Judias v. buenone Execution + Last Meal + Final Meal | known As the Black widow who killed husband

Judias v. buenone Execution + Last Meal + Final Meal | known As the Black widow who killed husband –

Her name was Judy Benoano, a woman who seemed ordinary, but hid a deadly secret. She poisoned the people closest to her, not out of anger or passion, but cold, calculated greed. Over the years, her victims included her husband, her son, and her boyfriend. All lost to arsenic poisoning masked as tragic accidents.

 Judy’s story shocked a nation and led to her becoming the only woman ever electrocuted in Florida. Today we dive deep into the life and crimes of the Black Widow, exploring the chilling path from a troubled childhood to her final moments in the electric chair. If you want to uncover the full story, and hear every detail, make sure to like this video, subscribe to our channel, and leave a comment below telling us what you think about Judy’s shocking case.

 Your support helps us bring you more true crime stories just like this. Judy Benuano was born Judy as Anna Louu Welty on April 4th, 1943 in Quana, Texas into a difficult and turbulent childhood. Her mother died of tuberculosis when Judy was only 4 years old, a tragedy that fractured the family. Judy and her infant brother, Robert, were sent to live with their grandparents, while her two older siblings were placed for adoption.

 The loss of her mother and separation from siblings created a broken foundation from the start. Her father remarried and brought Judy and Robert to live with his new wife in Roswell, New Mexico. Judy’s life there was harsh and unhappy. She later described both her father and stepmother as abusive, claiming she was beaten, starved, and forced to work long hours.

 Essentially treated as a slave during her formative years. The emotional scars and anger accumulated in those years shaped much of the woman she would become. At the age of 14, pushed to her breaking point, Judy attacked her father, stepmother, and two step-bros with hot grease. This violent act led to a sentence of 2 months in prison.

 When she was released, she refused to return home and instead opted for reform school. there. She graduated from Foothills High School in Albuquerque at 16 years old. Judy grew bitter toward her family, once saying about her brother, Robert, “I wouldn’t spit down his throat if his guts were on fire.” Despite this, she found work in 1960 as a nursing assistant in Roswell, adopting the name Anna Schultz to hide her identity.

 The next year, she gave birth to a son named Michael Schultz. Judy never confirmed rumors about the boy’s father, though speculation swirled that he might have been a pilot stationed at the nearby Air Force base. Judy married James Goodyear, an Air Force officer, on January 21st, 1962. The couple had three children, Michael, whom James adopted, James Jr.

, born in 1966, and Kimberly, born in 1967. They settled in Orlando, Florida, where Judy opened a child care center, Conway Acres Child Care Center, backed financially by James. James Goodyear served in Vietnam and returned home in poor health. In 1971, he was admitted to the US Naval Hospital in Orlando, suffering from mysterious symptoms.

Despite medical efforts, James died on September 15th, 1971. His death was ruled natural, a consequence of his war- rellated illnesses. Judy quickly collected on three life insurance policies taken out on James, receiving a significant sum. Later that year, tragedy struck again when Judy’s home was destroyed by fire.

 She received $90,000 in insurance money, adding to the growing list of suspicious payouts. The pattern of tragedy followed by financial gain was becoming increasingly clear. By 1972, Judy was living with a new boyfriend, Bobby Joe Morris, in Pensacola, Florida. Life was far from peaceful. Her son, Michael, was disruptive and struggled academically.

He was placed in residential foster care for a time. Bobby Joe moved to Trinidad, Colorado in 1977, and Judy followed with her family. Before leaving Pensacola, another house fire occurred at Judy’s residence, earning yet another insurance payout. Bobby Joe Morris fell ill in early January 1978 and was admitted to the hospital with unknown symptoms.

After a brief discharge, he collapsed and died on January 21st. Initially, the cause of death baffled doctors, but investigations later revealed he had been poisoned with arsenic. Bobby Joe’s family grew suspicious of Judy, believing she was involved in his death. Years earlier, in 1974, while visiting Bobby Joe’s hometown of Brutin, Alabama, a man was found murdered in a motel, shot in the chest and with his throat cut.

 Bobby Joe’s mother claimed she overheard Judy say, “The son of a [ __ ] shouldn’t have come up here. He knew if he came up here, he was going to die.” Bobby Joe himself confessed involvement in this killing on his deathbed. Despite suspicion, police lacked concrete evidence. The body showed no fingerprints and no bullet was recovered, so charges were never filed.

In May 1978, Judy legally changed her and her children’s surnames to Benano, the Spanish equivalent of Goodyear, a tribute to her late husband. The family moved back to Pensacola. Her son Michael, now Michael Benowano, struggled academically and joined the army in 1979. Shortly after, he began showing signs of arsenic poisoning, which severely damaged his limbs.

 Hospitalized and discharged, Michael required heavy braces and was wheelchair bound. On May 13th, 1980, during a canoe trip with his mother and younger brother, James, the canoe capsized. Michael drowned, weighed down by his braces. Police accepted Judy’s account as a tragic accident, but military investigators were skeptical.

After Michael’s death, Judy cash in on his life insurance from the military. This raised suspicion eyes. Judy opened a beauty salon in Gulf Breeze and began dating businessman John Gentry, too. She deceived him with false claims of nursing credentials and persuaded him to take out life insurance policies on each other.

 She later increased the policy on Jon to $500,000. Judy also gave Jon vitamin capsules that caused nausea and dizziness. When Jon complained, Judy allegedly told him to double the dose. On June 25th, 1983, Judy announced she was pregnant. That day, Jon went to buy champagne to celebrate. As he started his car, a bomb exploded, seriously injuring him.

PART 2 👇

 Jon survived and cooperated with the police, who began a thorough investigation. Police uncovered many lies. Judy was not pregnant. She had booked a cruise for herself and her children, and she falsely told friends Jon had a terminal illness. Capsules given to Jon were tested and found to contain arsenic. Further searches revealed bomb-making materials in Judy’s bedroom.

 Phone records linked her to the source of the dynamite. Arrested for attempted murder, Judy was later charged with firstdegree murder in Michael’s death. Following Judy Benuano’s arrest for the attempted murder of John Gentry and the murder of her son, Michael, the investigations deepened and the full extent of her crimes began to emerge.

Authorities exumed the bodies of her late husband James Goodyear and boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris. Toxicology tests on both revealed lethal levels of arsenic, confirming suspicions that Judy had systematically poisoned those closest to her. This discovery shocked the public and confirmed a chilling pattern.

 Judy was a serial poisoner motivated by greed. The trials were complex and widely followed. Prosecutors presented meticulous evidence showing how Judy had used arsenic, a tasteless, slowacting poison, to simulate natural illnesses in her victims. Experts testified about the symptoms caused by arsenic poisoning and how it mimicked disease, allowing Judy to evade suspicion for years.

 The jury was shown the timeline of life insurance policies she took out on each victim, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in payouts. Her defense attorneys argued that the deaths were accidents or natural causes and denied that Judy was involved in any wrongdoing. However, the mounting forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts painted a starkly different picture.

 The courts found her guilty of firstdegree murder for James Goodyear’s death and sentenced her to death in 1985. She was also convicted of murdering her son Michael and of the attempted murder of John Gentry. Interestingly, Colorado prosecutors chose not to pursue charges related to the death of Bobby Joe Morris because Judy was already sentenced to death in Florida.

 Estimates suggest she received roughly $240,000 from insurance claims connected to her victims. Judy’s sentencing attracted national attention because executions of women were and remain rare. She was the first woman sentenced to death in Florida in over a century. Her cold demeanor and the calculated nature of her crimes horrified many while also igniting debate about capital punishment and gender.

 Locked behind bars, Judy’s life of manipulation and murder had come full circle. The quiet woman who once hid her cruelty behind a mask of normaly now awaited the ultimate punishment for her coldblooded crimes. Judy Benuano spent the next 13 years confined to death row at the Broward Correctional Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

 Her cell was a small austere room measuring roughly 6 ft by 9 ft. The environment was harsh. No air conditioning, limited contact with others, and a strict daily routine. Meals were delivered three times a day, early morning, midday, and late afternoon. Food was prepared by prison personnel and brought in insulated carts.

 Inmates ate alone in their cells with plates and spoons provided. Social interaction was minimal as death row inmates were not allowed to associate with one another and were confined to their cells except for limited exercise or visits. Visitors were permitted on weekends and inmates could receive mail daily except on holidays.

 Small comforts like cigarettes, snacks, radios, and black and white televisions were allowed, but no cable or air conditioning. Inmates could watch church services via closed circuit television, offering some spiritual solace in a grim setting. During this long confinement, Judy engaged in crocheting blankets and baby clothes and taught Bible study classes to fellow inmates.

 Despite the infamy surrounding her, some prisoners remembered her as a maternal figure within the bleak walls of death row. She filed numerous appeals over the years, all unsuccessful. Her execution warrants were signed multiple times, but stayed on hold until finally scheduled. The daily regimen was strict.

 Inmates wore orange shirts and blue pants, were counted hourly, and escorted in handcuffs when outside their cells. The relentless routine underscored the finality of their sentence, a life waiting for death. On March 29th, 1998, Judy’s last appeal was denied by the courts. The governor signed her death warrant, setting the execution for the following morning.

 She was transferred to Florida State Prison in Rafford and confined to a 12×7 ft cell adjacent to the execution chamber. There she passed time watching a small black and white television through the bars. During her final hours, Judy received visits from her adult children, Kim Hawkins and James Goodyear, other relatives, and her legal and spiritual adviserss.

 Jean Eaton, a cousin who visited shortly before the execution, recalled that Judy appeared calm and fearless, though deeply concerned about her children’s feelings. In a television interview days before, Judy expressed a desire to clear her name for her grandson, insisting she was not a mu

rderer. At 4:30 a.m. on March 30th, Judy showered and had her head shaved, a necessary step to ensure good electrical conductivity during electrocution and prevent hair from catching fire. Her last meal was simple and vegetarian. Broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, and hot tea. At 7:02 a.m., Judy was escorted into the execution chamber by several guards.

 She was strapped securely into the large oak electric chair with eight leather restraints across her waist, wrists, chest, and legs. Moist sponged electrodes were attached to her head and calf to minimize burning. When asked if she had any final words, she replied, “No, sir.” tightly closing her eyes and refusing to look at witnesses behind a glass partition.

 A leather mask covered her face. The electric current began at 7:08 a.m. cycling through three stages. 2,300 volts at 9.5 amps for 8 seconds. Then 1,000 volts at 4 amp for 22 seconds, followed by 2,300 volts at 9.5 amps for 8 seconds. White smoke or steam rose from her right leg during the 38 second process, but no flames appeared.

She was pronounced dead at 7:13 a.m. Prison officials remarked on her solemn demeanor, noting it was the first time they saw such expression from her. Judy was the third of four executions Florida carried out in quick succession that month and the first woman electrocuted in the US since 1957. Judy Benowano’s story is one of tragedy, deception, and cold calculation.

 Dubbed the Black Widow by prosecutors and the media, she became infamous as one of the most chilling female serial killers in American history. The name was fitting. Like the spider, she trapped those closest to her in a deadly web spun from greed and betrayal. Her early life was marked by hardship and abuse, a troubled childhood that many believe shaped her later actions.

 But no amount of suffering excuses the choices she made. Instead of breaking the cycle of pain, Judy embraced a path that destroyed lives. Her husband, her son, her boyfriend, all victims of slow, methodical arsenic poisoning designed to look like accidents or illnesses. She manipulated the trust and love of those around her, all while lining her pockets with life insurance money.

 Her crimes went undetected for years, a testament to her cunning and the stealth of arsenic poisoning. She was careful, patient, and cold, exploiting the vulnerabilities of her victims and the limitations of forensic science at the time. Her attempt to kill fianceé John Gentry with a car bomb was the misstep that unraveled her entire scheme.

 If she had stopped there, she might have escaped justice. Instead, she faced the full weight of the law. After a lengthy investigation, multiple trials, and appeals, Judy Benano became the first woman executed in Florida since 1848 and the first woman electrocuted in America since 1957. Her execution in 1998 was relatively low-key, lacking the media frenzy that accompanied some others, but it marked a grim milestone in the state’s history.

 On death row, Judy lived a confined and controlled life, isolated yet surprisingly maternal to some fellow inmates. She spent her final hours surrounded by family and advisers, calm but burdened by the consequences of her actions. Her last meal was simple, her final words brief. Judy Benowano’s life and death posed difficult questions about nature, nurture, and justice.

 Was she a product of a harsh upbringing or simply a remorseless predator? Could her crimes have been prevented with earlier intervention? Her story serves as a warning about the dark corners of human nature and the deadly price of greed. As the Black Widow, Judy left a legacy of loss and betrayal, but also a story that continues to fascinate true crime enthusiasts and researchers alike.

 Her life reminds us that appearances can deceive and that evil sometimes hides behind the most ordinary faces.