Photo: Suffolk County DA
Renee Burke of Holbrook was in the midst of a nasty divorce and custody battle with her husband Matthew Burke when she allegedly decided to poison him, prosecutors allege,according toNewsday.
The first incident occurred on Sept. 6, after pouring himself a glass of wine, Matthew noticed something was off about the drink and described it as a “chemical taste,” Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini said outside of court Thursday.
Matthew immediately spit out the foul-tasting liquid, assuming that it had simply gone bad, Sini said.
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On Sept. 10, Matthew allegedly tasted a similar chemical taste this time, while drinking his Pepsi.
After the second encounter, police advised Matthew to set up surveillance cameras in his home.
Police arrested Renee, initially charging her with burglary. She allegedly later told police that she only added water and fruit juice to the drinks, but lab tests revealed the wine and Pepsi bottles had antifreeze in them, Sini added.
Police allege they found a bottle of pink-colored Prestone antifreeze in her kitchen during a search of her home.
Renee Googled “what liquids for cars can kill a human” before mixing Prestone antifreeze with wine and soda, Sini said Thursday.
Renee was charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted assault, second-degree burglary and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child — all of which she pleaded not guilty to. She was held on $400,000 bond.
Legal representatives for Renee did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“She has every intent to defend this in its entirety,” he said, according toThe NY Post. “This is mostly all about her children… and making sure she can continue to be a mother to those children.”
Matthew’s lawyer, Richard Stafford said outside court, according toThe New York Post. “He’s happy to get a good night’s sleep without worrying about her breaking in again. She made a cold-blooded and calculated decision to try to kill him. That’s pretty chilling.”
source: people.com
