poison is the new black

I may have offended a new acquaintance or two the other night when - following the Alexander Litvinenko affair - I expressed my enthusiasm for poisoning over other forms of murder, such as the overused and underimagined gunshot wound. Apparently, I am not alone.


An understudy in a high school play has received two years probation for spiking the drink of a classmate who won the lead role. Hours before opening night of L.D. Bell High School's production of "Ha!" in February, Katherine Smith, 19, squirted an eyedropper of bleach into a Mountain Dew before giving it to a sophomore billed with the starring role, police said.

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Historians have long suspected that Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his second wife, Bianca Cappello, did not die of malaria but were poisoned — by Francesco's brother, Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici, who was vying for the dukedom. For four centuries that theory remained just that — a theory. But following a study into the affair, forensic and toxicology experts at the University of Florence believe they have uncovered clear evidence of murder by poisoning.

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Police say they think the death may be linked to a mixed punch served at two addresses between Dec. 23 and Jan 1. The drink concoction was mixed in an antifreeze container and may have had traces of windshield fluid.

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Prosecutors will not be allowed to introduce evidence suggesting that a woman accused of fatally dosing her Marine husband with arsenic led a party lifestyle that included sex with multiple partners shortly after his death, a state court judge ruled Tuesday.

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It's enough to make a gal nostalgic for 1947.
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