Connecticut mother used antifreeze to poison husband during custody battle, say authorities

Connecticut Mother Accused of Poisoning Husband

A Ridgefield resident, Kristen Hogan, 33, was arrested by Connecticut State Police on Friday. She faces charges of attempted murder, among others, after allegedly poisoning her husband with antifreeze during a custody dispute over their children.

On August 7, Hogan’s husband attended a court hearing regarding child custody matters; she was absent. During his wait, authorities noted he was uploading data to a Wi-Fi router at their home. Upon returning, he found Hogan was not at home.

Later that day, after consuming a small amount of wine from the fridge, he woke up around midnight feeling increasingly ill. By 6 a.m., his mother had come to assist him.

Doctors, after ruling out a stroke, suspected poisoning from ethylene glycol, the active ingredient in antifreeze. Hogan’s husband informed detectives that she had access to the house and was the last person there before he drank the wine.

Further investigations revealed that the wine tested positive for ethylene glycol. When police searched Hogan’s phone, they discovered queries about various chemicals, including monoethylene glycol. Interestingly, Hogan claimed confusion over the substances, mentioning the term “cyanide” in connection with a TV show, which seems a bit odd.

Initially, Hogan denied adding antifreeze to the wine but eventually confessed to putting ethylene glycol in it, claiming, “We didn’t intend to kill him, but we wanted him to get sick because he was mentally abusive.” Authorities also stated she attempted to make him sick on another occasion using a bottle of tea. Disturbingly, their child was hospitalized in September with similar symptoms to those of the husband.

When questioned about her motives, Hogan’s husband speculated that she aimed to gain full ownership of their house and secure sole custody of their child.