Retired school teacher, 64, is charged with murdering her boyfriend

Retired school teacher, 64, is charged with murdering her boyfriend by poisoning his coffee shakes with antifreeze

A woman has been charged in the murder of her boyfriend last month, after being accused of secretly spiking the deceased’s drinks with antifreeze
Judy Church, 64, stands accused of killing 55-year-old Leroy Fowler by dishing him the fatal dose of ethylene glycol on the night of November 11, cops say
A ret-red Massachusetts schoolteacher, appeared briefly in court on Friday, one day after she was arrested on suspicion of the apparent poisoning

A woman has been charged in the murder of her boyfriend last month, after being accused of secretly spiking the deceased’s drinks with antifreeze.

Judy Church, 64, stands accused of killing 55-year-old Leroy Fowler by dishing him the fatal dose of ethylene glycol in a coffee-flavored shake he ingested on the night of November 11, cops say.

A retired Massachusetts schoolteacher, Church appeared briefly in court on Friday wearing a Boston College hoodie, one day after she was arrested. The appearance saw her denied bail and ordered back in court for next month.

The charge comes as police in the small beach town aired beliefs that Fowler was poisoned with ethylene glycol, an industrial compound commonly found in in the engine coolant. Antifreeze is often used in poisonings due to the fact it can be unknowingly ingested because of its syrupy texture and sweet flavor.

Judy Church, 64, stands accused of killing 55-year-old Leroy Fowler by dishing him the fatal dose of ethylene glycol in a coffee-flavored shake she made for him the night of November 11

Unidentified containers that resemble the deadly substance were seen on surveillance footage around Church’s apartment where she lived with Fowler.

Fowler died two days after exhibiting symptoms he had been poisoned, during which time he was transferred to three different hospitals in the Northeastern part of the state for care.

However, after nearly 48 hours trying to heal the middle-aged victim, doctors’ efforts fell short, with Fowler succumbing on November 13. He left behind a sister, a son, and an eight-year-old grandson, who relatives said he constantly spent time with.

Aside from the unconfirmed bottles found at Church’s, details surrounding Fowler’s death – as well as the two parties involved – are sparse.

Court records obtained by NBC Boston revealed Fowler had told ‘two family members’ that he thought Church might be poisoning him through a coffee shake she often made him.

In a statement, The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said Church called 911 around 8 pm to report that her boyfriend was in ‘medical distress.’

Court records further revealed that Church, during her flame’s final moments, tried to convince doctors that she should be his healthcare proxy.

State Police said they found a bottle of orange de-icer – a chemical spray used to melt ice and snow from car windows – near a bottle of sports drink at Church’s residence after her arrest. They believe she used it to poison Fowler

Doctors at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, however, denied that request.

Fowler’s son, also named Leroy, later told detectives that Church had taken a life-insurance policy out in his father’s name about a year ago.

Leroy – who remembered his father Friday to the Daily Beast as ‘a good man who ‘loved his children and loved his grandkids’ – conceded, however, that he has no proof of the alleged policy.

‘He was just a good guy man,’ Fowler wrote to the outlet after declining an interview. ‘Not perfect but he was a good guy.’

He added that Church- – who called the 911 the night of the murder to dispatchers ‘my boyfriend must have ingested something’ – at one point worked as a retired school teacher, but would specify where or during which span when asked.

In a post to Church’s Facebook following news of her arrest broke out Thursday, Leroy, including a screenshot of a news story about the arrest, penned a cryptic caption to his father’s alleged killer: ‘Cats out of the bag now. I had to stay quiet but not anymore.. time to pay the piper!’

Fowler’s stepson, meanwhile, told investigators that Fowler suggested ‘out of the blue’ that Church was poisoning him just two weeks before – something the victim’s sister Tammy Carbone, said she’d dismissed as a joke.

Court records alleged Church, during her flame’s final moments, tried to convince doctors that she should be his healthcare proxy. She was denied bail and is due back in court next moth

Telling investigators that Fowler suggested ‘out of the blue’ that Church was poisoning him, Fowler’s stepson, Michael Hawkins, told cops that Fowler, while fighting off the poison in one of the three hospitals.

Cops also said that Hawkins divulged to them that Fowler was known to ‘go back and forth’ between Church and a second girlfriend.

Fowler also said – according to his stepson – that the then alive victim ‘”felt better”‘ when not at Church’s home, and that he relied on her for most of his meals.

Church was arrested Thursday afternoon by the state police’s ‘Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section’ after an autopsy found that Fowler was murdered, and cops ruled Church the case’s sole suspect.

During the ensuing investigation, Carbone confided to cops that her brother said Church might be contaminating the coffee shakes she had come to frequently make for him.

Cops also said that Hawkins divulged to them that Fowler was known to ‘go back and forth’ between Church and a second girlfriend

The arrest came more than a month after Fowler’s death, and has rocked the normally quiet beach community on the Bay State’s northeastern-most tip.

Aside from Fowler’s son, several citizens who loved Fowler took to Church’s Facebook page to air messages of anger.

‘MURDERER,’ one user wrote Thrusday night as news of Church’s news arrest spread.

Someone else noted: ‘She was arrested today for first degree murder so don’t feel to sorry for her. Maybe feel sorry for the grand kids [sic] that he was taken from.’

Tammy Fowler Carbone wrote : ‘I can’t wait to see her face tomorrow when she can’t walk out. To think she thought she could get away with it.’

After her arrest, Church was interrogated by police, and told officers she had been in a relationship with Fowler since 2012

She also seemed familiar with the medical terminology surrounding Fowler’s condition, with one officer noting, ‘I asked her how she knew so much about his diagnosis and she stated that she used Google frequently to search the internet

Court documents revealed that hospital staff came to the conclusion that Fowler’s kidneys were failing due to antifreeze poisoning, which prompted family members to alert police.

After her arrest, Church was interrogated by police, and told officers she had been in a relationship with Fowler since 2012.

‘[Church] stated that she had communicated with the decedent’s daily about poisoning him through the use of her phone in a joking manner.’

When questioned about her ex-‘s families claims regarding the poisoning, Church went on to insist they used to watch true crime documentaries together and she joked about poisoning him.

Fowler’s son told detectives that Church had taken a life-insurance policy out in his father’s name about a year ago. Their investigation is still ongoing

During the interview, State Police were searching the apartment and found a bottle of orange de-icer – a chemical spray used to melt ice and snow from car windows – near a bottle of sports drink.

Police are now investigating whether Church spiked the sport drink with the de-icer.

On Church’s phone, cops said they also found 13 videos, all taken from 7:29 to 7:59 a.m. on the morning of the murder.

The clip reportedly shows Fowler in anguish and thrashing about in the bedroom.

Officers remarked in a criminal complaint against that the alleged femme fatale offered ‘no medical aid until 7:59 a.m. when she asks Leroy if she should call an ambulance and Leroy confirms he wants an ambulance.’

The case is currently ongoing. Judge Allen Swan scheduled Church’s next hearing for January 23. She will remain incarcerated until then.

Source: Read Full Article