May 16, 1938
Melissa is born in Burnt Church, New Brunswick.
1953
Melissa moves to Ontario, lives with aunt and completes high school through evening correspondence at Stafford College.
1955
Melissa meets future husband Russell Shephard - factory worker. She marries Russell Shephard and has two children.
1970 - 1985
Melissa is convicted of over thirty charges in Ontario and PEI. The charges include various forms of fraud and forgery. She spends over five years in jail during this period. (see her criminal record) (.pdf file)
December 1985
Melissa returns to PEI.
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Melissa marries Gordon Stewart in 1990, even though she is still married to her first husband. |
1988
Melissa meets Gordon Stewart, a widower, who is selling some property on PEI. They begin a relationship even though she is still married to Russell Shephard.
1990
Melissa and Gordon Stewart marry in Las Vegas and then later have another ceremony in Vancouver.
December 23, 1990
Gordon and Melissa go to his PEI apartment. He can't remember where he lives and two hours later he's discovered frothing at the mouth on the floor. He's taken to the hospital and benzodiazepine is found in his system.
1991
Gordon is charged with and pleads guilty to assaulting Melissa and does jail time. She initiates visits with him in jail.
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Linden MacIntyre interviews Melissa in a Florida jail about the death of her former husband, Gordon Stewart. |
March 26, 1991
A probation order for Gordon says he is to have no contact with Melissa. Over next few weeks, she makes contact with him several times. (see letter Gordon wrote shortly before his death) (.pdf file)
April 20, 1991
Melissa and Gordon Stewart move to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
April 27, 1991
Melissa runs over and kills her husband on a deserted road. Three hours later she reports his death. Non-prescribed benzodiazepine (valium and restoril) is in his system. It's enough to kill him, yet she claims he sexually assaulted her. Tests do not confirm any rape.
Melissa later applies for pension benefits from the Department of National Defense and Canada Pension as a result of Gordon's death.
May 1991
Melissa and Russell Shephard's divorce is final.
May 26, 1992
Melissa is convicted of manslaughter in the death of her husband Gordon Stewart, 44, in Halifax.
August 20, 1992
Melissa is sentenced to 6 years in jail.
She forms a support group for women at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario.
March 1994
NFB documentary When Women Kill airs. Melissa is featured.
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Melissa becomes a "media-star" after her release from jail for killing Gordon Stewart. |
1994
Melissa is released from prison with full parole.
May 1996
Melissa sets up a toll free counseling line for women having trouble in jail. It's called "Project Another Chance".
1999
Robert Friedrich, a retired engineer, grieves the death of his wife of 53 years.
April 2000
Melissa, in Florida, sees Robert Friedrich at Christian Retreat and later sends him a letter saying "God wants us to be married" and includes her picture.
May 2000
Melissa returns to Florida to visit Robert Friedrich. Three days after she arrives, they are engaged.
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Melissa marries Robert Friedrich in 2000. Within months, his family notices that Robert's health is fast deteriorating. |
June 23, 2000
Melissa and Robert marry in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia at the interfaith Wedding Chapel.
March 22, 2001
The Friedrich family notices that Dad is falling alot, his speech is slurred, and he's in the hospital.
May 28, 2001
Melissa gets two prescriptions for Lorazepam. Police say six times Melissa got drugs from one doctor and then within thirty days of the first prescription got another from a different doctor.
July 2002
One of Robert's sons, Bob Friedrich, calls the Elder Abuse Line and launches a complaint against Melissa's care of his father.
2002
Robert Friedrich rewrites his will making Melissa the sole beneficiary.
December 16, 2002
Less than two years after they marry, Robert Friedrich dies. The apparent cause is cardiac arrest. Friedrich's death certificate is signed by a doctor over the telephone who didn't examine the body.
Melissa continues to get his social security cheques.
December 20, 2002
The cremation certificate is issued and no autopsy or toxicology reports are done.
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Melissa returns to PEI between marriages. At the same time, the RCMP begins investigating her for Old Age Security fraud charges. |
May 2003
Melissa goes back to PEI, but over the next year she will travel back and forth between Canada and the U.S.
September 2003
In Florida, the Manatee County Sheriff investigates six counts of doctor shopping (prescription fraud) from March 1, 2001 to December 1, 2002.
January 2004
Human Resource Development Canada launches an investigation of Melissa, specifically crimes relating to the Old Age Security Act believed to have occurred between 2000-2003.
September 2004
Melissa initiates internet contact with as many as twenty men from across the United States and Canada.
October 20, 2004
Dennis Friedrich receives a letter from State's Attorney Office in Florida. The investigation is completed concerning the crime of doctor shopping. The State Attorney chooses not to proceed because they feel they will be unable to prove the charges and there is no prosecution.
October 2004
RCMP visit Melissa at her home in PEI to ask her questions about their investigation into Old Age Security fraud.
Early November 2004
As RCMP prepare to lay charges, Melissa drives to Florida to meet Alex Strategos, a divorced 73-year-old diabetic, who she had been corresponding with on AmericanSinglesDating.com.
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Melissa with Alex Strategos during their short-lived relationship. |
November 5, 2004
Melissa has dinner with Alex Strategos in Pinellas Park, Florida and moves into his house the same night. Later that night Alex is taken to hospital after falling down and hitting his head.
November 5 - December 28
Alex Strategos is hospitalized eight times.
December 28, 2004
Alex signs over power of attorney to Melissa, while he is in the hospital.
January 2005
Alex Strategos' son Dean sees unprescribed drugs (benzodiazepine) in his father's medical report and blood tests. He also discovers around $18,000 missing from his father's bank account.
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Sunny Decker is a self-made businessman who Melissa had expressed interest in. She met him for dinner days before she was arrested and while Alex Strategos was in a nursing home. |
January 6, 2005
Pinellas Park Police arrest Melissa and charge her with exploitation of the elderly, theft and forgery. Police say she coerced Strategos to give her power of attorney and then she siphoned off his money into her own bank account.
February 1, 2005
Nova Scotia RCMP issue a warrant for Melissa's arrest. She's charged with defrauding the government of Canada of $30,348.54 over a four year period. The fraud offences allegedly took place between July 1997 and October 2003.
March 14, 2005
Scheduled date of Melissa's pre-trial.
March 14, 2005
Melissa Friedrich was convicted of seven charges of theft and forgery and sentenced to a 5 year prison term. She is currently serving her time at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County Florida.
May 2009
Melissa is going to be released from prison in Florida. She will be picked up by U.S. immigration authorities who will be deporting her back to Canada where she is expected to face charges regarding Old Age Security fraud.
