North Carolina Restaurant Owner Faces Murder Charges
A restaurant owner in North Carolina was taken into custody on Friday, facing two murder charges. One charge relates to the suspected poisoning of his daughter during a Thanksgiving dinner, while the second concerns a man who perished in a house fire around two decades ago.
During a bail hearing on Tuesday, investigators revealed that the alleged perpetrator’s mother might be connected to yet another unexplained death.
Gudrun Kasper Leinenkugel, 52, is accused of murdering her daughter in November by administering poisoned wine, which also made another daughter and her boyfriend ill, according to prosecutors.
The victim, Leela Revis, reportedly shared a tainted bottle of wine with her sibling and the boyfriend during a Thanksgiving gathering attended by twelve family members. Notably, Kasper Leinenkugel and nine other attendees opted to avoid the wine.
According to court documents, all three victims felt immediately unwell after the meal. Tragically, Mr. Revis passed away on December 1st.
The investigation, spearheaded by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office with state law enforcement’s assistance, emerged following the unusual circumstances surrounding Revis’s death.
Authorities found that the wine consumed contained acetonitrile, a colorless liquid found in some batteries that can transform into cyanide as it ages.
Kasper Leinenkugel’s internet search history included inquiries like, “what happens if you accidentally ingest acetonitrile” just before Thanksgiving.
As deputies delved deeper into the case regarding the mother’s death, they discovered evidence purportedly linking her to the cold case of Michael Schmidt, who lost his life in a house fire in 2007.
Reports indicate that state prosecutors believe Kasper Leinenkugel might be implicated in other mysterious deaths that are still being investigated, though specifics remain under wraps.
Kasper Leinenkugel was known locally for owning a now-closed restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, inspired by the pub culture from her upbringing in Germany.
As noted in previous profiles, she claimed to have launched six establishments across the United States and even a laundromat, while also mentioning family ties to the Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Wisconsin.
Charges against her include two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, and three counts of distributing prohibited food and beverages, as stated by the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation.
At a hearing on Tuesday, she was denied bail, with the state indicating that she might face the death penalty.
Additionally, North Carolina officials are advocating for the reinstatement of the death penalty under “Irina’s Law,” named in honor of a Ukrainian refugee murdered by a serial killer with schizophrenia. This proposed law aims to broaden execution methods, potentially including firing squads and electric chairs, moving beyond the current reliance on lethal injection.
