A forensic pathology expert told jurors yesterday antifreeze is the toxin of choice for those looking to easily kill someone, but a state police lieutenant said none was found in the home of a former Waltham man accused of poisoning his wife.
James Keown, an ex-Missouri radio host, is charged with slowly poisoning his wife with ethylene glycol. Julie Keown died Sept. 8, 2004, after her second admission to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
In the fourth day of testimony at Middlesex Superior Court, prosecution witness Alphonse Poklis, a professor of pathology at Virginia Commonwealth University, said many other poisonous substances are difficult to obtain and secretly administer to unsuspecting people.
Assistant District Attorney Nat Yeager previously said that before Julie Keown started displaying signs of antifreeze intoxication, her husband researched various poisons, including acetone, arsenic, chloroform and ethylene glycol.
Authorities say Keown spiked his wife's Gatorade with antifreeze over time.
Poklis said other poisons, such as arsenic, methanol and ricin are difficult to find. Due to more recent environmental laws, other toxins, such as chloroform, are also hard to come by. Acetone, which is commonly found in nail polish remover, has a strong odor that is not easily hidden, he said.
In contrast, ethylene glycol, which is commonly found in antifreeze, can go undetected.
"I've had reason to look at previous cases where Gatorade has been suspected or identified as a vehicle for ethylene glycol (poisoning)," Poklis said. "If you go to the store, you'll find Gatorade is available in a variety of colors."
By dumping out some green-blue Gatorade in a 32-ounce bottle and replacing it with antifreeze, the poison can easily go undetected, he said.
Poklis also told jurors he has tasted antifreeze mixed with Gatorade. The combination, he said, is sweet-tasting and inconspicuous.
"You can certainly get away with a couple of ounces mixed in there," said Poklis.
Defense attorney Matthew Kamholtz asked Poklis if ethylene glycol is really the poison of choice in murders since the side effects are usually identifiable when taken in large doses.
"Is it true that another characteristic of an ideal poison for a person who didn't want to be found out is to get the person sick in a non-specific way?" asked Kamholtz.
"There's almost no symptoms of a poison or a drug that does not mirror a natural (illness)," Poklis said. "If you have suspicion, with today's technology, you can find out about anything."
In low doses, Poklis said, ethylene glycol poisoning can look like many other illnesses.
According to the previous testimony of Dr. Hasan Bazari, who specializes in kidney diseases, antifreeze throws off the body's acidic balance. Within a few hours of ingestion, the acidity change can be found with a simple test.
As time elapses, the acidity will slowly return to normal while the ethylene glycol metabolizes and crystals begin forming in the kidney, leading to major organ failure, said Bazari.
Julie Keown was first admitted to the hospital's ER on Aug. 20, 2004, with various symptoms, including difficulty walking, slurred speech and impaired motor skills. She was released almost four days later without a concrete diagnosis, said Dr. Julia Neuringer.
Neuringer, an attending physician at Newton-Wellesley Hospital specializing in kidney diseases, told jurors Wednesday that Keown's acidity levels were not nearly as high as the other extreme forms of antifreeze intoxication she has seen before.
During a follow-up appointment when the results of a CT scan of Julie Keown's kidneys were available, Neuringer said both she and Keown were shocked to learn she had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a chronic disease that would eventually require dialysis and potentially a transplant.
Prior to her first emergency room visit to Newton-Wellesley on Aug. 20, 2004, Julie Keown's condition was undiagnosed by other doctors despite consistently abnormal urine samples, said Neuringer.
Since opening statements, defense attorney Matthew Feinberg has suggested Julie Keown committed suicide by repeatedly ingesting antifreeze.
Medical Examiner Dr. Faryl Sandler, who performed the autopsy on Julie Keown's body, said she is confident the death was a homicide, which she ruled on a year after Keown died.
But Feinberg questioned Sandler's medical investigation, suggesting that conversations with police and incident reports influenced her ruling.
"In a suicide, usually the evidence is there because there's no reason to hide it. ... The substance that the deceased took is usually there," said Sandler, who also drew her conclusions based upon Julie Keown's medical records. "This is not a painless way to (die)."
Also, according to Julie Keown's records, when asked by Neuringer if she was having suicidal thoughts, Keown said no and the doctor said Keown didn't display any signs of depression.
State police Lt. Edward Foster also testified yesterday that no antifreeze was found in the Keowns' home at 52 School Ave., or in the Keowns' SUV after police were notified of the poisoning.
