What happened?
RIDGEFIELD, Connecticut — A 33-year-old mother is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly trying to poison the father of her child by spiking his wine with antifreeze, according to Connecticut State Police.
Kristen Hogan, of Ridgefield, was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of interference with an officer. She is accused of pouring ethylene glycol, a toxic chemical found in antifreeze, into a bottle of wine that the victim later drank.
The incident
Police said the 34-year-old male victim became violently ill after drinking the tainted wine at his home in early August. He was later hospitalized, where tests revealed the presence of ethylene glycol in his system — a substance that can be fatal if untreated.
According to an affidavit obtained by ABC News, the victim recalled that the wine had originally been opened during a family dinner days earlier. On August 10, he drank from the same bottle again, only to wake up repeatedly through the night feeling sick.
The next morning, his mother rushed him to the hospital after finding him vomiting and unable to speak clearly. Doctors initially believed he was suffering a stroke before confirming signs of antifreeze poisoning. He was placed on dialysis and admitted to the ICU.
Investigation and motive
Authorities said the victim suspected Hogan because her phone had connected to his home Wi-Fi shortly before he fell ill, and she was the last person at his residence before he drank the wine. Investigators later found internet searches on Hogan’s phone for “lethal amounts of poisons” and “how much mono ethylene glycol would kill you.”
A lab report confirmed that ethylene glycol was present in the wine. Police said Hogan admitted to pouring the chemical into the victim’s drink, claiming she “never intended to kill him” but wanted to make him sick “as payback for being mentally abusive.”
She also allegedly confessed to putting a “very small amount” of the same substance into his iced tea on another occasion.
Court appearance and defense
Hogan’s attorney, Mark Sherman, said in a statement that it was “premature to comment on any specifics” and described his client as “a loving mother who misses her children dearly.”
Hogan’s bail was set at $1,000,000, and she is scheduled to appear in court Thursday at 10 a.m.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that ethylene glycol ingestion can cause serious or fatal poisoning if left untreated.
