Famous Chemistry Student Poisoners: A Historical and Contemporary Examination
The use of poison as a murder weapon has a long and sinister history, stretching back thousands of years. While the methods and substances have evolved, the underlying motive remains the same: to inflict harm in a clandestine and often undetectable manner. This article delves into the history of poisoning.
The Dawn of Forensic Toxicology
Relatively recently, significant advancements in forensic science have emerged, particularly in the field of toxicology, which plays a crucial role in detecting and identifying poisons. British chemist James M. Marsh developed a method for testing the presence of arsenic in human tissue. Using zinc and sulfuric acid to create arsine gas, this test is highly sensitive to even small levels of arsenic.
In the early 20th century, Alexander Gettler, born in Austria-Hungary, emerged as a pioneer in forensic toxicology in the United States. His work was instrumental in solving numerous poisoning cases and establishing the field as a vital component of criminal investigations.
Prohibition and the Rise of Accidental Poisoning
The Volstead Act, which banned the manufacture, transport, and sale of alcohol, went into effect on January 1, 1920, ushering in the era of Prohibition. In an effort to enforce Prohibition, the United States government researched more poisonous chemicals, such as kerosene, acetone and formaldehyde, to use to denature alcohol, to prevent consumption. Newspaper articles cited quotes from government officials warning of increased toxicity in bootlegged alcohol.
Notable Cases and Developments
Several high-profile cases and events have shaped the history of poisoning and forensic toxicology:
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- The Jackson Case: Fremont and Annie Jackson were discovered dead inside their locked Manhattan apartment. When prosecutors lose the case in court, Gettler is inspired to do further research.
- The Travia Case: Francesco Travia was caught lugging part of Anna Fredericksen's body towards the waterfront. Detectives suspected murder, but Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler proved that the carbon monoxide gas from Travia's stove had poisoned her to death.
- The Malloy Case: Durable Mike Malloy finally succumbs to death from carbon monoxide poisoning. A group of men hoping to collect on Malloy's life insurance policy had attempted to poison the homeless alcoholic on several occasions by using wood alcohol, methanol, ethylene glycol (antifreeze), arsenic, and food poisoning, as well as by trying to freeze him to death and by hitting him with a car.
- The Legacy of Norris and Gettler: After vacationing in South America to improve his health, Charles Norris dies in New York on September 11, 1935 from heart failure. Alexander Gettler publishes “The Toxicology of Cyanide,” in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. Alexander Gettler retires at age 75 after evaluating over 100,000 bodies.
The Chicago Tylenol Murders
The Chicago Tylenol murders were a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982. The victims consumed Tylenol branded acetaminophen (paracetamol) powder-filled capsules that had been adulterated with potassium cyanide. No suspect has been charged or convicted of the poisonings as of 2026.
The Investigation
Asked to investigate the Januses' deaths, nurse Helen Jensen, Arlington Heights's only public health official, visited the Janus household and discovered a Tylenol bottle with an accompanying receipt indicating it had been purchased the same day. Noticing that there were six pills missing, she turned the bottle over to investigator Nick Pishos and reported her suspicion that it was related to the Januses' deaths. Pishos called Edmund R.
In an effort to reassure the public, Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Tylenol, distributed warnings to hospitals and distributors and halted Tylenol production and advertising. After other incidents, like strychnine added to Tylenol bottles in California, a nationwide recall of Tylenol products was issued on October 5, 1982; an estimated 31 million bottles were in circulation, with a retail value of over US$100 million. The company also advertised in the national media for individuals not to consume any of its products that contained acetaminophen after it was determined that only these capsules had been tampered with. The tainted capsules were found to have been manufactured at two different locations, Pennsylvania and Texas, suggesting that the capsules were tampered with after the product had been placed on store shelves for sale. The police hypothesis was that someone had taken bottles off shelves in local stores of the Chicago area, placed potassium cyanide in some of the capsules, and then placed the packages back on the store shelves to be purchased by unknowing customers.
In early 1983, at the FBI's request, Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene published the address and grave location of the first and youngest victim, Mary Kellerman. The story, written with the Kellerman family's consent, was proposed by FBI criminal analyst John Douglas on the theory that the perpetrator(s) might visit the house or gravesite if they were made aware of their locations. A surveillance photo of Paula Prince purchasing cyanide-tampered Tylenol at a Walgreens drugstore in Chicago was released by the Chicago Police Department.
Suspects and Persons of Interest
During the initial investigation, James William Lewis (a.k.a. Robert Richardson) was accused of sending a letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million to stop the cyanide-induced murders. Police also investigated a second man, Roger Arnold, a dock worker at a Jewel-Osco in Melrose Park, who told officers that he possessed potassium cyanide. Bar owner Marty Sinclair, whose establishment Arnold frequented, reported Arnold to the police, saying that Arnold had discussed killing people with a white powder and had become increasingly erratic after his marriage had dissolved. Arnold had worked with victim Mary Reiner's father at a warehouse, and Arnold's wife had been treated at a hospital across the street from the store in which Reiner bought her cyanide-laced pills. A copy of The Poor Man's James Bond, which contained instructions on making potassium cyanide, was found in Arnold's home. Arnold was held several times by the police, but never charged.
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The Aftermath and Legacy
In early January 2009, Illinois authorities renewed the investigation. Federal agents searched the home of James W. In 2010, DNA samples were collected from James W. Law-enforcement officials received a number of tips related to the case coinciding with its 25th anniversary. This review was prompted, in part, by the recent 25th anniversary of this crime and the resulting publicity. On May 19, 2011, the FBI requested DNA samples from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski in connection to the Tylenol murders.
Johnson & Johnson received positive coverage for its handling of the crisis: an article in The Washington Post said, "Johnson & Johnson has effectively demonstrated how a major business ought to handle a disaster". In addition to issuing the recall, the company established relations with the Chicago Police Department, the FBI, and the Food and Drug Administration. While at the time of the scare the company's market share collapsed from 35 percent to 8 percent, it rebounded in less than a year, a move credited to the company's prompt and aggressive reaction. In November, it reintroduced capsules in a new, triple-sealed package, coupled with heavy price promotions.
The 1982 incident inspired the pharmaceutical, food, and consumer product industries to develop tamper-resistant packaging, such as induction seals and improved quality control methods. Additionally, the incident prompted the pharmaceutical industry to move away from powder-filled capsules, which were easy to contaminate as a foreign substance could be placed inside without obvious signs of tampering. Within the year, the FDA introduced more stringent regulations to avoid product tampering.
More Recent Cases
In 1991 in Washington state, Kathleen Daneker and Stanley McWhorter were killed from two cyanide-tainted boxes of Sudafed, and Jennifer Meling went into a coma from a similar poisoning but recovered shortly thereafter. Jennifer's husband, Joseph Meling, was convicted on numerous charges in a federal Seattle court regarding the deaths of Daneker and McWhorter and the attempted murder of his wife, who was abused during the Melings' marriage.
In 1986, University of Texas student Kenneth Faries was found dead in his apartment after succumbing to cyanide poisoning. Tampered Anacin capsules were determined to be the source of the cyanide found in his body. His death was ruled a homicide on May 30, 1986. On June 19, 1986, the AP reported that the Travis County Medical Examiner ruled his death a likely suicide.
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The Rise and Fall of Arsenic Poisoning
Historically, arsenic has been a popular choice for poisoners due to its readily available nature and the difficulty in detecting it. The "story of poisoning in England and Wales is in many ways a chronicle of the rise and fall of arsenic". The sale of arsenic became subject to control in 1851 when the Arsenic Act came into force.
Juwan Royal and Yukai Yang
Stepping forward in history, we come to the tale of Juwan Royal, a student at a university in Pennsylvania in 2018. His semester started off well enough. He settled into his classes and life on campus with his roommate, Yukai Yang, an international student from China studying chemistry. Headaches battered Juwan, then came dizziness. Shaking and vomiting soon followed. A week after Juwan returned to school from a stay in the hospital, he came back to his dorm room to find hateful racist messages scrawled across his desk. It turned out that the studious chemist with whom Juwan had lived for years, had been slipping thallium into his food, drinks, and even his mouthwash. It all came out when the university’s investigation into the racial vandalism pointed to Yang as the culprit and his computer was seized, where proof of the thallium purchase was discovered.
Motivations and Methods
The motivations behind poisoning are varied, ranging from financial gain and revenge to jealousy and a desire for power. The methods employed by poisoners are equally diverse, with substances like arsenic, cyanide, strychnine, and thallium being used to inflict harm.
The Role of Forensic Toxicology
As more and more poisonings came to light, toxicology became a key aspect of forensic practice and teaching and a small group of men built careers as experts in the modern sense of a witness “specifically called in by one side or the other to interpret the facts using his or her expertise”.
The Poison "Panic"
The easy availability of deadly poisons in 19th-century Britain, Western Europe, and the United States led to widespread public anxiety about the prevalence of murder by poison, resulting in what might be termed a “poison panic.” The fear was fed by well-publicized reports of trials and executions which, though not especially numerous, seemed indicative of the dangerous incidence of a unique type of homicide, one that was particularly difficult to prevent or detect. As a result, poisoning crimes stimulated the development of the earliest medicolegal specialism, forensic toxicology, and consequently the careers of some of the best known expert witnesses of the Victorian era, including Mathieu Orfila, Alfred Swaine Taylor, Thomas Stevenson, and Theodore Wormley.
Public Health and Regulation
President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, further increasing government oversights and regulations. The American Academy of Forensic Science is founded. The first poison control center is opened in Chicago. By 1957, there will be 17 poison control centers in the United States.
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