Federal jury convicts Maryland woman of fraud in voodoo murder case

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An Upper Marlboro woman was convicted Thursday of fraud for cashing in on the murders of three lovers after years of escaping prosecution by allegedly using voodoo threats to keep potential witnesses silent.A federal jury in Greenbelt found Josephine Gray, 55, guilty of all charges she faced in U.S. District Court, including mail and wire fraud. She collected thousands of dollars in life insurance money from the deaths of two husbands and a boyfriend, the first taking place in 1974.Gray was not charged with murder but prosecutors had to prove that she played a role in the deaths of the men, which would have blocked her from receiving insurance the money.Gray faces a maximum of 40 years in prison when she is sentenced Dec. 2.Citing a gag order that extends to the sentencing date, prosecutors and Gray’s defense attorneys would not comment on the verdict. Relatives of Gray’s former husbands also didn’t make statements, but shouted “Amen!” outside the courthouse.Gray now faces first-degree murder charges in Montgomery County for the deaths of former husbands Norman Stribbling and William “Robert” Gray. Prosecutors there have dubbed her “The Black Widow,” saying she enlisted the help of her successive paramours to kill her current mate.No date has been set in the murder trial, but Montgomery County State’s Attorney Douglas Gansler said the federal conviction bolsters his case.“Our case was predicated on the same facts that led to the conviction in this case,” he said. “They had to prove the murders to show that there indeed was insurance fraud.”On March 4, 1974, Gray’s first husband, Stribbling, was shot to death. Gray collected $16,000 from his life insurance policy.She and her then-boyfriend, William Gray, were charged with murder, but those charges were dropped after witnesses failed to testify. The two eventually married.William Gray was found dead Nov. 9, 1990, shortly after an accidental death policy was issued in his name. Police charged Josephine Gray and her boyfriend, Clarence Goode, with murder, but the charges were again dropped because key witnesses did not testify. Gray received $50,000 in insurance payments for his death.Goode was found dead in Baltimore on June 21, 1996, and Gray again collected money, receiving $95,000 from his insurance policy.Prosecutors said Gray created an atmosphere of fear in her family by threatening them with voodoo curses and violence if they spoke to authorities.According to court documents, searches of Gray’s home turned up voodoo materials and dolls resembling Gray’s relatives pierced with needles. A listening device police placed in her house also picked up a ritual where Gray mentioned a Montgomery detective investigating the case.But in her federal trial, several of Gray’s relatives agreed to testify against her, including her current boyfriend, after U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow denied Gray bail last fall.