36 years to commit a murder

[vorlon13]

(OK to move this, it's really a True Crime thread, and I didn't know where to post it)


36 years ago a disturbed young man poisoned the beverages at his former girlfriends home. As it turns out, she didn't drink the poison, but several family members did.

The poison was insidious, the intent was to cause cancer, years or decades in the future. As it happened, despite experimenting on his mothers pets, the poisoner misjudged the dosage.

Those who were poisoned were immediately sickened, and the incident was believed to be food poisoning. As it turned out, it was reported in the news, and a local homicide detective was immediately suspicious.

In his investigation, he found the veterinarian that treated the poisoned cats, and there was a connection between the cats, and the victims; a creepy ex-boyfriend.

As I recall, 2 people died early on and several years later, another committed suicide for fear of eventually contracting cancer.


I just saw in last Fridays newspaper, the sister of the intended victim did die of an induced cancer, 36 years after the poisoning.


The killer, was apprehended, and special medical tests had to be developed to connect the poison's effects to the victims as by the time appropriate samples were taken from the victims, there was no trace of the poison left.

After a trial and appeals, the killer was sentenced to the electric chair, but committed suicide in his cell 24 years ago before the sentence could be carried out.


I knew the detective in the case, if not for his suspicions, these murders might have gone totally undetected.

[Chad32]

That's a very roundabout way of getting back at someone, but I suppose he hoped he'd never get caught if the woman just happened to get cancer and die later in life.

Committing suicide because they thought they might get cancer? That's seems really odd. Paranoia can do bad things to people.

[vorlon13]

The suicide was also a father of one of the children killed. He slipped into addiction. A tragic life.

The sister who just passed was married 24 years (died on anniversary) and by all accounts, head worked hard to have as good a life under the circumstances as possible.

The detective in the case died a few years ago. I know the case was never far from his thoughts. It has haunted me at times too.

[The Grand Nudger]

That would make a pretty good book, from the perspective of the detective. You know NaNoWrimo is coming up...perhaps you could put that tale to the page ( a fictional treatment, of course)?

[vorlon13]

Tomas Guillen wrote Toxic Love, a true crime book on the murders. It comes up on Ebay from time to time.

I had my copy autographed by the detective. The Forensic Files episode on TV obviously doesn't have all the details the book contains, and the detective told me a few things not in the book.

While he was incarcerated he drew some very disturbing pictures portraying his former girlfriend as a demon (reproduced in the book). He committed suicide by pretending to take his meds, and secretly accumulating them to overdose with. Saved the state the trouble of burning him up in the chair.

It's a chilling and profoundly disturbing case. That he succeeded in his plan after 36 years (and 24 years after he died) is a real pisser.

I've never met any of the survivors or their families, just the detective, but I feel as though I know all of them. This final murder has been quite a jolt.

---

There is a couple copies on Ebay now. It is an inexpensive paperback.

The Forensic Files series runs on CNN these days, not sure where in rotation the "Without a Trace" episode is. The series (for reasons unknown to me) is also called Medical Detectives. I suppose it is a rerun/syndication thing.

I think I've mangled a few details of the case in the OP, my apologies, it has been an upsetting thing. The detective passed away a few years ago (of an unrelated cancer) and he was a great guy, insisted I not call him 'sir' or 'Mr.' Sometimes he would share a police story with me, sometimes he wouldn't. I sure miss that.

[Thumpalumpacus]

That would make a pretty good book, from the perspective of the detective. You know NaNoWrimo is coming up...perhaps you could put that tale to the page ( a fictional treatment, of course)?

The writer in me was thinking this exact thing as I read the OP.

[Jenny A]

Vorlon, you might like this if you haven't found it already: The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum

It's a fascinating little bit of prohibition crime history and full of real poisonings both intentional and wantonly negligent.

[vorlon13]

That would make a pretty good book, from the perspective of the detective. You know NaNoWrimo is coming up...perhaps you could put that tale to the page ( a fictional treatment, of course)?

The writer in me was thinking this exact thing as I read the OP.

Toxic Love is a tough read. The coldness of the murderer, and the desperate struggle to save the victims is a very hard thing to handle. I have left out a great deal in this thread. Even the killers suicide while on death row is disturbing in that it precedes his final kill by 24 years.

The detective confided a small detail in the case to me that can be inferred from the book, but is not explicitly stated. As I grow older, I understand it slightly more and more, but it almost beats anything I've ever encountered.

The heart has it reasons . . .

[Aractus]

What the fuck toxin did he use to do that? Oh wait never mind, there are hundreds of known toxic chemicals, most of which are carcinogenic. Still, what a sick mind.

[vorlon13]

The chemical is used in cancer research to cause cancer in lab rats. Potent shit and it is rapidly metabolized by the body and leaves no trace.

A murder in Europe was the inspiration for this killer.