September 25, 2022 • 21 mins
From mobster wife to armed robber, this black widow led a life of carelessness. What ultimately got her caught was the murder of her second husband in her home on his day of leave. But, this black widow swears it was not her, but her lover instead. With two possible endings, who will you believe?
This is the case of Black Widow, Linda Calvey.
This is the case of Black Widow, Linda Calvey.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
From momster wife to armed robber.This black widow led a life of carelessness.
What ultimately got her caught was themurder of her second husband in her
home on his day of leave.But this black widow swears it was not
her but her lover instead. Withtwo possible endings, who will you believe?
(00:29):
This is a case of black widow? Linda Calvie, this is tales
(01:08):
from the dark. These days,all I can do is reminisce and wonder
was that a genuine person? Mycharacters are loosely based on people I've met
or are acquainted with, even thebad ones, the people I've encountered throughout
(01:30):
the years, and every character inmy novel are all based on real people.
Maybe twenty percent of it is aboutthe individual. The eighty percent of
it is fiction based on them,so there's a mix. She claims.
Unfortunately, I have a lot oflife experience to fall back on. I
(01:53):
used to be a gangster's mall.I'm no longer one. Linda Wilford,
who was given name Linda Calvey innineteen forty eight, grew up in a
tight knit working class district of StephanieGreen and East London, which was home
to many of the city's jellied aleeating rhyming sling speaking cockneys. Her adolescence
(02:16):
was largely uneventful. She was areceptionist at a paint factory and frequently watched
her cousin's children. When her cousininvited her to a party for a legendary
bank robber, Mickey Calvey, whowas on home leave, all of that
normalcy was shattered. Mickey was grantedpermission to visit his family and friends for
(02:37):
short periods of time towards the endof his eight year stint in prison.
Linda immediately fell head over heels forMickey. She had no false hopes about
his way of life. He describedher to how he was raised in an
unstable, impoverished home with little love. Mickey desired more out of life than
his father, who was employed bythe London Docks. He went to robbery
(03:01):
since he could think of no otherway to obtain his goal. For a
while, Mickey bought Linda all thathis stolen money could afford. He continued
to live a life of crime despitetheir developing affection, and by the time
she gave birth to their first child, he was back in jail. Despite
(03:21):
this, Linda got married to himwhile he was incarcerated. Less than two
years after he was given his freedomback, Linda and Mickey welcomed their second
child, and Mickey started robbing banksonce more. When their kids were four
and eight years old. In nineteenseventy eight, Mickey laughed on a significant
(03:42):
job that he claimed could give theirfamily a solid foundation for the future.
On December ninth, nineteen seventy eight, the Flying Squad, a division of
the London's Metropolitan Police Service trained tolook into armed robberies, shot and murdered
him during an armed ray. Mickey, who was attempting to flee and was
(04:02):
in possession of a loaded sad Offshotgun, was shot by Detective Sergeant Michael
Banks and the abdomen outside of thestore. According to the coroner's findings,
painter and decorator was identified as Mickey'sline of work in the coroner's report,
Linda firmly believes that the murder wasunjust. He had been shot in the
(04:24):
back, not in the front,she said. She disputes the police accusation
that Mickey would have intimidated them withhis gun by claiming it wasn't even loaded.
In front of everyone, Linda pledgedthat the police won't get away with
this. She claimed to have engagedone of the top path theologists in the
world and that they had discovered damningproof. She told the media that the
(04:48):
autopsy had disproved the official account thatMickey had died from a gunshot wound to
the stomach, and revealed that hehad actually been shot through the back,
but the general public was never informedof this knowledge. For some time,
Linda only wore black, earning fromthe police the nickname Black Widow. In
(05:12):
court, Banks claimed that he hadshot Mickey Calfy to defend my life and
the public safety. I think Iwould have died if I hadn't done it.
The jury found Banks not guilty ofjustified homicide before even leaving the court
house. According to the reports atthe time, Linda recalls, Mickey died
(05:33):
trying to give us everything. Itouched his toes as he laid in his
open casket and vowed to exact revengeby doing what you did. Linda met
her second partner at fundraisers held bythe Underworld to help her after his passing.
Ronnie Cook worked with Freddie Foreman andwas a buddy of Ronnie and Reggie
(05:54):
Cray. After Mickey passed Mickey's friendand fellow gang member Wrong, Cook paid
a visit to Linda, who wasgrieving. Cook gave her cash so she
could live. Linda, who wasgrieving and distraught, soon started dating Cook,
but a wife and kids of hisown. Linda claims that Cook quickly
(06:16):
became a domineering person who dictated whatshe should wear, stalked her when she
went out with friends, and eventhreatened the life of her son. Although
he was endearing, he was alsoa vicious psychopath who took anything he wanted,
including women. People warned me touse caution, but he persisted.
(06:42):
It was very apparent that we weredating. He lavished me with presents.
She claims he purchased me a ringand said I was his. When he
said your son stok gorgeous boy,I knew he was referring to my son,
and I was trapped. Did notknow where to go. She claims
that Cook's pals were terrified of him. They've since admitted to me that they
(07:06):
were all aware of what was goingon in our relationship, but were unable
to intervene because he would have turnedon them. When Ron Cook received a
sixteen year term for his role inan armed robbery, Linda managed to escape,
but she continued to lead a lifeof crime. Linda soon moved from
(07:27):
her prior position as a gangster's wifeto assuming the lead. Between visits to
see Cook in prison, she transitionedfrom working as a getaway driver to receiving
robbers in her home as they plottedtheir upcoming heist, to becoming an armed
robber targeting security vans and post offices. When it first started, she claims,
(07:48):
it was retaliation, but eventually itbecame a way of life. It
was normal. Mickey's death had suchan impact on my brain. When this
group was apprehended attempting to rob apost office in Stephanie Greene, she was
given a seven year prison term.Linda remembers, I vowed never to do
(08:09):
another crime. The murder occurred eighteenmonths after I returned home here. One
version of the story splits in two. However, Ron Cook is fatally murdered
in Linda Calvey's kitchen. In bothstories, Linda is a victim twice over.
In her opinion, her small boywas in danger first from years of
(08:33):
an emotionally abusive relationship and later frompolice corruption. Cook assigned his friend Brian
Thoroughgood to take care of Linda whilehe was imprisoned. The two quickly began
a relationship, and when Brian himselfwas taken to prison, he in turn
introduced Linda to his friend Danny Reese, who was also imprisoned for armed robbery.
(08:56):
His son had died in a caraccident while Reese was behind the wheel,
so he asked Linda if she couldspend time with Reese. Reese and
Linda became friends, and their connectionquickly grew from that bond. When Reese
was on day release in December nineteenninety, Linda picked him up from the
prison and took him back to herhouse before continuing to his place. Day
(09:22):
release is a frequent procedure in Englandwhere prisoners are permitted to leave for the
day before returning to prison. Thatevening, she informed Reese that Cook would
be visiting on a day off.The next day, she brought up Cook
from jail. The following day,Linda claims that Reese sneaked in and shot
Cook dead as she cowered in thecorner. Right after they got home.
(09:46):
I recognized him When he turned toface me, he fired Cook while grinning
at me and saying, this one'sfor Mickey Calvy. Linda claims that she
phoned the police and reported what hadoccurred. Although she did not first identify
Rye as the murderer, Linda explainshe subsequently told me I should have said
(10:07):
it was him, but I couldn't, given that Cook had participated in Mickey's
disastrous last robbery and had hinted atintentionally pleasing Mickey in danger. Linda claims
Rye committed the crime in order toexact revenge on Mickey and to defend Linda's
son. He claimed that after Cookthreatened to kill my son, Reese arrived
(10:33):
to shoot Cook in order to protectmy son. According to Linda, the
police interviewed her again a few dayslater and detained her after conducting gunshot residue
tests on her hands and face andruling her out as a suspect. Because
it is their policy not to commenton close cases, the Metropolitan Police declined
(10:54):
to comment on any of these specifics. She claims that the police questioned her
about why she didn't identify herself asLinda Calgary. I questioned what difference that
made and they replied it made ahuge difference, and that I was now
a suspect. According to the alternativeversion of these events, Linda Calvey was
(11:16):
a cunning and deadly lady who hiredReese to kill Cook for ten thousand pounds.
When Reese couldn't finish the shot inCook's elbow, Linda grabbed the gun
and shot him in the head.In his autobiography, notorious criminal Frankie Fraser
said that Linda killed Cook so hewouldn't learn that she had been up to
while he was in jail. Accordingto Fraser, she had been minding his
(11:41):
money and when he came out itwasn't going to all be there. She
asked her new boyfriend to kill him, but he couldn't bring himself to shoot
Ron, so she took care ofthe situation herself. John Beavan, the
prosecuting attorney, claimed that during Linda'strial, Linda wanted to simplified the fairly
(12:01):
perilous and complex situation of her personalaffairs, including her relationship with Reese.
According to Detective David's, a formerpolice officer who worked on the case for
the Flying Squad at the time ofCalvey's arrest and who agreed to speak in
depth about the case on the conditionthat his real name not be used in
(12:22):
order to protect his privacy. Reesehung around on a grass area outside of
Calvey's house, wearing black clothes andpretending to be a jogger. A few
minutes after she Uncook entered the house, Calvie entered since he had left the
door open. The one person Brietrust at the time, the private investigator,
(12:43):
Reese, went back to prison andconfessed to according to Detective David's,
Reese wasn't cunning, he was astraightforward person. He claimed that Calvin finished
the job by stealing his gun.According to Reese, Linda instructed to kneel
before firing the fatal shot through hishead. Riese allegedly told the investigator this.
(13:07):
Reese later walked back this emission.David's claims that a different witness why
Danity has kept private, claimed tohave heard Linda Calvey yell Neil. Reese,
according to Calve, allegedly kicked openthe front door as she was yelling
for her son Neil. Both Reeseand Calvin were found guilty of killing Cook.
(13:33):
Later, while they were both incarcerated, the two were married. The
most exciting thing to occur in Linda'sjail unit in a long time convinced her
to go through with it, despiteher mother's last minute pleadings for her not
to. In twenty thirteen, DannyReese was charged for gagging and sexually assaulting
a fellow prisoner. He contested thecharges and was found not guilty. Reese
(13:58):
had previously served in prison for abusinga fifteen year old kid and a woman
in her house. The jury inthe case was informed Linda was given a
sentence i would prevent her from beingeligible for parole for at least seven years.
She served eighteen years, and shefeels that for many years she was
denied release because she would not confessto the murder. Following her eventual release
(14:26):
from prison in two thousand and eight, she divorced Reese and remarried to George
Caesar, a millionaire who had madehis fortune selling Bleach. Appeared to have
led a morally upright life free ofcrime. While Linda was on day release
from prison, the couple met ata cafe in two thousand and nine.
They were wed in a small countrychapel. Today, Linda Calbey has been
(14:50):
out of prison for fourteen years.As currently seventy four, She is a
grandma of seven and a great grandmotherof five, mother of two adults in
their forties. She resides in afour hundred year old cottage that was purchased
for her by her deceased third husband, who passed away from cancer in twenty
fifteen. Linda spends her days havingfamily dinners and going to meet in Greek
(15:15):
book signings at stores all throughout London. She attends boxing events, hangs out
with Freddie Foreman and Billie Bludell,another ex gangster, and gives signed copies
of her books to neighborhood celebrities,including former gang members. The Blind Beggar
Barr, infamous for being the sceneof rival mobster George cornell nineteen sixty shooting
(15:39):
by Ron Cray, served as asetting for the book launch for her memoir
The Black Widow. She grins andsays, of course, I had to
connect the launch there. Critics claimthat Calvin glamorizes her life of crime.
She provided a controversial museum that wasshowcased on the Netflix series Tourist with one
(16:00):
of her bras, in addition tomemorabilia that she had gathered from a number
of other infamous convicts. The BlackWidow is how she signed each item.
She has even offered a complimary keychaindecorated with brass knuckles as a particular incentive
to buy copies of her book.Linda wants to clear her identity. Despite
(16:23):
all of the celebration of the underworldshe formerly called home, the reputation that
I'm a murderer has been endured bymy family. I'm not. I committed
all other offenses, but not theone that landed me in jail for so
many years. Linda insisted, Mum, please, everyone writes a bunch of
(16:44):
crap about you. My son anddaughter said to me, will you finally
explain your side of the story?As a result of the book's exposure,
Linda says that she hopes someone whohas involved in her case at the time,
possibly a police station employee or evencleaner who may have heard something,
would publicly support her account of theevents. Linda won't ever lose hope that
(17:07):
someone will come forward. According toMel Samble's director of communication from Mere Books,
the company that published Calvie's memoir,no one has as of yet the
terms of Calvie's parole include that shemight be sent back to jail if she's
ever found to a profited from hercrime. Despite Detective David's conviction that Calvie
(17:29):
wrote her book for the money,Sambal's claims that Linda has not compensated for
media appearances and that all book royaltiesgo to Linda's children. Although lie detective
tests are not considered to be validevidence in the English criminal prosecution system,
Calvie hopes to take one now thatthe attention around the book has subsided.
(17:51):
She explains, I'm doing it soI can prove to everyone that what I
say is true. Regarding her bookitself, it's revealing, but only to
the extent that Calvi intends it tobe. She writes about the good and
the terrible, but not the ugly. She avoids the grid of it.
(18:11):
She acknowledges wanting a luxurious lifestyle andknowing she can manipulate guys to acquire what
she wanted. But many significant aspectsof her story, like the reason she
married Rhese while he was incarcerated,remained unanswered. Before going to prison,
Calvie claims that she was a differentperson, but now she is back to
(18:33):
who she always was. The personI was then is so alien to me
now people who know me say itwasn't like me. She adds, they
know no one more polite and caringthan me. They don't recognize the person
I was, and neither do I. Julian Hardy, her attorney, claims
as she appeared to be well likedin prison, even by the guards.
(18:56):
She attempted to make the best ofthe situation she found herself in and is
obviously intelligent. She has consistently shownrespect, according to Hardy. In a
radio appearance for the book's promotion,Calvie defended herself consistently against being wrongfully charged
with Cook's murder. She replied,I was in my own home. I
(19:18):
had just had the carpets done.Why would you want to murder someone in
your own home? The bathroom suicidenarrative in her book was subliminal indication to
the reader that she would never commita crime in her own home. It's
a small point, but it servesas a reminder that she is an expert
manipulator. What do you think ofthis case? Do you think we'll ever
(19:45):
know if Linda truly killed her husband? Ronald Cook, or was it by
the own volition of Reese. Besure to let us know, because for
now, for tonight, I thinkwe're going to have to add the case
a black widow, Linda Calvey toour never ending but are always growing tails
(20:11):
from the dark
From momster wife to armed robber.This black widow led a life of carelessness.
What ultimately got her caught was themurder of her second husband in her
home on his day of leave.But this black widow swears it was not
her but her lover instead. Withtwo possible endings, who will you believe?
(00:29):
This is a case of black widow? Linda Calvie, this is tales
(01:08):
from the dark. These days,all I can do is reminisce and wonder
was that a genuine person? Mycharacters are loosely based on people I've met
or are acquainted with, even thebad ones, the people I've encountered throughout
(01:30):
the years, and every character inmy novel are all based on real people.
Maybe twenty percent of it is aboutthe individual. The eighty percent of
it is fiction based on them,so there's a mix. She claims.
Unfortunately, I have a lot oflife experience to fall back on. I
(01:53):
used to be a gangster's mall.I'm no longer one. Linda Wilford,
who was given name Linda Calvey innineteen forty eight, grew up in a
tight knit working class district of StephanieGreen and East London, which was home
to many of the city's jellied aleeating rhyming sling speaking cockneys. Her adolescence
(02:16):
was largely uneventful. She was areceptionist at a paint factory and frequently watched
her cousin's children. When her cousininvited her to a party for a legendary
bank robber, Mickey Calvey, whowas on home leave, all of that
normalcy was shattered. Mickey was grantedpermission to visit his family and friends for
(02:37):
short periods of time towards the endof his eight year stint in prison.
Linda immediately fell head over heels forMickey. She had no false hopes about
his way of life. He describedher to how he was raised in an
unstable, impoverished home with little love. Mickey desired more out of life than
his father, who was employed bythe London Docks. He went to robbery
(03:01):
since he could think of no otherway to obtain his goal. For a
while, Mickey bought Linda all thathis stolen money could afford. He continued
to live a life of crime despitetheir developing affection, and by the time
she gave birth to their first child, he was back in jail. Despite
(03:21):
this, Linda got married to himwhile he was incarcerated. Less than two
years after he was given his freedomback, Linda and Mickey welcomed their second
child, and Mickey started robbing banksonce more. When their kids were four
and eight years old. In nineteenseventy eight, Mickey laughed on a significant
(03:42):
job that he claimed could give theirfamily a solid foundation for the future.
On December ninth, nineteen seventy eight, the Flying Squad, a division of
the London's Metropolitan Police Service trained tolook into armed robberies, shot and murdered
him during an armed ray. Mickey, who was attempting to flee and was
(04:02):
in possession of a loaded sad Offshotgun, was shot by Detective Sergeant Michael
Banks and the abdomen outside of thestore. According to the coroner's findings,
painter and decorator was identified as Mickey'sline of work in the coroner's report,
Linda firmly believes that the murder wasunjust. He had been shot in the
(04:24):
back, not in the front,she said. She disputes the police accusation
that Mickey would have intimidated them withhis gun by claiming it wasn't even loaded.
In front of everyone, Linda pledgedthat the police won't get away with
this. She claimed to have engagedone of the top path theologists in the
world and that they had discovered damningproof. She told the media that the
(04:48):
autopsy had disproved the official account thatMickey had died from a gunshot wound to
the stomach, and revealed that hehad actually been shot through the back,
but the general public was never informedof this knowledge. For some time,
Linda only wore black, earning fromthe police the nickname Black Widow. In
(05:12):
court, Banks claimed that he hadshot Mickey Calfy to defend my life and
the public safety. I think Iwould have died if I hadn't done it.
The jury found Banks not guilty ofjustified homicide before even leaving the court
house. According to the reports atthe time, Linda recalls, Mickey died
(05:33):
trying to give us everything. Itouched his toes as he laid in his
open casket and vowed to exact revengeby doing what you did. Linda met
her second partner at fundraisers held bythe Underworld to help her after his passing.
Ronnie Cook worked with Freddie Foreman andwas a buddy of Ronnie and Reggie
(05:54):
Cray. After Mickey passed Mickey's friendand fellow gang member Wrong, Cook paid
a visit to Linda, who wasgrieving. Cook gave her cash so she
could live. Linda, who wasgrieving and distraught, soon started dating Cook,
but a wife and kids of hisown. Linda claims that Cook quickly
(06:16):
became a domineering person who dictated whatshe should wear, stalked her when she
went out with friends, and eventhreatened the life of her son. Although
he was endearing, he was alsoa vicious psychopath who took anything he wanted,
including women. People warned me touse caution, but he persisted.
(06:42):
It was very apparent that we weredating. He lavished me with presents.
She claims he purchased me a ringand said I was his. When he
said your son stok gorgeous boy,I knew he was referring to my son,
and I was trapped. Did notknow where to go. She claims
that Cook's pals were terrified of him. They've since admitted to me that they
(07:06):
were all aware of what was goingon in our relationship, but were unable
to intervene because he would have turnedon them. When Ron Cook received a
sixteen year term for his role inan armed robbery, Linda managed to escape,
but she continued to lead a lifeof crime. Linda soon moved from
(07:27):
her prior position as a gangster's wifeto assuming the lead. Between visits to
see Cook in prison, she transitionedfrom working as a getaway driver to receiving
robbers in her home as they plottedtheir upcoming heist, to becoming an armed
robber targeting security vans and post offices. When it first started, she claims,
(07:48):
it was retaliation, but eventually itbecame a way of life. It
was normal. Mickey's death had suchan impact on my brain. When this
group was apprehended attempting to rob apost office in Stephanie Greene, she was
given a seven year prison term.Linda remembers, I vowed never to do
(08:09):
another crime. The murder occurred eighteenmonths after I returned home here. One
version of the story splits in two. However, Ron Cook is fatally murdered
in Linda Calvey's kitchen. In bothstories, Linda is a victim twice over.
In her opinion, her small boywas in danger first from years of
(08:33):
an emotionally abusive relationship and later frompolice corruption. Cook assigned his friend Brian
Thoroughgood to take care of Linda whilehe was imprisoned. The two quickly began
a relationship, and when Brian himselfwas taken to prison, he in turn
introduced Linda to his friend Danny Reese, who was also imprisoned for armed robbery.
(08:56):
His son had died in a caraccident while Reese was behind the wheel,
so he asked Linda if she couldspend time with Reese. Reese and
Linda became friends, and their connectionquickly grew from that bond. When Reese
was on day release in December nineteenninety, Linda picked him up from the
prison and took him back to herhouse before continuing to his place. Day
(09:22):
release is a frequent procedure in Englandwhere prisoners are permitted to leave for the
day before returning to prison. Thatevening, she informed Reese that Cook would
be visiting on a day off.The next day, she brought up Cook
from jail. The following day,Linda claims that Reese sneaked in and shot
Cook dead as she cowered in thecorner. Right after they got home.
(09:46):
I recognized him When he turned toface me, he fired Cook while grinning
at me and saying, this one'sfor Mickey Calvy. Linda claims that she
phoned the police and reported what hadoccurred. Although she did not first identify
Rye as the murderer, Linda explainshe subsequently told me I should have said
(10:07):
it was him, but I couldn't, given that Cook had participated in Mickey's
disastrous last robbery and had hinted atintentionally pleasing Mickey in danger. Linda claims
Rye committed the crime in order toexact revenge on Mickey and to defend Linda's
son. He claimed that after Cookthreatened to kill my son, Reese arrived
(10:33):
to shoot Cook in order to protectmy son. According to Linda, the
police interviewed her again a few dayslater and detained her after conducting gunshot residue
tests on her hands and face andruling her out as a suspect. Because
it is their policy not to commenton close cases, the Metropolitan Police declined
(10:54):
to comment on any of these specifics. She claims that the police questioned her
about why she didn't identify herself asLinda Calgary. I questioned what difference that
made and they replied it made ahuge difference, and that I was now
a suspect. According to the alternativeversion of these events, Linda Calvey was
(11:16):
a cunning and deadly lady who hiredReese to kill Cook for ten thousand pounds.
When Reese couldn't finish the shot inCook's elbow, Linda grabbed the gun
and shot him in the head.In his autobiography, notorious criminal Frankie Fraser
said that Linda killed Cook so hewouldn't learn that she had been up to
while he was in jail. Accordingto Fraser, she had been minding his
(11:41):
money and when he came out itwasn't going to all be there. She
asked her new boyfriend to kill him, but he couldn't bring himself to shoot
Ron, so she took care ofthe situation herself. John Beavan, the
prosecuting attorney, claimed that during Linda'strial, Linda wanted to simplified the fairly
(12:01):
perilous and complex situation of her personalaffairs, including her relationship with Reese.
According to Detective David's, a formerpolice officer who worked on the case for
the Flying Squad at the time ofCalvey's arrest and who agreed to speak in
depth about the case on the conditionthat his real name not be used in
(12:22):
order to protect his privacy. Reesehung around on a grass area outside of
Calvey's house, wearing black clothes andpretending to be a jogger. A few
minutes after she Uncook entered the house, Calvie entered since he had left the
door open. The one person Brietrust at the time, the private investigator,
(12:43):
Reese, went back to prison andconfessed to according to Detective David's,
Reese wasn't cunning, he was astraightforward person. He claimed that Calvin finished
the job by stealing his gun.According to Reese, Linda instructed to kneel
before firing the fatal shot through hishead. Riese allegedly told the investigator this.
(13:07):
Reese later walked back this emission.David's claims that a different witness why
Danity has kept private, claimed tohave heard Linda Calvey yell Neil. Reese,
according to Calve, allegedly kicked openthe front door as she was yelling
for her son Neil. Both Reeseand Calvin were found guilty of killing Cook.
(13:33):
Later, while they were both incarcerated, the two were married. The
most exciting thing to occur in Linda'sjail unit in a long time convinced her
to go through with it, despiteher mother's last minute pleadings for her not
to. In twenty thirteen, DannyReese was charged for gagging and sexually assaulting
a fellow prisoner. He contested thecharges and was found not guilty. Reese
(13:58):
had previously served in prison for abusinga fifteen year old kid and a woman
in her house. The jury inthe case was informed Linda was given a
sentence i would prevent her from beingeligible for parole for at least seven years.
She served eighteen years, and shefeels that for many years she was
denied release because she would not confessto the murder. Following her eventual release
(14:26):
from prison in two thousand and eight, she divorced Reese and remarried to George
Caesar, a millionaire who had madehis fortune selling Bleach. Appeared to have
led a morally upright life free ofcrime. While Linda was on day release
from prison, the couple met ata cafe in two thousand and nine.
They were wed in a small countrychapel. Today, Linda Calbey has been
(14:50):
out of prison for fourteen years.As currently seventy four, She is a
grandma of seven and a great grandmotherof five, mother of two adults in
their forties. She resides in afour hundred year old cottage that was purchased
for her by her deceased third husband, who passed away from cancer in twenty
fifteen. Linda spends her days havingfamily dinners and going to meet in Greek
(15:15):
book signings at stores all throughout London. She attends boxing events, hangs out
with Freddie Foreman and Billie Bludell,another ex gangster, and gives signed copies
of her books to neighborhood celebrities,including former gang members. The Blind Beggar
Barr, infamous for being the sceneof rival mobster George cornell nineteen sixty shooting
(15:39):
by Ron Cray, served as asetting for the book launch for her memoir
The Black Widow. She grins andsays, of course, I had to
connect the launch there. Critics claimthat Calvin glamorizes her life of crime.
She provided a controversial museum that wasshowcased on the Netflix series Tourist with one
(16:00):
of her bras, in addition tomemorabilia that she had gathered from a number
of other infamous convicts. The BlackWidow is how she signed each item.
She has even offered a complimary keychaindecorated with brass knuckles as a particular incentive
to buy copies of her book.Linda wants to clear her identity. Despite
(16:23):
all of the celebration of the underworldshe formerly called home, the reputation that
I'm a murderer has been endured bymy family. I'm not. I committed
all other offenses, but not theone that landed me in jail for so
many years. Linda insisted, Mum, please, everyone writes a bunch of
(16:44):
crap about you. My son anddaughter said to me, will you finally
explain your side of the story?As a result of the book's exposure,
Linda says that she hopes someone whohas involved in her case at the time,
possibly a police station employee or evencleaner who may have heard something,
would publicly support her account of theevents. Linda won't ever lose hope that
(17:07):
someone will come forward. According toMel Samble's director of communication from Mere Books,
the company that published Calvie's memoir,no one has as of yet the
terms of Calvie's parole include that shemight be sent back to jail if she's
ever found to a profited from hercrime. Despite Detective David's conviction that Calvie
(17:29):
wrote her book for the money,Sambal's claims that Linda has not compensated for
media appearances and that all book royaltiesgo to Linda's children. Although lie detective
tests are not considered to be validevidence in the English criminal prosecution system,
Calvie hopes to take one now thatthe attention around the book has subsided.
(17:51):
She explains, I'm doing it soI can prove to everyone that what I
say is true. Regarding her bookitself, it's revealing, but only to
the extent that Calvi intends it tobe. She writes about the good and
the terrible, but not the ugly. She avoids the grid of it.
(18:11):
She acknowledges wanting a luxurious lifestyle andknowing she can manipulate guys to acquire what
she wanted. But many significant aspectsof her story, like the reason she
married Rhese while he was incarcerated,remained unanswered. Before going to prison,
Calvie claims that she was a differentperson, but now she is back to
(18:33):
who she always was. The personI was then is so alien to me
now people who know me say itwasn't like me. She adds, they
know no one more polite and caringthan me. They don't recognize the person
I was, and neither do I. Julian Hardy, her attorney, claims
as she appeared to be well likedin prison, even by the guards.
(18:56):
She attempted to make the best ofthe situation she found herself in and is
obviously intelligent. She has consistently shownrespect, according to Hardy. In a
radio appearance for the book's promotion,Calvie defended herself consistently against being wrongfully charged
with Cook's murder. She replied,I was in my own home. I
(19:18):
had just had the carpets done.Why would you want to murder someone in
your own home? The bathroom suicidenarrative in her book was subliminal indication to
the reader that she would never commita crime in her own home. It's
a small point, but it servesas a reminder that she is an expert
manipulator. What do you think ofthis case? Do you think we'll ever
(19:45):
know if Linda truly killed her husband? Ronald Cook, or was it by
the own volition of Reese. Besure to let us know, because for
now, for tonight, I thinkwe're going to have to add the case
a black widow, Linda Calvey toour never ending but are always growing tails
(20:11):
from the dark
Popular Podcasts
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.