The investigation started after a girl whose automobile had been damaged into drank from her water bottle and thought it tasted off … earlier than one other girl in an analogous scenario wound up hospitalized.
A Wisconsin couple has been charged for allegedly plotting to poison the person’s ex-girlfriends with cyanide.
The arrests of Paul Van Duyne and Andrea Whitaker went down this week in Madison, prompting a number of hazmat investigations within the course of.
“It does seem that this defendant and Mr. Van Duyne have began courting and apparently created this plot to kill his ex girlfriends by poisoning them with cyanide valium poisons,” Dane County Deputy District Lawyer William Brown mentioned in a bail listening to for Whitaker, per WMTV.
Per jail information, Van Duyne was charged with one rely of stalking and two counts of tried first-degree homicide, whereas Whitaker has been charged with harboring and aiding a felon and one rely of tried first-degree homicide.
The investigation has been ongoing for a month and started after a girl noticed individuals surrounding her automobile in a Costco car parking zone in Middleton. When she approached the group, one of many individuals standing close to her automobile mentioned they noticed somebody break into the automobile. The lady then took a sip from her water bottle and shortly spat it out, because it tasted off.
Then, the identical factor occurred once more in only a matter of weeks. The lady referred to as 911 this time, after smelling one thing odd in her water bottle.
“In the end, that water bottle was taken to the crime lab and it was discovered that there was cyanide positioned in that water bottle,” mentioned Brown.
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One other girl within the Rock Nation space discovered herself in an analogous scenario; she, nevertheless, ended up in hospital. Each ladies had beforehand dated Van Duyne.
“It does seem that Mr. Van Duyne was maybe the precise person who was coming into each victims autos and placing the cyanide within the water bottles,” Brown claimed, with prosecutors saying {that a} plastic bag possible containing hydrogen sulfide was additionally positioned in one of many autos, inflicting the sufferer’s minor sister to get sick.
All in all, prosecutors have claimed there are 5 totally different situations of tried poisoning — together with one wherein the suspects allegedly positioned a poisonous plant protein referred to as abrin within the air flow of one of many victims’ vehicles.
One of many victims informed police she had a “informal” and “sexual” relationship with Van Duyne about two years in the past, earlier than he began courting a girl since recognized as Whitaker. The lady allegedly even warned Van Duyne that Whitaker appeared “harmful and poisonous.”
Van Duyne was arrested after he confirmed as much as the second girl’s house on Sunday night, whereas a path digicam was additionally allegedly pointed pointed on the home.
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In the course of the listening to, Brown mentioned Van Duyne referred to as Whitaker from jail and requested her to take away proof from the house — together with a pc and, possible, poisons. Whitaker, per Brown, additionally had searches associated to cyanide on her pc, together with, “Does potassium cyanide cloud water?”, “Sodium cyanide odor, sodium cyanide,” “What does cyanide seem like?” and “Cyanide deadly dose?”
“In no less than Rock County, placing cyanide powder within the air vents, I feel this defendant’s involvement is totally clear in that she is probably going the brains of the operation in determining how to do that,” Brown mentioned of Whitaker, who he claimed additionally has a background in pharmacology. He additionally referred to as conversations between the 2 suspects “terribly regarding.”
“The proof appears to be so documented and away from what the plan was, wherein these two ladies have nearly misplaced their lives, so we’re not speculating,” he added.
A search of Van Duyne’s properties additionally discovered rosary pea seeds, which the CDC notes are a supply of abrin, in addition to different materials used to supply poison.
The investigation additionally led to the hospitalization of seven Wisconsin Division of Justice DCI brokers, on account of publicity, mentioned Brown.
Whitaker was given a $750,000 bond and ordered to haven’t any contact with Van Duyne if he’s launched.
