267: The Coca-Cola Poisonings

Peggy Carr didn’t feel well. She was nauseous. She could barely speak. Her feet felt as though they were burning from the inside out. Her family rushed her to the hospital, but the doctors were stumped. They wondered if Peggy had the flu. They also wondered if it was all in her head. It wasn’t. 

Over the next few days, her condition improved. Peggy was sent back home, only to become more ill than she’d been before. This time, a neurologist took a look at Peggy’s symptoms and posited that she might have thallium poisoning. The doctor’s hunch was correct. Nearly every member of the Carr household tested positive for thallium.

And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Kristin read a bunch of articles, then spat them back out in her very limited vocabulary. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

In this episode, Kristin pulled from:

American Justice episode, “Kill thy neighbor”

“Murder genius is outfoxed by simple ‘country cops,’” by Mike McLeod for the Orlando Sentinel

Vengeance: Killer Neighbors episode, “Poison Mastermind”

“Murder on the mind” by David Walton for the Tampa Bay Times

“Condemned killer wants another trial,” by Bill Heery for the Tampa Tribune

“Poison killer Trepal awaits judge’s ruling on poor defense argument,” by Bill Heery for the Tampa Tribune

“High court rejects death row appeal in Highlands County case,” News Service of Florida

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