02x05 - Bitter Potion

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Narrator: as peggy carr lay

Ill in a hospital intensive-care

Unit, doctors were baffled.

Take a deep breath for me.

Narrator: lab tests were all

Negative, but one of the

Doctors noticed a tiny clue --

Her hair was falling out.

It was a symptom of a very rare

Condition -- one the doctor had

Never seen before.

And if he was right, there was

No known cure.

Peggy carr was a 41-year-old

Restaurant worker who had been

Married to her second husband,

Pye, for the last six months.

Peggy worked as a waitress at a

Drive-in restaurant and had

Three children from a previous

Marriage.

Pye had two children and worked

At a phosphate mine.

They seemed to be happy.

My mom loved him more than

Anything.

You know, he was just the light

Of her life.

You know, he was it.

Narrator: but soon after

Their marriage, peggy began to

Question the long hours pye was

Working at the mine.

He worked all the time.

There were some questions about

If he was really at work or if

He was out.

Narrator: one night when pye

Said he was working late, peggy

Drove out to the mine.

In the parking lot, she saw only

Two cars.

One was pye's.

The other belonged to one of his

Former girlfriends.

My mom went out to where he

Worked, and we found him with

Another woman.

When, I guess, she found out

That he was cheating, things

Started going downhill.

Narrator: when peggy learned

Of the affair, she took her

Children to a nearby motel and

Left her husband a note.

Dear pye, I'm going to give

You some time to think about us.

I can't live like we have been.

I can't imagine living without

You, but I can if you don't want

Me.

I love you with all my heart.

Peggy.

Narrator: after a brief

Separation, the couple resolved

Their differences, and peggy and

Her children moved back home.

On the day she returned, pye

Left for a previously scheduled

Hunting trip.

While he was away, peggy became

Ill, complaining of an upset

Stomach and an intense burning

Sensation.

When pye returned home, he told

The children he thought it was

Only a virus.

She was sick.

She was very sick.

She was laying in bed, and she

Couldn't move.

She kept complaining of her

Hands and her feet.

She said she couldn't open her

Eyes.

She was nauseated.

Narrator: by the time peggy

Was taken to the hospital,

Doctors noticed some weakness in

Both sides of her face.

But when lab tests were negative

And they couldn't diagnose her

Problem, peggy was released.

The next day, I went up to

Check on her, and she was even

Worse.

And I told pye, I said, "we need

To take her to the hospital

Again because she's not getting

Any better."

Well, he went to work.

Narrator: the children drove

Her to the hospital once again.

This time, one of the physicians

Who examined her noticed a tiny

Clue.

I noticed that her hair --

Simply raising her up off the

Pillow to listen to her back,

Quite a bit of her hair was left

On the pillow.

Narrator: dr. Robert van hook

And his colleagues thought it

Might be a poison -- a very rare

One which doesn't show up in

Normal lab tests.

A special test confirmed his

Suspicion.

It was thallium poisoning.

Thallium is a highly toxic metal

Widely used as a pesticide

Before it was banned in the

United states in 1972.

Once inside the body, thallium

att*cks nerve endings and

Muscles, causing them to atrophy

And die.

In severe cases, it can cause

Delirium, paralysis, coma, even

Death.

Tests revealed that peggy had 50

Times the maximum human exposure

In her system, and there is no

Known cure or antidote.

Within days, peggy's stepson

Travis and son duane were

Hospitalized, as well.

They, too, had thallium

Poisoning.

It was like somebody taking a

Thousand needles, putting your

Feet in them, and just pressing

All at once.

You know, real, real painful.

Something that you just couldn't

Let go.

Narrator: how did peggy carr

And the two boys ingest such

Large amounts of thallium?

Was it accidental, or was

Someone trying to k*ll them?

Narrator: since there is no

Cure or antidote for thallium

Poisoning, peggy carr's

Condition grew progressively

Worse.

After losing all of her hair,

She slipped into a coma.

Health officials frantically

Searched for the source of the

Thallium.

The orange grove next to the

Carrs' home was tested to

Determine whether thallium had

Been sprayed on the orange

Trees, and the drinking-water

Well in the area was also

Tested.

But thallium wasn't found.

Next, health officials gathered

Air and dust samples from inside

The carrs' home and took more

Than 400 household items for

Laboratory analysis.

Friends told police that the

Family received an anonymous

Threatening letter just a few

Months earlier.

It was addressed to "pie" carr,

Misspelling pye's name.

"You and all your so-called

Family have two weeks to move

Out of florida forever, or else

You all die.

This is no joke."

Narrator: police were

Suspicious of pye carr, not only

Because he failed to mention the

Threatening letter but also

Because of his extramarital

Affair, the fact that he was

Away when peggy first got sick,

And his hesitation in taking

Peggy to the hospital.

We dug very deeply, at that

Point, into pye carr's

Background.

Anything that would show

Motivation on his part to poison

His wife.

We thought, you know, pye had

Something to do with it because

Of the way he was acting.

He was acting so strange, you

Know.

He was always so secretive.

He was always -- it's like he

Always had something to hide.

Narrator: all of the

Remaining family members were

Asked to undergo thallium

Testing, as well, just as a

Precaution.

And the results were surprising.

Peggy's daughter cissy and her

Child kasey both had traces of

Thallium in their systems...and

So did pye.

The only family member found not

To have thallium in her system

Was pye's daughter tammy.

When the laboratory analyzed the

Items from the carrs' home, they

Found the source of the

Thallium in some empty soda

Bottles.

Detectives returned to the carr

Home and found three full

Bottles from the same carton.

The fbi found no fingerprints on

The full bottles recovered from

The carrs' home.

But, under a scanning electron

Microscope, magnified 100 times,

The fbi discovered tiny scratch

Marks on the caps -- an

Indication that they had been

Meticulously removed and

Replaced.

Using a process called flame

Atomic-absorption spectroscopy,

The soda produced a distinctive

Greenish color to the flame -- a

Positive indication that

Thallium was present.

Tests revealed that each of the

Three bottles contained more

Than a gram of thallium, enough

To k*ll an adult.

Thallium causes drinks to

Overflow, alters the color, and

Produces a noticeable sediment

On the bottom.

But the mixture found in the

Soda avoided these problems and

Was a mixture which will not be

Revealed in this program.

The fbi knew this was not the

Work of an amateur.

The sophisticated knowledge of

Chemistry, the professional

Removal and reattachment of the

Bottle caps told the fbi that

The k*ller was very smart, very

Organized, and would be very

Difficult to catch.

Narrator: when peggy carr

Slipped into a coma, her doctors

Had little if any hope for her

Recovery.

Her son and stepson were both

In serious condition but

Expected to recover.

Pye's daughter tammy was the

Only family member without

Thallium in her system.

She told police she didn't drink

The soda because she consumed

Only diet drinks.

And when thallium was found in

Pye's system, he was no longer

Considered a suspect.

With no other leads, the fbi was

Asked to provide a psychological

Profile of the poisoner.

The profiling unit believed that

The poisoner was highly

Intelligent, a white male in his

Mid-30s, who resolves conflict

Without direct confrontation.

He liked to read about m*rder,

Watch violent movies, and would

Then fantasize about committing

m*rder.

It's more of a passive type

Of person, and it's more of a

Cowardly type of crime.

You don't have to look the

Intended victim in the eye.

It's very similar to a bomber --

Very similar type of

Personality.

Narrator: the fbi suggested

Police question the neighbors,

Because whoever poisoned the

Family knew their comings and

Goings and planted the soda

Without being seen.

The carrs' only neighbor was

Dr. Diana carr, no relation to

Peggy carr, and her husband,

George trepal.

Diana carr had a master's degree

In chemistry and graduated from

Medical school as an orthopedic

Surgeon.

Her husband, george, was a

Free-lance writer for a computer

Magazine.

Both were highly intelligent and

Members of mensa, an

Organization for individuals

With iqs in the top 2% of the

Population.

Police learned that diana carr

Had a fight with peggy just a

Week before she was poisoned.

She was cussing and raving

About my two brothers having

Music on in the front yard,

Telling them to turn it down.

My mom had enough of this

Lady yelling at her, screaming

At her, cussing at her, so she

Turned around and walked off.

"I'm done talking with you."

She says, "this ain't over

Yet.

This ain't over yet."

Narrator: a background check

Revealed that trepal had been

Arrested in north carolina in

The mid-'70s for running one of

The largest methamphetamine labs

In the eastern united states.

The drug agent who arrested

Trepal called him the smartest

Chemist he had ever known.

On march 3, 1989, four months

After she was poisoned,

Peggy carr died.

It was now a m*rder

Investigation.

The sheriff's department

Assigned special agent

Susan gorek to the case.

She was asked to go undercover

To infiltrate the mensa group to

Which george trepal and

Diana carr belonged, an

Experience she vividly described

In her best-selling book

"Poison mind."

Under an assumed name and

Identity, susan gorek attended

A mensa m*rder-mystery weekend

Which george and his wife diana

Were hosting.

Before I went to the weekend,

I spoke with the people up at

The fbi behavioral science unit

To see if could get some tips on

The type of person or type of

Personality that I should

Develop if I was to meet

George trepal.

Narrator: when gorek arrived

For the weekend, she received a

Copy of the m*rder scenarios

George trepal wrote for the

Participants.

One was a m*rder by poisoning.

"Few voodooists believe that

They can be k*lled by psychic

Means, by no one doubts that he

Can be poisoned."

Narrator: susan gorek

Accomplished her mission that

Weekend when george trepal

Befriended her.

He's very intelligent.

He may be a little eccentric.

A lot of people would call him

Odd.

But because I spent so much time

With him, I got to know him, and

I did see a good side of him.

I did see a nice personality,

But I also saw a very evil side.

Oh, yes, somebody got

Poisoned next door.

Narrator: in her undercover

Role, always under surveillance,

Gorek met with trepal on

Numerous occasions, hoping to

Gather evidence of his

Involvement in the poisonings.

Their relationship led to an

Important break.

A year after peggy carr's death,

George and his wife, diana,

Moved.

They rented their old home to

George's new friend --

Susan gorek.

She moved in before all of the

Couple's belongings had been

Removed.

And when she did, homicide

Detectives moved in with her.

They searched the house and the

Shed trepal used as a workshop.

We sent everything from the

Workshop garage to the fbi

Laboratory for them to examine.

Narrator: inside one of the

Bottles, the fbi discovered

Thallium similar to the type

Found in the soda bottles in the

Carr home.

We had a lot of

Circumstantial evidence, but

This was the only piece of real

Evidence that you could actually

Put your hands on.

Narrator: the police then

Searched trepal's new home and

Discovered a notebook george

Captioned "general poisoning

Guides."

Inside were excerpts from books

Used by homicide detectives.

One was "death by poison."

Another listed details of the

Uses and defects of thallium.

George trepal was arrested for

The m*rder of peggy carr and the

Attempted m*rder of the entire

Carr family.

Narrator: police believe that

George trepal grew annoyed with

His neighbors, especially the

Children.

When the threatening letter

Failed to scare the family away,

Trepal took a more direct

Approach.

He purchased some soda and

Carefully removed all of the

Bottle caps with special tools.

His chemical knowledge led him

To choose a poison which had no

Cure or antidote -- one that

Couldn't be detected by

Conventional medical tests.

It was hauntingly similar to the

Plot he would later write for

The m*rder-mystery weekend.

"When a death threat appears

On the doorstep, prudent people

Throw out all of their food and

Watch what they eat.

Most items on a doorstep are

Just a neighbor's way of saying,

'I don't like you.

Move, or else.'"

Narrator: the carr family

Remembers drinking the soda at a

Family dinner when they had

Fried chicken.

Pye carr was drinking bourbon

And added a splash of soda from

One of the bottles.

Pye's daughter tammy was

Drinking diet soda and was the

Only family member who wasn't

Poisoned.

Peggy most likely ingested more

Soda than the others because she

Had the highest thallium levels.

After she was hospitalized, her

Condition deteriorated.

She slipped into a coma and died

Four months later.

The two boys were also

Hospitalized but recovered.

I would say that this whole

Case is science.

This case was about being able

To find the thallium in the

Washings of the empty bottles.

When coca-cola did the

Experiments, that proof was

Extremely compelling.

The science at the fbi lab -- if

You pick up those bottle caps,

You can't possibly, I don't

Think with a magnifying glass,

Find those tool marks.

And yet, they're so obvious in

The blown-up pictures that the

Fbi did.

Another thing very important

About the science was george's

Knowledge of the science and the

Amount of literature we found in

His house that backed it up.

Narrator: when trepal went on

Trial in 1991, the case against

Him was largely

Circumstantial --

Trepal's criminal history as

Head chemist for an illegal

Methamphetamine lab, the fact

That he used similar phraseology

In an interview with the police

That was used in the threatening

Letter, his authorship of the

m*rder-mystery story line

Dealing with both a poisoning

And a threatening letter, the

Bottle with thallium found in

His work shed, and the books

With information on the use of

Thallium found in his home.

The whole case is

Circumstantial.

I mean, that was my whole

Closing argument.

And the way that we approached

It because of that was to

Exclude every other person on

The face of the earth.

Narrator: the defense argued

There was no proof that trepal

Purchased the soda.

His fingerprints were not found

On the soda bottles or on the

Vial of thallium.

His lawyer also suggested that

There was reasonable doubt.

All of the evidence could also

Point to trepal's wife, diana,

Who had a master's degree in

Chemistry.

It took the jury just six hours

To reach a verdict.

George trepal was found guilty

Of all charges, and he was

Sentenced to death.

I couldn't believe it.

I honestly didn't believe it,

Because the man that I knew, you

Know, was the man -- I mowed his

Driveway because it was 2 foot

Off of our property line.

I mowed his driveway.

He always waved at me.

Sure, he was weird, and he was a

Nerd.

You know, I heard he was a

Chemical freak or whatever, but

He didn't seem capable of

m*rder -- not in my eyes.

He did the most horrible act

That I've ever seen as a

Homicide investigator -- a

Heinous act.

He k*lled one person, put her

Through t*rture before her

Death.

She was really, truly my best

Friend.

She was my maid of honor at my

Wedding.

She was the only one I had for a

Long time.

My dad wasn't always there, and

She always was.

I miss her a lot.