Dr. Robert Ferrante charged in Cyanide poisoning of his wife, Dr. Autumn Marie Klein -- Pittsburgh, PA -- Found Guilty

Jurors Hear Dramatic 911 Call As Doc’s Cyanide Trial Begins (Video)

October 23, 2014 8:36 AM

Harold Hayes

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) – The trial of a University of Pittsburgh medical researcher charged with killing his neurologist wife with cyanide got underway Thursday afternoon with jurors listening to the 911 call he made when his wife collapsed.

After the judge’s initial instruction to the jury, opening statements began in the afternoon after two new alternate jurors had been selected.

Prosecutor Lisa Pellegrini told the jury Dr. Autumn Klein was unhappy with her marriage and wanted to get pregnant again so her daughter wouldn’t be alone if something ever happened to her. Her husband, Dr. Robert Ferrante, 66, was considerably older than Klein, 41, and Pellegrini said Ferrante became jealous of her relationship with a colleague.

Pellegrini said when Klein was at a conference in San Francisco, Ferrante did a computer search involving “suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge,” and “does an increased vagina size indicate your spouse is having an affair.”

Read more:

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/10/23/opening-statements-likely-in-docs-cyanide-trial/

Jurors hear doctor's dying wife on 911 recording

By Joe Mandak, Associated Press

October 23rd, 2014 @ 3:21pm



PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jurors heard from prosecution and defense attorneys — and then from the dying woman herself — as the homicide trial began Thursday for a University of Pittsburgh medical researcher charged with poisoning his neurologist wife.

Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini told the jury that 41-year-old Dr. Autumn Klein can be heard "gasping and groaning and moaning and dying" on the 911 call placed by her husband, Dr. Robert Ferrante, on April 17.

During the call, Klein's tortured breaths and moans were sometimes louder than Ferrante's pleas to the emergency dispatcher.

"Sweetheart, sweetheart, I love you very much," Ferrante is heard saying to Klein while waiting for an ambulance. "Please don't do it, please."

The 66-year-old researcher's attorney, William Difenderfer, told the jury that Ferrante didn't poison his wife and that the prosecution's medical experts "are not going to even prove that she died of cyanide poisoning."

Read more:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=157&sid=32072021&s_cid=rss-157

Thank you Alessandra for all those articles...Its a shame they are not live streaming this trial. It looks like its a good one...

Thanks again for the updates

Thank you so much AD.

Unsealed warrant in cyanide case reveals Ferrante online searches
October 24, 2014 11:20 AM


A search warrant application unsealed this morning in the case against University of Pittsburgh researcher Robert Ferrante shows that he began doing online searches related to cyanide poisoning on Jan. 8, 2013, four months before his wife’s death.

...On April 22, 2013, Mr. Ferrante Googled "medical examiner toxicology report" and "toxicology studies potassium cyanide," “detecting cyanide poisoning," and "detecting potassium cyanide poisoning."  (Note by me:  his wife died on April 20)

...Assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini said during her opening statement on Thursday that Mr. Ferrante did not learn that his wife died from cyanide poisoning until April 25 -- three days after he did the online searches about detecting cyanide.  


Read more:  http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/24/Unsealed-warrant-in-cyanide-case-reveals-University-of-Pittsburgh-researcher-Ferrante-online-searches/stories/201410240186

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case
October 19, 2014 12:00 AM

This site provides really good day-to-day details for this case.  ETA:  It also has the background of the case, as well as a who's who section.  Check back for daily updates from the trial.

Snipped:

Day 1:

The prosecution called four witnesses during the first day of the Ferrante trial Thursday. Just noting who; see details on the site:

1. Jonathan Hamburger, the 911 call-taker who answered Robert Ferrante's call
2. Gerald Moran, the security operations manager for UPMC. He pulled the video surveillance footage of Autumn Klein's last day at work on April 17, 2013.
3. Jerad Albaugh, the first paramedic to arrive at the couple's Oakland home.
4. Dr. Andrew Farkas, an emergency room physician who was the first doctor to treat Dr. Klein that night.

Day 2:  Nine witnesses called


Read more:  http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Doctors Testify On 2nd Day Of Cyanide Poisoning Trial (Video)

October 24, 2014 7:14 AM

Harold Hayes

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Day two of the trial of a Pitt researcher accused of killing his wife with cyanide is currently underway.

An emergency room doctor who treated Dr. Autumn Klein testified that when he learned after her death that high levels of cyanide were found in her blood, he immediately notified CORE, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, fearing that her donated organs might endanger organ recipients.

Dr. Thomas Martin testified that he and others tried to resuscitate Klein for hours, with no success and without knowing why she was near death.

Martin testified that doctors performed CAT scans and other tests to determine what was wrong. Brain scans proved negative and they found no evidence of a heart attack.

Klein died two days later. The report of elevated cyanide levels wasn’t available until after her death, and by then her body had already been cremated.

Read more:

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/10/24/2nd-day-of-trial-gets-underway-in-cyanide-poisoning-case/

@KathyNY and One Wonders:

Both of you are very welcome!

@CuriousPortlander:

Thank you so much for all the links and updates!

Cyanide purchase was first time Ferrante ordered an item himself, lab workers testify
October 27, 2014 4:50 PM


Two employees in Robert Ferrante’s lab said that prior to April 15, 2013, he never sought them out to make a purchase for him.

A lab manager and an administrator said when Mr. Ferrante requested an overnight purchase of cyanide bought on a university credit card, it was the first time he’d made such a request. Prior to that, purchase orders were done by Mr. Ferrante’s assistants.

Michele Perpetua, a lab manager, said Mr. Ferrante approached her the morning of April 15, 2013, and asked about how to order a chemical overnight.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/27/Expert-witness-in-Ferrante-trial-testifies-about-bottles-of-cyanide-found-in-lab-University-of-Pittsburgh/stories/201410270156

Bumping for today's update:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Pittsburgh Neuroresearcher Accused in Wife's Death Wanted 'Best and the Purest' Cyanide

Oct 28, 2014, 9:40 AM ET

By ABC NEWS via GOOD MORNING AMERICA


More ABC US news | ABC Health News

A University of Pittsburgh medical researcher made an unusual request in ordering the cyanide that prosecutors allege he used to poison his wife, two medical associates testified in the murder trial against Robert Ferrante.

Administrator Patricia Quirin testified that Ferrante had never previously asked her directly to make a purchase for him.

Additionally, Michele Perpetua, a lab manager in the Department of Neurological Surgery, said Ferrante asked her about ordering potassium cyanide, and having it shipped overnight.

“He said he wanted the best and the purest,” Perpetua testified Monday

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pittsburgh-neuroresearcher-accused-wifes-death-wanted-best-purest/story?id=26505643

Cyanide searches found on poison suspect's laptop

JOE MANDAK, The Associated Press
Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 6:59 PM  

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A medical researcher charged with poisoning his wife had a computer on which someone conducted searches relating to cyanide poisoning two or three days after she died, a state police computer expert testified Tuesday.

The searches found on 66-year-old Dr. Robert Ferrante's laptop occurred days before test results on Dr. Autumn Klein's blood revealed a fatal level of cyanide and as doctors remained baffled by her sudden death.

Earlier in the fourth day of what's expected to be a three-week trial, one of Ferrante's lab assistants testified he placed an overnight order for potassium cyanide two days before Klein fell ill in the couple's kitchen. Another lab assistant said he was acting a "little bizarre" around the time his wife fell ill.

Read more:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141028_ap_83cd4e5d98e84b6aa339102f26a23e9a.html#6AtLkL3lkR87gq7F.99

Cyanide Poisoning Trial: Ferrante Letters

Published  5:36 PM EDT Oct 28, 2014

Read more:

http://www.wtae.com/news/cyanide-poisoning-trial-ferrante-letters/29391006#ixzz3HUtCAbfY

Day 4: Oct. 28



1. Patricia Quirin, continued from Monday. She is the administrator for the Department of Neurological Surgery. On Monday, she said Mr. Ferrante's grants were coming to an end, but on Tuesday, she clarified that those were the grants from the department of neurological surgery, and that she was not aware of what, if any, grants he had from the department of neurology. (On the stand 16 minutes)

2. Lois Klein, Autumn Klein's mother. Mrs. Klein told the jury that she and her daughter had a "wonderful relationship," that she was very proud of her, and that she passionate about her work. Mrs. Klein said that her daughter met Mr. Ferrante while she was an undergrad at Amherst College in Massachusetts, and that the two dated for about six years before getting married. Mrs. Klein said that she and her husband were already planning to come to Pittsburgh on April 18 to watch their granddaughter while her daughter and Mr. Ferrante were headed to Nemacolin for the weekend. Instead, she said Mr. Ferrante called them at their Maryland home just after midnight on April 18 and told them to come to Pittsburgh immediately.

"He said something happened to Autumn, and he needed us to get there as soon as possible, that he was alone in the house with [their granddaughter]."

When the Kleins arrived at their daughter's home about 5 a.m., Mrs. Klein said no one was there. But 15 minutes later, Mr. Ferrante arrived through the front door.

"He did not see me right away," she said. "He looked fine, no problem. When he saw me, all of a sudden, he faked, like trying to make that he was teary-eyed and crying."

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Day 5: Oct. 29



1. Dr. Leslie E. Edinboro, science director for Quest Diagnostics in Chantilly, Va. Dr. Edinboro testified about the types of diagnostic testing conducted at the Virginia facility, including for cyanide. He described cyanide as a simple molecule made out of carbon and nitrogen.

"That's all it is," he said.

To test for it, he continued, a technician adds hydrogen sulfide. Then, when tested against a blood sample with cyanide in it, the solution turns red. The test used by Quest, Dr. Edinboro continued, has been around for decades.

"It's very simple, elegant chemistry, and it's used specifically for cyanide."

He compared the coloring for levels of cyanide to cherry Kool-aid, saying that the higher the amount in the blood, the redder the solution.

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Day 6: Oct. 30



1. Alesia Smith, analyst for toxicology at the Allegheny County medical examiner's office. She continued her testimony from Wednesday. She said that she tested Dr. Autumn Klein's blood on April 24, 2013, at 3 p.m., and that the blood had been collected on April 18 at 6 a.m.

"That's important," Ms. Smith said. "That's very important. The amount of time elapsed was about six days."

On cross-examination by defense attorney William Difenderfer, Ms. Smith said that for her test, all she was looking for was "a deviation in color."

The controls, she said, "demonstrate your test is working properly."

Ms. Smith said that a blood sample from Dr. Klein was sent to NMS Labs outside of Philadelphia to do a quantitative study that would produce specific numerical values.

"A very good lab?" Mr. Difenderfer asked.

"Yes," Ms. Smith answered.

She said that NMS received one blood sample but failed to get a result and requested a second one.

"They reported a positive sample," she said. "The result is listed as positive."

"This all comes down to the levels and time lapse, correct?" Mr. Difenderfer answered.

"That is correct," Ms. Smith responded.

"The number by them was toxicologically insignificant, isn't that correct?" he continued.

"You have to take into consideration the time of collection and the time of testing," Ms. Smith answered. "That sample was tested 18 days after."

Later, she said, "Time is critical. Cyanide is not stable in the blood. You have to get the test done as soon as possible."

Mr. Difenderfer then asked if NMS offered to have the sample flown to the Mayo Clinic for more exact testing.

"I didn't have anything to do with that," Ms. Smith answered.

As for NMS's failed test, she said, "I'm not sure what happened, but we didn't get a result on that. I don't know what happened with any of the sample." (On the stand 53 minutes)

2. Rafael Gelpi, a toxicologist at the Allegheny County medical examiner's office. He testified that he tested plasma collected from Dr. Klein, and that the result for cyanide was positive.

"The results were very remarkable," he said. "I've been doing this test for 23 years. It's the first time I've seen plasma react. "You can see the color change -- slightly purple."

On cross-examination, Mr. Difenderfer said he could not see a color change in the photographs of the plasma test result.

"Sir, with all due respect, I might be colorblind, but that looks yellow to me."

But Mr. Gelpi said there was a "definite" purple color to it, and that the lighting for the photograph distorted it. (On the stand 16 minutes)

3. Linay Williams, an analyst with National Medical Services Laboratory in Willow Grove, Pa. She said she received a portion of the sample of Dr. Klein's blood to test on April 27, 2013. The sample was 2 milliliters, she said, and she tested 0.5 ml. She conducted the test the same way the Allegheny County medical examiner's office did.

When asked by assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini about her results, Ms. Williams said, "I don't know.“

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Evidence photos: Cyanide poisoning trial, Day 6

Published 3:56 PM EDT Oct 30, 2014

Read more:

http://www.wtae.com/news/evidence-photos-cyanide-poisoning-trial-day-6-robert-ferrante-autumn-klein/29439900#ixzz3HgVzt9aq

The email:

https://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/friedlander-email.jpg

IMO. He mixed the cyanide into her drink telling her it might taste a bit off but it was the creatine which he felt would help promote fertility.
She had planned "time alone" with him to get pg even making arrangements for time off at work and having her parents pick up their other child. His comments of OMG to 911 tells me she was looking directly at him as she was dying and he suddenly released how much he had controlled and destroyed another person....

Question:
Is there any practical use for cyanide?
What is the life of this drug/chemical?
Why would someone have it in a lab?
I am really lost on this...

Didn't see this posted so bringing it here:



State attorney general will handle assault of Pittsburgh prosecutor
October 23, 2014 12:16 AM


"......The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office will prosecute a local restaurant owner accused of assaulting an Allegheny County homicide prosecutor over the weekend.

Ray Burg, 48, of Baldwin Borough, was arrested Saturday after assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini told Pittsburgh Police he smashed her head into an SUV dashboard multiple times and grabbed her arm when she tried to leave the car, according to a criminal complaint.

Ms. Pellegrini, the lead prosecutor on the Robert Ferrante cyanide poisoning case, described Mr. Burg — owner of Burg's in the Burgh restaurant — as her “intimate partner,” according to court documents.

The Allegheny County district attorney's office asked the attorney general's office Monday to take over the case “to avoid the appearance of any conflict,” said Mike Manko, spokesman for the district attorney’s office....."

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/10/23/State-attorney-general-will-handle-assault-of-prosecutor/stories/201410230182

Day 7: Oct. 31

1. Lyle Graber, detective with the Allegheny County District Attorney's office, continued from Thursday. Det. Graber read to the jury another email -- this one sent by Robert Ferrante to his wife, Dr. Autumn Klein, on April 16, 2013, about his wanting to accompany her on an upcoming trip to Boston.

It started, "I'm sorry, Sweetie. You seemed to be in such a great mood up until last evening. I thought it would be such a wonderful idea going to Boston together.

"We have not been back alone there. I thought it might be romantic to go to one of our old restaurants and see the sights."

It continued, "I am obviously missing something here. I'm sorry for that."

Mr. Ferrante then talked about organizing a visit with Dr. Klein's parents around Mother's Day.

"If you would like, I will not go to Boston, and I will stay home [and take care of her parents]," he wrote. "It seems obvious to me now that you want to go to Boston alone."

~Snipped~

2. Dr. Thomas McElrath, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Brigham & Womens Hospital in Boston. He testified that he knew Dr. Klein for eight years, and that they were both friends and colleagues. They collaborated on research projects, and at the time of her death, they were putting together the infrastructure for another. Dr. Klein's specialty was working with seizure disorders, and they combined forces to open a clinic treating epileptics who were pregnant, Dr. McElrath said.

He said that he and Dr. Klein attended a conference together in San Francisco from Feb. 13-16, 2013, and had attended a previous one in Atlanta.

Although the criminal complaint against Mr. Ferrante outlines text messages between Dr. Klein and Dr. McElrath, neither assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini nor Mr. Difenderfer asked about them.

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Freckles wrote:IMO. He mixed the cyanide into her drink telling her it might taste a bit off but it was the creatine which he felt would help promote fertility.
She had planned "time alone" with him to get pg even making arrangements for time off at work and having her parents pick up their other child. His comments of OMG to 911 tells me she was looking directly at him as she was dying and he suddenly released how much he had controlled and destroyed another person....

Question:
Is there any practical use for cyanide?
What is the life of this drug/chemical?
Why would someone have it in a lab?
I am really lost on this...

Hi Freckles,

I found some interesting information about Cyanide.

Here are the links:

http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Cou-De/Cyanide.html

http://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/doctrine/army/mmcch/Cyanide.htm

http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5042E/x5042E0b.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/EmergencyResponseCard_29750038.html

http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/poison-detection-resources/cyanide-poisoning/

RELATED ARTICLES:

Dr. Cyril Wecht Answers Cyanide Questions

May 6, 2013 5:10 PM

Marty Griffin

~Snipped~

Much of this evidence will at some point will be looked at by Dr. Cyril Wecht.

“The body’s been cremated,” Wecht said. “That’s regrettable.”

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.”

Read more:

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


(This was before Dr. Robert Ferrante was charged with the murder of his wife, Autumn Marie Klein.)

--------------------------------

Cyanide suspect Robert Ferrante's suicide letter discovered

June 6, 2014 11:34 PM

~Snipped~


On April 17, 2013, Mr. Kim said he assisted Mr. Ferrante at the lab "in measuring and marking two vials." He told investigators he also saw Mr. Ferrante with a zip-lock bag of creatine that day.

Investigators said that paramedics saw a similar bag of creatine in the couple's kitchen the night Klein collapsed.

According to his statement, Mr. Kim didn't see the cyanide again until May 3, 2013.

At that point, he told investigators, the seal on the bottle was broken.

In the original criminal complaint filed against Mr. Ferrante, investigators said that out of 250 grams of cyanide he purchased in the lab, approximately 8.3 grams were missing.

In his statement to detectives, Mr. Kim also talked about another chemical Mr. Ferrante used in researching Huntingdon's disease.

That chemical, 3-NP, is a neurotoxin known to make a person appear to be tired and sick.

According to the affidavit, Mr. Ferrante asked Mr. Kim to order 3-NP because what they had in the lab had lost its potency.

Mr. Kim said he ordered the chemical at least three times between March and April 2013, "but did not know how much of the 3-NP had been used in their lab studies."

"Kim was also told by Ferrante that he (Ferrante) had 'loaned' the 3-NP to University of Pittsburgh neurosurgery professor Dr. Edward Dixon. Ferrante later told Kim that Dixon returned the 3-NP to Ferrante at an unknown later date," the affidavit states.

But the affidavit continues, "Dr. Dixon was later interviewed regarding the 3-NP and stated that [he] had never asked for or received 3-NP from Ferrante, as described by Dr. Kim."

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/06/07/Cyanide-suspects-Robert-Ferrante-suicide-letter-discovered/stories/201406070049

From link given above:
http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/poison-detection-resources/cyanide-poisoning/

"....Since cyanides interfere with the absorption of oxygen and thus with the production of energy in the body, an increased exposure to cyanide will gradually show as headache, nausea, confusion, weakness, fatigue, loss of coordination, hyperventilation, cardiac arrhythmia, bradycardia, loss of consciousness and coma. Death typically occurs due to problems with the nervous system or the heart...."

Wow. Such a deadly drug in such a small package. I am stunned at how many items in our environment DO produce a form of cyanide.
I speculated plastic and it was on the list!!!

" ....3. Detecting Cyanides.

If it is suspected that a victim was poisoned by ingesting cyanide, it imperative that it will be determined QUICKLY since the poisoning effect of cyanide is very quick. To this end, Appealing products Inc., API, developed a simple, low cost kit for detecting poisons, including traces of cyanides, in 3-8 seconds in liquids such as water and in 2-8 minutes in any food. These detectors allow emergency personnel to react timely and save the victim. http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/products/. The KT-06 kit detects cyanides and up to 30 other poisons. http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/products/api-poison-detection-kit/. ....."

I gather this field test was not performed....

".....One of the antidotes used today is hydroxocobalamin, a naturally available form of vitamin B12. This compound reacts with cyanide to form cyanocobalamin, which is eliminated safely by the kidneys. The cyanide reacts with the cobalt in the hydroxocobalamin and thus consumed and becomes unavailable to react with the iron. An antidote kit based on this chemistry is sold under the brand name Cyanokit and was approved by the FDA in 2006......"

IMO He could have easily made a low grade cyanide in his own lab and NOT have been accountable for the paper tracks he created when he ordered the drug from a lab and had it shipped to the school.

Freckles wrote:From link given above:
http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/poison-detection-resources/cyanide-poisoning/

"....Since cyanides interfere with the absorption of oxygen and thus with the production of energy in the body, an increased exposure to cyanide will gradually show as headache, nausea, confusion, weakness, fatigue,  loss of coordination, hyperventilation, cardiac arrhythmia, bradycardia, loss of consciousness and coma. Death typically occurs due to problems with the nervous system or the heart...."

Wow. Such a deadly drug in such a small package. I am stunned at how many items in our environment DO produce a form of cyanide.
I speculated plastic and it was on the list!!!

" ....3. Detecting Cyanides.

If it is suspected that a victim was poisoned by ingesting cyanide, it imperative that it will be determined QUICKLY since the poisoning effect of cyanide is very quick. To this end, Appealing products Inc., API, developed a simple, low cost kit for detecting poisons, including traces of cyanides, in 3-8 seconds in liquids such as water and in 2-8 minutes in any food. These detectors allow emergency personnel to react timely and save the victim. http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/products/. The KT-06 kit detects cyanides and up to 30 other poisons. http://chemsee.com/poison-detection/products/api-poison-detection-kit/.  ....."

I gather this field test was not performed....

".....One of the antidotes used today is hydroxocobalamin, a naturally available form of vitamin B12. This compound reacts with cyanide to form cyanocobalamin, which is eliminated safely by the kidneys. The cyanide reacts with the cobalt in the hydroxocobalamin and thus consumed and becomes unavailable to react with the iron. An antidote kit based on this chemistry is sold under the brand name Cyanokit and was approved by the FDA in 2006......"

I agree. I don't think that test was performed. They sent her blood samples to an out of town lab, and even though she presented all the symptoms of Cyanide poisoning, they didn't think the results were going to be positive for Cyanide. I really don't know why.

Freckles wrote:IMO He could have easily made a low grade cyanide in his own lab and NOT have been accountable for the paper tracks he created when he ordered the drug from a lab and had it shipped to the school.

He could have done that, but it would have left a paper trail, they have to document everything that is done in the lab. He also wanted the purest form of Hydrogen Cyanide.

Pittsburgh Neuroresearcher Accused in Wife's Death Wanted 'Best and the Purest' Cyanide

Oct 28, 2014, 9:40 AM ET

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pittsburgh-neuroresearcher-accused-wifes-death-wanted-best-purest/story?id=26505643

Cyanide Poisoning Trial, Day 8: Defense witnesses attack Dr. Autumn Klein's cyanide death diagnosis

Dr. Robert Ferrante charged with homicide, accused of poisoning Dr. Autumn Klein in Pittsburgh; Follow #FerranteTrial on Twitter for updates

UPDATED 7:11 PM EST Nov 03, 2014

PITTSBURGH —The first two defense witnesses in a University of Pittsburgh medical researcher's homicide trial on Monday targeted the prosecution's central claim that the researcher purposely poisoned his neurologist wife with cyanide last year.
   
The director of a lab that tested the blood of 41-year-old Dr. Autumn Klein and a California expert on the care of poison victims both testified that they can't say with certainty that Klein was poisoned.

~Snipped~

Pellegrini rested her case after testimony by Dr. Christopher Holstege of the University of Virginia, author of the book, "Criminal Poisoning: Clinical and Forensic Perspectives."
   
Holstege testified that Klein's symptoms ruled out anything but cyanide poisoning. He based his opinion on documents ranging from police reports, records of medical treatments that Klein received after the 911 call until she died three days later, and, finally, on a lab test that found lethal levels of cyanide in blood drawn from her by physicians trying to save her life. Those results weren't until several days after she died.
   
The test that found the lethal level was conducted by Quest Diagnostics, of Chantilly, Virginia.

Read more:

http://www.wtae.com/news/cyanide-poisoning-trial-day-8-defense-to-open-case/29498762#ixzz3I9hbjJmB

Day 8: Nov. 3

1. Dr. Christopher Holstege, a University of Virginia physician and faculty member. He began his testimony by explaining to the jury what cyanide is -- a molecule of carbon and nitrogen -- and giving its history of use as a poison, including in gas chambers during World War II, with Jim Jones' cult members in the 1970s, and in the Tylenol murders in 1982.

He said repeatedly that the effects from cyanide very much depend on the dose given.

"There's a multitude of effects of cyanide on the body," Dr. Holstege said. When a person has ingested cyanide, it damages their mitochondria, causing an inability for the body to produce energy, he said. "It's like a battery losing its juice." The inability for the body to use oxygen, Dr. Holstege continued, is like suffocating.

Addressing earlier testimony during the trial, he said that cyanide can cause both a fast heart rate or a slow one, and could make a person turn bright red because the venous blood is over-oxygenated, but it can also make a person turn bluish because the blood is not pumping through the body well.

A person exposed to cyanide could drop immediately, but others, he said, could become unresponsive and altered -- not moving, but moaning.

~Snipped~

Prosecution rests in Ferrante homicide trial.



Defense witnesses begin

1. Robert Middleberg, a forensic toxicologist and lab director for NMS Labs. He explained the tests conducted by his lab in the Autumn Klein case -- including that the first test run could not be completed because a control sample failed.

“Sometimes you don’t get the result you expect,” he said. “Whether the patient sample works or not, if the controls fail, we can’t accept the result.”

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091


---------------------------------

Day 9: Nov. 4



1. Shaun Carstairs, an emergency room physician and toxicologist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. He testified as an expert in toxicology on behalf of Mr. Ferrante. Dr. Carstairs began on cross-examination by assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini.

She asked him about a business he operates offering expert testimony in emergency medicine and toxicology.

"You have a web page where you advertise to testify as an expert?" she asked.

"That's correct," he said.

"Where on there does it say you're an expert in cyanide?" Ms. Pellegrini continued.

"It does not."

Dr. Carstairs said he was being paid $500 per hour to review Dr. Klein's death and testify. He estimated he'd worked 16 to 20 hours on the case.

He also said that he only found out on Monday that Mr. Ferrante's daughter, Kimberly, is a resident at the hospital where he spends some of his time.

Dr. Carstairs said he's been involved in three or four cyanide cases, and most of those were the result of fires.

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Day 10: Nov. 5



1. Rev. Washington Jarvis, the former headmaster of Roxbury Latin School in Boston. Rev. Jarvis testified as a character witness for Mr. Ferrante, and he said he first met the man when Mr. Ferrante's son went to school at Roxbury. He described Michael Ferrante as an all-star student and athlete, who was captain of both the football and baseball teams.

Of Robert Ferrante, he said, "He was doing double duty as a parent. He was both mother and father. Michael had no mother. His mother left at 5 years old."

He described Robert Ferrante as law abiding and honest, "a person of sterling moral character." (on the stand four minutes)

2. Dr. Cyril Wecht, forensic pathologist and former Allegheny County Coroner. Dr. Wecht testified as an expert for the defense. He told the jury he was being paid $500 per hour, but that no amount of money would cause him to give an opinion he didn't believe in.

~Snipped~

Turning to Dr. Klein's case, he said, "In my opinion, the cause of death in this case is undetermined and hence the manner of death is undetermined."

"Dr. Klein had some medical problems -- she had headaches. She had episodes of light-headedness. She had ... fainting."

As for the positive cyanide tests that were returned, Dr. Wecht said, "You have very significant inconsistencies by two large national laboratories.

~Snipped~

Dr. Wecht also said that he believed it would be likely that Dr. Klein would have had some corrosion in her stomach or esophagus because cyanide is corrosive.

Then Ms. Pellegrini asked Dr. Wecht about a 1979 autopsy report he signed off on as coroner for a cyanide poisoning case.

In it, it noted that the victim's gastrointestinal track and esophagus were normal. (On the stand 1 hour, 29 minutes)

Source:

The Ferrante trial: An ongoing look inside the cyanide poisoning case

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

Ferrante unexpectedly takes the witness stand

November 5, 2014 11:06 PM

By Paula Reed Ward / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Through more than an hour of testimony expertly guided by his defense attorney, Robert Ferrante attempted to explain away each piece of the circumstantial evidence prosecutors have amassed in the homicide case against him in the death of his wife, Autumn Klein.

Googling “malice aforethought?” He did it in reference to a colleague in San Francisco who had gotten in trouble — and had a corresponding email from the same day to prove it.

Reading his wife’s email after she collapsed? He wanted to make sure that every possible medical treatment was being used to save her.

~Snipped~

How did the bottle of potassium cyanide he ordered on April 15, 2013, get moved from a researcher’s bench where he’d directed it to be placed to a lab refrigerator days later?

“I have no idea.”

What happened to the 8.3 grams of cyanide missing from the bottle?

“I have no idea.”

Why did he tell his friend his wife drank a beverage with creatine in it the night she collapsed, but then tell the jury he was unsure if she had drank anything?

“I assumed that she did.”

~Snipped~

On cross-examination by assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini, Mr. Ferrante tried to explain why he conducted Google searches for cyanide beginning in January 2013 and continuing until after his wife’s death. The early searches were related to the stem-cell project, he said. The latter ones were to figure out what happened to Dr. Klein.

~Snipped~

Ms. Pellegrini also asked Mr. Ferrante about a Google search for ”divorce pittsburgh pa,” and said, “A divorce still would have been costly for you, right?”

“If it were like the latter, I would have done what I needed to do to take care of my child,” he answered. “My previous divorce was a no-cost, no frills, everything split down the middle divorce.”

Mr. Ferrante agreed that he had about $2.5 million in assets at the time his wife died.

“I did not think that she was having an affair,” he said. “You can flirt with somebody without having an all-out affair.”

“Well, it made you jealous, didn’t it?” Ms. Pellegrini asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/public-safety/2014/11/05/Wecht-says-cause-of-death-can-t-be-determined-in-cyanide-trial/stories/201411050204

----------------------------

Defense Rests After Ferrante Takes Stand As Cyanide Poisoning Trial Continues

Dr. Wecht: M.E.'S Cause & Manner Of Death Wrong In Cyanide Poisoning Trial

November 5, 2014 8:47 AM

Harold Hayes

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) – A University of Pittsburgh medical researcher charged with poisoning his neurologist wife with cyanide last year took the stand in his own defense Wednesday afternoon.

Dr. Robert Ferrante, 66, testified that he ordered cyanide only for his research, and that his Internet searches were also related to that research, as well as trying to find answers about his wife’s death.

Read more:

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/11/05/dr-wecht-expected-to-testify-in-cyanide-poisoning-trail/

Ferrante, asked whether he poisoned wife with cyanide: 'Absolutely not'


Robert Ferrante (center), 66, makes his way to the courtroom for his homicide trial Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, at the Allegheny County Courthouse.

By Adam Brandolph and Bobby Kerlik
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, 7:33 a.m.
Updated 9 hours ago

A noted University of Pittsburgh researcher calmly told an Allegheny County jury of eight men and four women Wednesday that he had nothing to do with his wife's death.

Robert Ferrante testified in his defense on the last day of testimony in his homicide trial. Prosecutors accuse Ferrante, 66, of slipping Dr. Autumn Marie Klein, 41, a UPMC neurologist, a lethal dose of cyanide.

The prosecution and defense will give their closing arguments Thursday morning. The jury will begin deliberating about midday. The prosecution is seeking a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Read more:

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/7060348-74/ferrante-cyanide-poisoning#ixzz3IIhqiYnz

Thanks Alessandra for all the updates and links

It should be in the jury hands shortly...

Day 11: Nov. 6



http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

--------------------------------

Jury in Ferrante cyanide poisoning trial adjourns for the night

November 6, 2014 7:37 PM

By Paula Reed Ward / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The jury in the Robert Ferrante criminal homicide trial has adjourned for the night and will resume deliberations tomorrow morning.

The jury deliberated for about six hours before it informed Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning that it was done for the evening at about 6:45 p.m. It will resume its deliberations at 9 a.m. Friday.

Earlier in the afternoon, the jury asked two questions after about four hours of deliberations.

The first question was a request for a copy of the transcript of Mr. Ferrante's 911 call the night his wife, Dr. Autumn Klein, collapsed at their home on April 17, 2013.

Judge Manning told the jurors they were not permitted to take the transcript out of the courtroom, but he did have the 12-minute call played for them again, and passed out transcripts for them to follow along.

The second question, about 4:45 p.m., was a request to have the transcript of the testimony given by Jin Ho Kim, Mr. Ferrante's research associate at his University of Pittsburgh lab.

Judge Manning rejected that request, as well, saying that because every witness's testimony could not be provided for the jury, that none would be.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/11/06/Jury-hears-closing-arguments-in-Ferrante-trial/stories/201411060306

AD: Re Day 8
Couldn't calculations be given base upon the missing amount from the bottle compared against the reported symptoms husband had described to 911? Not exact but could give parameters...

@Freckles:

Day 8: Nov. 3

1. Dr. Christopher Holstege, a University of Virginia physician and faculty member. He began his testimony by explaining to the jury what cyanide is -- a molecule of carbon and nitrogen -- and giving its history of use as a poison, including in gas chambers during World War II, with Jim Jones' cult members in the 1970s, and in the Tylenol murders in 1982.

He said repeatedly that the effects from cyanide very much depend on the dose given.

"There's a multitude of effects of cyanide on the body," Dr. Holstege said. When a person has ingested cyanide, it damages their mitochondria, causing an inability for the body to produce energy, he said. "It's like a battery losing its juice." The inability for the body to use oxygen, Dr. Holstege continued, is like suffocating.

Addressing earlier testimony during the trial, he said that cyanide can cause both a fast heart rate or a slow one, and could make a person turn bright red because the venous blood is over-oxygenated, but it can also make a person turn bluish because the blood is not pumping through the body well.

A person exposed to cyanide could drop immediately, but others, he said, could become unresponsive and altered -- not moving, but moaning.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/19/The-Ferrante-trial-Inside-the-Autumn-Marie-Klein-cyanide-poisoning-case-in-Pittsburgh/stories/201410190091

-----------------------------

Cyanide suspect Robert Ferrante's suicide letter discovered

June 6, 2014 11:34 PM

~Snipped~

On April 17, 2013, Mr. Kim said he assisted Mr. Ferrante at the lab "in measuring and marking two vials." He told investigators he also saw Mr. Ferrante with a zip-lock bag of creatine that day.

Investigators said that paramedics saw a similar bag of creatine in the couple's kitchen the night Klein collapsed.

According to his statement, Mr. Kim didn't see the cyanide again until May 3, 2013.

At that point, he told investigators, the seal on the bottle was broken.

In the original criminal complaint filed against Mr. Ferrante, investigators said that out of 250 grams of cyanide he purchased in the lab, approximately 8.3 grams were missing.

In his statement to detectives, Mr. Kim also talked about another chemical Mr. Ferrante used in researching Huntingdon's disease.

That chemical, 3-NP, is a neurotoxin known to make a person appear to be tired and sick.

According to the affidavit, Mr. Ferrante asked Mr. Kim to order 3-NP because what they had in the lab had lost its potency.

Mr. Kim said he ordered the chemical at least three times between March and April 2013, "but did not know how much of the 3-NP had been used in their lab studies."

"Kim was also told by Ferrante that he (Ferrante) had 'loaned' the 3-NP to University of Pittsburgh neurosurgery professor Dr. Edward Dixon. Ferrante later told Kim that Dixon returned the 3-NP to Ferrante at an unknown later date," the affidavit states.

But the affidavit continues, "Dr. Dixon was later interviewed regarding the 3-NP and stated that [he] had never asked for or received 3-NP from Ferrante, as described by Dr. Kim."

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/06/07/Cyanide-suspects-Robert-Ferrante-suicide-letter-discovered/stories/2014060700

What are the specific signs and symptoms of cyanide poisoning?

The health effects from high levels of cyanide exposure can begin in seconds to minutes. Some signs and symptoms of such exposures are:

•Weakness and confusion
•Headache
•Nausea/feeling "sick to your stomach"
•Gasping for air and difficulty breathing
•Loss of consciousness/"passing out"
•Seizures
•Cardiac arrest

The severity of health effects depends upon the route and duration of exposure, the dose, and the form of cyanide.

Will laboratory testing assist in making treatment decisions if someone has been exposed to cyanide?

While an elevated blood cyanide concentration may indicate that someone has been exposed to cyanide, laboratory testing for cyanide exposure will not be useful in making emergency treatment decisions. A patient exposed to cyanide should not expect medical personnel to do these tests before treatment. Treatment should not be delayed if signs and symptoms are present and exposure is believed to have occurred.

http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/cyanide_general.htm

I've never heard/read that Autumn Klein's hair was tested for exposure/ingestion of Cyanide or other drugs.

I believe that before Ferrante administered to her the lethal dose of Cyanide, he had been giving her 3-NP .

"In his statement to detectives, Mr. Kim also talked about another chemical Mr. Ferrante used in researching Huntingdon's disease.

That chemical, 3-NP, is a neurotoxin known to make a person appear to be tired and sick."

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/06/07/Cyanide-suspects-Robert-Ferrante-suicide-letter-discovered/stories/201406070049

Freckles wrote:AD: Re Day 8
Couldn't calculations be given base upon the missing amount from the bottle compared against the reported symptoms husband had described to 911? Not exact but could give parameters...

I found the following:

"Effects: The organs most susceptible to cyanide are the central nervous system (CNS) and the heart. Most clinical effects are of CNS origin and are nonspecific.

"About 15 seconds after inhalation of a high concentration of cyanide vapor concentration there is a transient hyperpnea followed in 15-30 seconds by the onset of convulsions. Respiratory activity stops two to three minutes later, and cardiac activity ceases several minutes later still, or at about six to eight minutes after exposure.

The onset and progression of signs and symptoms after ingestion of cyanide or after inhalation of a lower concentration of vapor are slower. The first effects may not occur until several minutes after exposure, and the time course of these effects depends on the amount absorbed and the rate of absorption. The initial transient hyperpnea may be followed by a feelings of anxiety or apprehension, agitation, vertigo, a feeling of weakness, nausea with or without vomiting, and muscular trembling. Later, consciousness is lost, respiration decreases in rate and depth, and convulsions, apnea, and cardiac dysrhythmias and standstill follow. Because this cascade of events is prolonged, diagnosis and successful treatment are possible."

~Snipped~

LABORATORY FINDINGS

1. An elevated blood cyanide concentration: Mild effects may be apparent at concentrations of 0.5-1.0 Fg/mL, and concentrations of 2.5 Fg/mL and higher are associated with coma, convulsions and death.

2. Acidosis: Metabolic acidosis with a high concentration of lactic acid (lactic acidosis), or a metabolic acidosis with an unexplained high anion gap (if the means to measure lactic acid are not available) may be present. Because oxygen cannot be utilized, anaerobic metabolism with the production of lactic acid replaces aerobic metabolism. Lactic acidosis, however, may reflect other disease states and is not specific for cyanide poisoning.

3. Oxygen content of venous blood greater than normal. This also is because of poisoning of the intramitochondrial respiratory chain and the resulting failure of cells to extract oxygen from arterial blood. This finding is also not specific for cyanide poisoning."

See more:

http://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/doctrine/army/mmcch/Cyanide.htm

KathyNY wrote:Thanks Alessandra for all the updates and links

It should be in the jury hands shortly...

Hi KathyNY,

I really hope justice will be served. Autumn Klein did not deserve to die in such a horrific manner.  

You are very welcome!

Alessandra_Deux wrote:I've never heard/read that Autumn Klein's hair was tested for exposure/ingestion of Cyanide or other drugs.

I believe that before Ferrante administered to her the lethal dose of Cyanide, he had been giving her 3-NP .

"In his statement to detectives, Mr. Kim also talked about another chemical Mr. Ferrante used in researching Huntingdon's disease.

That chemical, 3-NP, is a neurotoxin known to make a person appear to be tired and sick."

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/06/07/Cyanide-suspects-Robert-Ferrante-suicide-letter-discovered/stories/201406070049

First, thank you so much for all these updates, Alessandra!    

Second, I finally had a chance to read through all the notes/articles, and I agree with you that he had been giving her the 3-NP, too.  When he was on the stand, he said this, which really popped out at me:  

"By January 2013, he said he was thinking about using cyanide in the stem-cell project because the 3-NP had not been working correctly.

I had gone online and found it to be a much better toxin to use in this research."

IMO, SHE was the "research project" he was referring to.  

Defense tries to poke holes in prosecution's case in cyanide poisoning
November 6, 2014 7:37 PM

Robert Ferrante’s defense attorney mocked the very idea.

How could anyone be so stupid as to plan to kill his wife with cyanide, do Google searches on the toxin, order it openly on a university credit card and then leave his thumbprint on the bottle?

“Is that something you do?” William Difenderfer asked in disgust. “Please.”

That’s exactly what you do, the prosecution responded, if you think no one will ever suspect cyanide poisoning.

“He got to be a little too smart,” said assistant district attorney Lisa Pellegrini. “What he didn’t count on was Autumn’s will to live and the heroic efforts of doctors.”

...“He picked a murder weapon that would destroy her cells and lead to a painful death,” Ms. Pellegrini said. “I submit to you he gave her that poison to drink, stood over her and watched her suffer. You heard how awful that was. Can you imagine? He never accounted for how hard she would fight for that little girl.”

...“This whole defense is about collateral journeys. Look here. Look there. Look everywhere but right there," she said, pointing at Mr. Ferrante.

“He had an answer for everything,” she said of his testimony Wednesday. “Did you listen to him when he was describing his wife’s collapse? Did you see a tear? Did he act like a grieving husband?”


Read more:  http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/11/06/Jury-hears-closing-arguments-in-Ferrante-trial/stories/201411060306

This news website is tracking the jury deliberation:  http://www.wpxi.com/

Once a verdict has come in, we can watch it here:  http://www.wpxi.com/videos/news/wpxi-live-news/vsQ2Z/

Wow, Thanks Curious

KathyNY wrote:Wow, Thanks Curious

You're welcome, Kathy!

I'm getting nervous; why is it taking them so long?  

I know there's a lot of witness testimony to review, so I hope they are just taking their time to go through it all.  I just hope it's not because they can't agree...

Keeping my fingers crossed:  

Alan Jennings @newsdog11  ·  17m 17 minutes ago

Jury delib #cyanidetrial approaching hour 12.

ETA: Follow tweets here:  https://twitter.com/newsdog11

I too am getting very nervous..I have a feeling that they'll come back this afternoon, they are sequestered and its the weekend. I just pray they don't rush the deliberations.

I believe this guy is guilty as hell...

KathyNY wrote:I too am getting very nervous..I have a feeling that they'll come back this afternoon, they are sequestered and its the weekend. I just pray they don't rush the deliberations.

I believe this guy is guilty as hell...

I have the same feeling. It's still only 3 p.m. there, so we can hope!

I think he's guilty as hell, too. Let's hope they get this right!