http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/16/five.dead.husbands.ap/index.html"I can't believe they let her out. It's just wrong, flat out wrong. I don't understand," said Gentry's brother, Al, who pressed law enforcement for more than two decades to get the case reopened.
The only reason she got caught, apparently, was because the brother of one of her husbands kept after them to investigate.
Some of the most prolific serial killers in the country have avoided charges under similar circumstances. There are 5 types of female serial killer profiled by the Kelleher typography. The "Black Widow" is the type who kills husbands, offspring, and anyone else who gets too close to them. They tend to be stealthier than other serial killers, usually using poison or smothering (sometimes hard to detect) to kill their victims, and often by the time they are finally caught, they are often up in years, and the state is reluctant to do anything because they appear to be sympathy figures.
It seems as though usually when they are prosecuted, it's because a next-of-kin has complained vehemently. In this case, it took 2 decades (and probably another murder) for the police to investigate, after #4s brother kept complaining. Now #4s brother suspects that he has a price on his head.
The case of Betty Lou Beets was similar; the police only investigated (and found lots of bodies buried in her yard) after one of her victims sons kept complaining that she murdered their father. Then they had to fight against allegations that he had it coming because he was abusing her.
