GUILTY PA - Husband charged in cyanide poisoning death of Dr. Autumn Klein

[jjenny]

Also, based on what we know, suicide doesn't seem at all likely. She had a great career, a child, she was trying to get pregnant, no suicide note, etc.

 

[bourne]

You'd think he would be wondering if someone poisoned her with such high levels of cyanide, wouldn't you?

It does appear that cyanimide is often used in creatine production, but even if cyanide was a by product, it seems difficult to see concetrations would be so high. Furthermore, it appears from what I have read that if you buy high quality creatine supplements then you are far less likely to get harmful byproducts.

From a Patent (~1999/2000)
"Currently, creatine is mainly prepared by chemical synthesis, i.e. through reaction of cyanamide with N-methylglycine (sarcosine)...The process for producing creatine or creatine-monohydrate according to present invention does not use cyanamide as the raw material, thus does not produce harmful by-products such as cyanide and ammonia."

http://www.google.com/patents/US6326513

From a Manufacturer:
"Creatine is a white, flavorless, odorless fine powder. It is produced from cyanamide and sarcosinate using the “cyanamide route” in a patented manufacturing process. Creatine can contain the impurities creatinine, dicyandiamide, and dihydrotriazine derivatives, and diligent checks for their presence need to be performed during the creatine manufacturing process....At AlzChem, the quality of our creatine is an important safety factor. We produce the cyanamide here at our site, and the sarcosinate is purchased from a certified German manufacturer.

http://www.creapure.com/en/creapure-in-athletics/manufacturer/quality-management

Research Abstract on NIH (2001)
"A major point that related to the quality of creatine monohydrate products is the amount of creatine ingested in relation to the amount of contaminants present. During the industrial production of creatine monohydrate from sarcosine and cyanamide, variable amounts of contaminants (dicyandiamide, dihydrotriazines, creatinine, ions) are generated and, thus, their tolerable concentrations (ppm) must be defined and made consumers known."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11317142

BBM. Yes, precisely -- which begs the question, why would the hubby be so intent on Dr. Wecht proving that high doses of creatine caused cyanide poisoning in his wife instead of questioning whether someone had intentionally/inadvertently poisoned his wife with cyanide itself?

It appears that the hubby is trying to make the claim that the wife poisoned herself with an overdose of creatine. In other words, that she accidentally committed suicide. This I find to be ridiculous and bogus given the biochemistry of the substances involved. The hubby, a neurologist who presumably knows chemistry and science, of all people would know how absurd that claim is. SMH

 

[colette]

Investigators removed three vacuum cleaners, a computer tower, and even towed the couple's cars as neighbors still worked to process Klein's sudden death. FBI has not ruled suicide out but family says no.

"We cannot imagine someone harming our daughter, but from what we're told, she could not have harmed herself," Dr. Autumn Marie Klein's parents, William and Lois Klein told ABC News in a prepared statement.



http://abcnews.go.com/US/pa-doctors-parents-harmed/story?id=19108708#.UYWDNk3D85s

 

[time]

Investigators removed three vacuum cleaners, a computer tower, and even towed the couple's cars as neighbors still worked to process Klein's sudden death. FBI has not ruled suicide out but family says no.

"We cannot imagine someone harming our daughter, but from what we're told, she could not have harmed herself," Dr. Autumn Marie Klein's parents, William and Lois Klein told ABC News in a prepared statement.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/pa-doctors-parents-harmed/story?id=19108708#.UYWDNk3D85s

Wow... sounds like they are being quite thorough and I would have to say they are looking at hubby as part of that and for any other clues.

 

[colette]

Autumn walked home from work that day. Maybe it was the husband that said she "felt sick" that day. It seems to me she might get a ride home if she was sick.
Also checking for cyanide is not usually done.

“You have to have some indication,” Fochtman said. “I don't think there's going to be any outward physical signs unless someone smelled her breath — there's that (cyanide) characteristic of almond odor. Other than that, who is going to think of running a cyanide test?”

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3959594-74/cyanide-fbi-klein#axzz2SMcIdrAF

 

[time]

Here's a case where a doctor poisoned his wife with cyanide:

Assistant County Prosecutor Steven Dever said in his opening statements Monday that Rosemarie Essa was headed out the door to spend time with a friend Feb. 25, 2005, when her husband handed her a calcium supplement laced with cyanide. She took the pill and began to lose consciousness on her journey, crossing the median and clipping another car on Wilson Mills Road in Highland Heights.

Dever told jurors that Yazeed Essa expected his wife's car accident to camouflage his crime. But Rosemarie Essa was pronounced dead within the hour at Hillcrest Hospital, despite having suffered no injuries in the accident.

Balraj described for jurors how cyanide works on the human body. The poison is a chemical asphyxiant, she said. It bonds to the nucleus of tissue cells in the body, particularly those of the brain, and starves them of oxygen. As the poison takes hold, the victim vomits, has trouble breathing and becomes anxious. The skin tone appears pink, and the body often wreaks of the bitter odor of burnt almonds -- especially upon opening the body cavities during autopsy, Balraj said.

Defense attorney Mark Marein, during his cross examination, asked Balraj whether she believed that a trained physician, who knows the distinctive and recognizable symptoms of cyanide poisoning, would be taking a huge risk in using the poison to murder.

Balraj said not everyone can smell the odor, and many of the other symptoms are characteristic of other disorders.

The coroner said her staff spent the first few weeks after Rosemarie Essa's death ruling out causes of death including diseases, alcohol or drug overdose.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/01/coroner_describes_death_by_cya.html

 

[jjenny]

Yes, someone giving a victim cyanide might be expecting to get away with it due to tests not being done. I wonder what made them think to test her for cyanide? Sounds like for quite a while, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Her organs were donated-I hope any receipients didn't get sick from cyanide, if the organs were actually transplanted.

 

[1&2&3]

Husband did not want another child! He was chicken sh** and would not speak up to wife. Check into husband and see what he is hiding beyond poisoning his wife. It is obvious he is hiding more! JMO

 

[time]

A short video about the case, shows Klein in a previous interview. There is a partial transcript of the report below the video.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/doctor-allegedly-poisoned-cyanide-19099316

"You could put it on food or in a capsule. A size of a capsule is enough to kill somebody."

 

[time]

I am finding this whole article very interesting and a bit curious - there is quite a bit more, I just felt I had reached my quoting maximum!

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...weigh-in-on-cyanide-poisoning-finding-686296/

"If you have reason to believe ... that drugs may have been involved [in a mysterious failure of health], then you would move toward a drug screening," said Cyril Wecht, the former Allegheny County coroner. "But I do not believe that you would be doing a cyanide test. I don't believe that is going to be ordered, that anybody is going to be thinking about cyanide."

Dr. Wecht said he has been hired by Jerry Johnson, the attorney representing Robert J. Ferrante, Dr. Klein's husband. Neither Mr. Johnson nor Mr. Ferrante could be reached Saturday.

...As a patient clung to life, as Dr. Klein did throughout April 18 and 19, the likelihood of cyanide being the culprit would wane, added Dr. Edberg, now a forensic pathology consultant. "I'm really puzzled why she lived that long with cyanide in her blood," he said.

Would doctors call the police if they found toxins or were just flummoxed?

"Leaving out trauma, and even if you found drugs, you don't notify law enforcement in my opinion," Dr. Wecht said. "If you find a toxic substance, you might report that to the police."

Dr. Edberg countered that police can be brought in prior to death.

"If you start thinking about poisons, then you would call in law enforcement," he said. "You'd want to know what's contained on the scene" where the ailment was first noted.

Also...

A UPMC spokeswoman declined to say when or whether doctors at UPMC Presbyterian conducted a cyanide test, citing the ongoing investigation.

Dr. Williams declined to talk about the specifics of the case, but said it would be very unusual for his office -- or for police -- to become involved prior to death, absent obvious indications of criminality.

...Dr. Williams said that the office doesn't stop a cremation unless it has a reason to. He would not discuss when or how that sign-off occurred in Dr. Klein's case.

 

[time]

Investigators said they are treating the "highly suspicious" death of a Pittsburgh doctor from apparent cyanide poisoning as a homicide.

Investigators said it would take a few weeks for test results to confirm cyanide poisoning but the initial investigation showed indications of toxic levels of cyanide in the bloodstream of Dr. Autumn Klein, who died last month, WPXI-TV, Pittsburgh, said.

"I do not believe this could have been an accident," said Rick Lorah, forensic supervisor for the medical examiner. "The death of this 41-year old physician is highly suspicious."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013...h-if-Pittsburgh-physician/UPI-59951367681199/

 

[jjenny]

Sounds to me like they first ruled out all natural causes then moved onto screening her blood for poisons. Body is cremated but they removed organs for translplanation. If they haven't transplanted the organs, at least they can test the organs. And I would think that after they found out about cyanide poisioning they stopped the transplants (assuming they were not already carried out).

 

[oh_gal]

This story is not just in daily mail.

"The medical examiner's office has reportedly issued subpoenas to the university to gain insight into the movement of chemicals, including cyanide, in and out of the lab. CBS Pittsburgh reports search warrants are specifically being used to obtain cyanide from the lab where Ferrante works."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...ittsburgh-doctor-dead-from-cyanide-poisoning/

No, I realize it's just not in the Daily Mail. I was just intrigued by the fact that the Daily Mail seems to be cited in OP's for stories here (i.e. they seem to be the source of a lot of the stories we cover here, or at least the stories I am logging into!).

 

[colette]

Article talking about 911 call:

The call-taker wrote that Mr. Ferrante, a professor of neurological surgery, told dispatchers he thought his wife might be having a stroke and that "about 10 minutes ago" she began "just staring off into space."

A medic unit was dispatched at 11:56 p.m. and a note made in the system at 11:57 p.m. says, "Female is groaning right now ... is conscious and breathing."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...-call-for-ailing-doctor-686204/#ixzz2SWnxjot5

Also in article there is info about donation of organs and cyanide. I wonder if she really would be able to moan or stare into space after that very large dose of cyanide.

 

[AlwaysShocked]

I too suspect the husband. The thing that gets me about these murderers is that in all of their "brilliance" they always seem to overlook the idea that anyone would actually suspect them of doing something like this.

That doctor in Cleveland who killed his wife using cyanide actually left the bottle of altered pills sitting in the cabinet of their home. When police executed a search warrent weeks later they were still there!

Re: Autopsy here in Allegheny County, (Pittsburgh) Pennsylvania
Autopsy is mandatory in the case of an unexplained death, which this was. Also I was personally told by the Medical Examiner that they do a tox screen at EVERY autopsy. But a normal tox screen would not include a screen for cyanide.

Since she was an organ donor, they would likely still have had access to things like bone and skin from her. (Unlike heart, lungs, liver, these items are "banked" for future use.)

Sounds like several things screwed up what I believe was hubby's plan.
1.) She did not die right away, living long enough for lots of tests to be run. If she had just died outright, he might have gotten away with it.
2.) She was an organ donor. I wonder if he knew this? Wonder if he tried to object to it?

Sure sounds like no time was wasted in having her cremated! Around here lots of people have a loved one embalmed, have funeral home viewings, then have body cremated.

 

[time]

Article talking about 911 call:

The call-taker wrote that Mr. Ferrante, a professor of neurological surgery, told dispatchers he thought his wife might be having a stroke and that "about 10 minutes ago" she began "just staring off into space."

A medic unit was dispatched at 11:56 p.m. and a note made in the system at 11:57 p.m. says, "Female is groaning right now ... is conscious and breathing."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...-call-for-ailing-doctor-686204/#ixzz2SWnxjot5

Also in article there is info about donation of organs and cyanide. I wonder if she really would be able to moan or stare into space after that very large dose of cyanide.

I think one symptom of cyanide poisoning is seizure.

Earlier though, this was reported:

"Dr. Autumn Marie Klein collapsed at her home in Oakland and died Saturday at UPMC Presbyterian, her death was first reported as a possible heart attack....

Sources tell the KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that her husband, Dr. Robert Ferrante called 911 and reported that his wife had a heart attack on April 20th."

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013...ng-upmc-doctors-death-from-cyanide-poisoning/

"Dr. Robert Ferrante called 911 April 20 to report that Klein, his wife, had a heart attack."

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/...rom-md-myseriously-dies-of-cyanide-poisoning/

Could be the media was wrong and it was just copied.

 

[toscaxyz]

In the Chicago Tylenol murders, I recall that one of the early hypotheses was that someone had scattered tainted Tylenol bottles in various stores as a way of making it seem like it was a random act when in fact one of the victims was the intended target, the others just there to confuse the investigation. IIRC, the earliest victims weren't immediately determined to be cyanide deaths. It was only after a family member of oneo f the later victims took Tylenol from the same bottle after the funeral that the connection was made.

I wonder if authorities have looked for other unexplained deaths around the time of the doctor's falling ill. It does seem likely that authorities rarely suspect cyanide poisoning right away, even less so in her case because she lived for a few days before dying.

 

[time]

You'd think hubby might also question something like the Tylenol murders. I get the feeling from the following words by Cyril Wecht that hubby might be promoting the suicide theory (whereas the other theory he may be promoting is accidental death due to creatine).

Robert ferrante has hired world-renowned pathologist cyril wecht to conduct his own investigation. He points out some people use cyanide to kill themselves. This is not a common way of suicide, though 70% of cyanide deaths are suicides.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/poi...mplicate-19116222?tab=9482931&section=1206833


I'm not sure stats on the use of cyanide are too meaningful since death by any cyanide is so unusual.

Cyanide deaths gruesome but rare

John Trestrail, a pharmacist who specializes in studying criminal poisoning cases, said that in his database of known poisoning homicides, cyanide made up only 8 percent of the cases, and that over a 20-year period in the United States, all types of poisoning comprised less than two-tenths of 1 percent of total homicides.

Cyanide is used for suicides more often than homicides, he and other experts said, but even there, one 10-year study in New York City found that out of about 6,500 suicides, only 17 involved cyanide.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/03/cyanide-deaths-gruesome-rare

 

[1&2&3]

The call-taker wrote that Mr. Ferrante, a professor of neurological surgery, told dispatchers he thought his wife might be having a stroke and that "about 10 minutes ago" she began "just staring off into space."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...-call-for-ailing-doctor-686204/#ixzz2SZ2s8CNY

BBM

By him saying "about 10 minutes ago" my guess is it was longer than that and he was both shocked and scared that she wasn't dead! She wasn't playing by the rules that she should be dead in a set amount of time for the amount of cyanide he had given her!

With her walking home from work, who else could have given her something that is fast acting? If it was a co-worker, she would never made it home.

I am not familiar with fertility drugs other than in some cases one takes pills and gives themselves injections. Could husband have put the cyanide in the liquid for the injection? She came in from work and he gave her the injection - a regular nightly routine?

 

[time]

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/05/06/dr-cyril-wecht-answers-cyanide-questions/

Wecht has not looked at the case yet, can not talk specifics, but he can talk about cyanide. If someone ingests a small amount — about the size an aspirin, maybe two — death comes quickly.

“If you take, let’s say enough, three, four hundred milligrams,” he said, “you probably will die quickly.”
He said it would only take a minute or two.

Regarding this case, there has been talk that Klein was taking the supplement creatine, that it produces an amount of cyanide in the body.

Dr. Wecht addressed the creatine issue.

“There might be a small amount of cyanide formed from keratin, but not a large amount,” Wecht said. “You’d have to be taking huge, huge quantities of creatine.”

Wecht also suggest that cyanide is very difficult to come by.

“I think that you would have to have a commercial laboratory of some kind,” he said. “I think you would have to be registered, or have an industrial complex that buys industrial cyanide and so on.”