A 51-year-old Wisconsin woman is facing over a decade behind bars for poisoning her 71-year-old veterinarian husband by spiking his coffee with animal euthanasia drugs multiple times shortly after the two tied the knot, causing him to slip into a coma.
Amanda Chapin on Friday, June 21, pleaded no contest to one count of felony first-degree reckless endangering safety of Gary Chapin, according to court records obtained by Law & Crime.
Amanda had initially been charged with first-degree attempted intentional homicide in connection with the poisoning but pleaded to a lesser charge after reaching a deal with prosecutors in the Lafayette County District Attorney's Office earlier in the week.
Amanda Forged Son's Signature, Demanded Gary to Amend House Deed so She Would be Sole Inheritor if He Died
As previously reported, authorities believe that Amanda used animal euthanasia drugs that she stole from her husband — a veterinarian — to spike his coffee at least three times between July 2022 and August 2022. The third and final dosing reportedly put Gary in a coma that lasted for four days.
According to authorities, the couple tied the knot in March 2022 and Amanda almost immediately forged the signature of Gary's son to give herself power of attorney and then demanded that her husband amend the deed to his house to ensure that she would be the sole homeowner in the event he died, Milwaukee Fox affiliate WITI reported.
Amanda Poisoned Gary Weeks After He Amended the House Deed
Just over two weeks after her husband amended the house deed, prosecutors say Amanda began giving him the poison. Blood tests performed after Gary went into a coma on Aug. 21, 2022, reportedly came back positive for the barbiturate drugs he used in his practice to euthanize animals.
Per the Journal, Gary initially suspected something was wrong in July 2022 when he began experiencing symptoms similar to vertigo. Amanda Chapin tried to convince him that he was having a stroke. He had a similar experience about two weeks later. After the third poisoning, Gary reportedly told authorities that he only remembered having his morning coffee and then waking up four days later.
Amanda reportedly waited about three hours before calling 911.
Gary's Son Filed Restraining Order Against Amanda After He Suspected Something Wrong
Immediately following the coma, Gary Chapin's son filed a restraining order against Amanda, suspecting she had been the cause of his father's ailing health.
Investigators reportedly found that only a few hours after Gary fell into the coma, Amanda logged into his personal email account and began forwarding his conversations with his attorney and his children to herself.
Despite a court order prohibiting her from contacting her husband, Amanda Chapin on Sept. 1, 2022, sent Gary a suicide note via email in which she vehemently denied poisoning him, claiming his children were trying to "destroy" her.
"The only thing I am guilty of is loving you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH," she reportedly wrote in the email. Amanda survived the suicide attempt and Gary Chapin filed for divorce the following day, records show.
Following the plea hearing, Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Barbara W. McCoy ordered a investigation and scheduled Amanda Chapin's sentencing hearing for July 25. She is facing a maximum penalty of 12.5 years in a state correctional facility.
