A family gathering in Hendersonville turned fatal after investigators say a bottle of wine served at Thanksgiving dinner was laced with a chemical that converts to cyanide in the body.
HENDERSONVILLE, NC – A 53-year-old woman is facing a first-degree murder charge after authorities allege she poisoned her adult daughters during a Thanksgiving gathering, killing one and seriously injuring another guest. Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel was charged in January with murder, two counts of attempted murder, and three counts related to distributing a contaminated beverage, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Court documents recently unsealed detail how a bottle of wine consumed during the holiday meal allegedly contained acetonitrile, a toxic solvent that can convert into cyanide after ingestion. One daughter, 32-year-old Leela Livis, died the following day, while another daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend became ill within hours.
Toxic chemical and delayed symptoms
Investigators say all three victims drank from the same bottle and developed flu-like symptoms later that night. The surviving daughter reportedly consumed only a small amount and experienced milder effects, while her boyfriend required hospitalization for six days after testing showed cyanide levels more than five times the lethal threshold.
According to an arrest warrant, “[T]he defendant unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did knowingly distributed or otherwise caused to be placed in a position of human accessibility or ingestion a beverage which contained a poisonous chemical, acetonitrile, which might cause death or serious physical injury.”
The Centers for Disease Control states acetonitrile “forms cyanide in the body” and can result in “delayed toxicity,” a factor investigators believe contributed to the progression of symptoms after the dinner.
Conflicting statements and evidence
Search warrants indicate the wine bottle may have been opened before the gathering. “[T]he bottle of wine was open when it was presented at the party,” one warrant application states. “[T]he open bottle was stored in a closet next to chemicals used in the barn.”
The defendant told investigators that someone else in the home purchased the chemical and suggested the contamination could have been accidental. She also told a physician treating one victim, “The kids play back there as well and may have ‘got to it.'”
However, a surviving daughter told investigators “that when the bottle was presented to everyone, it was already open and appeared to have a small amount missing, possibly the amount of a tasting rather than a full glass.”
Investigators later located a container of acetonitrile inside the home.
Link to earlier death under investigation
As the case developed, authorities revisited the 2007 death of a man who lived on the same property. Michael Schmidt, 42, was found dead after what was initially ruled an accidental exposure to acetonitrile.
“This death was discovered by Gudrun, and she was also the last person to see the decedent alive when they had a few alcoholic drinks together,” a detective wrote in a warrant application.
At the time, Schmidt’s death was attributed to “acute acetonitrile toxicity (probably huffing).” Investigators now believe the same chemical may have been used intentionally. Property records show Schmidt had transferred ownership of the land to Casper-Leinenkugel the year before his death.
Prosecutors have indicated additional deaths linked to the defendant are under investigation.
Casper-Leinenkugel is scheduled to appear in court on April 30.
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