena the money, so she forged some documents to try and get her request expedited. Julian’s mother, Rosemary Webb, who never trusted Dena, told the company that Dena was not her son’s next of kin and the money couldn’t be released to her. She also showed them evidence that Dena had been married to someone else while she had been “married” to her son. When that didn’t work, Dena pressured Rosemary to have Julian cremated, but Rosemary refused and instead, buried her son in a plot near her home. 

In 1995, some of fraud activities came to light and she had to go to trial with charges of fraud. During this entire time, she’d been embezzling money from her employer, Woolwich. She’d stolen £23,000 and transferred the money to an account with a fake name. She was convicted and sent to jail for 9 months. When she was released, Lee divorced her.

By 1999, six months after they’d met, Dena had married another man named Richard Thompson, who she met through a newspaper ad’s “lonely hearts” column. During their marriage, and unbeknownst to Richard, Dena emptied his savings account and maxed out his credit cards. Within 10 months of their wedding, Dena attempted to kill Richard. She tied him up and blindfolded him under the guise of a sexual game. She then hit him twice with a baseball bat and, when that didn’t kill him, stabbed him. Richard managed to escape and fought Dena off. It was at that point that Dena began crying and said,

“it had all been a lie. I’ve spent all your money” 

In her twisted logic, Dena might have thought that confessing to the financial betrayal would somehow justify the attempted murder.

“I cannot believe what has just happened. This woman has turned into some kind of monster. There was no indication whatsoever till a few minutes previously.” Quote from Richard

After this, Richard kicked her out of the house. 

The next day a realtor appeared at the house, surprised to see Richard there. He told Richard that Dena had told him to come that day to sell the house and that Richard would be in Florida. This is when the long con became apparent to Richard; she had planned to murder him, dispose of his body and sell the house, all under the guise that he would be in Florida, and no one would be the wiser. He immediately called police and Dena was arrested.

Dena claimed self-defense. She said that she’d told Richard that she’d spent his money, and he charged at her. She just defended herself. 

This went to trial and the jury agreed with her self-defense plea. She was found not guilty of attempted murder but jailed for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to fraud with Richard’s money as well as conning two previous partners out of £12,000.

In 2001, following her conviction for fraud, authorities reopened the investigation into Julian Webb’s death. His body was exhumed, and forensic tests revealed a higher concentration of drugs in his system than was previously though, leading investigators to rule out suicide. Dena was then arrested and charged with murder in 2003. 

The evidence showed that Dena had coldly poisoned her husband, Julian, to benefit financially from his death. After a five-week trial, she was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life in prison … with a minimum of 13 years.

The judge in the trial described Dena as “utterly ruthless and without pity,” while police investigators called her “the most dangerous woman they had ever met.”

Dena’s time in prison was marked by participation in rehabilitation programs and art exhibitions, though many believed she was still manipulating the system. In 2022, after serving 19 years, she was released on parole, with the parole board believing that she’d completed multiple rehabilitation programs, and they’d worked. However, her release was not taken lightly; surviving victims objected, law enforcement officials objected, and most of the public as a whole thought it was a bad idea.

The parole board stood firm in their decision stating that,

“She is suitable for release. After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody, and the other evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that Ms. Thompson was suitable for release once suitable accommodation became available in early June 2022. No prisoner will be released if it is deemed their risk management plan is not robust enough or license conditions stringent enough to ensure they can be safely managed.”

In June 2022, Dena walked free to be managed under strict conditions as set forth by the parole board. Among the conditions attached to Dena’s release were:

• Electronic Tagging: Dena was required to wear an electronic tag that would monitor her movements and ensure that she adhered to a strict curfew. This would allow authorities to track her location at all times and ensure she remained within designated areas.
• Disclosure of Relationships: Dena was mandated to disclose any new relationships she entered into, as well as provide detailed information about her interactions with others. This condition was put in place to prevent her from entering relationships under false pretenses or engaging in manipulative behavior toward potential new victims.
• Curfew: She was required to follow a strict curfew, which limited her movements outside her designated residence. This curfew was enforced as an additional safeguard, ensuring she was monitored during the most critical hours when she might otherwise have attempted to engage in risky behavior.
• Vehicle Disclosure: Dena also had to disclose the details of any cars she used, which provided an additional layer of monitoring in case she tried to travel beyond her approved areas.

Richard put out a statement saying,

“She definitely tried to kill me, and they proved that she murdered her second husband. So, she would have been a serial killer if she had been successful. And God knows what else she has done. This is a warning for people in the community and I think it’s important that it’s in the public domain that she’s out and about. Maybe she is rehabilitated, though I am skeptical.”

and Lee also put out a statement,

“The woman I knew was an evil psychopath… She has never shown any remorse for her crimes, and it sickens me to think that soon she’ll be out and walking the streets again.”

It is believed that Dena is living in England, though her exact location has not been publicly disclosed. Reports suggest that she is living under supervision, possibly in a halfway house or in accommodation arranged as part of her release plan, but no one knows for sure.

Dena Thompson’s life paints the picture of a woman who used charm, deceit, and manipulation to control those around her. Her ability to con and ultimately murder highlights the danger she posed to those who trusted her. 

Past Cases Mentioned in this Episode:

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Question: Do you think Dena has killed more men or is she just a serial fraudster?

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