compiled by Patrick H. Moore
An eminent University of Pittsburgh neuroscientist, Robert Ferrante, has allegedly done a very foolish thing. According to a criminal complaint filed in July of 2013, Ferrante poisoned his wife, Autumn Klein, with cyanide. The professor, who is the head of women’s neurology at the university’s medical school, is accused of insisting that Autumn, 41, drink a creatine supplement reportedly laced with the poison that he claimed would help her conceive a second child.
Matt Kantor of Newser reported online:
Ms. Klein died three days after drinking the supplement. A bag of creatine was found next to her body on April 17. At the autopsy, the medical examiners found a lethal amount of cyanide in her body. According to a witness, when Ferrante, 64, saw her body being examined, his response “seemed fake and like ‘bad acting’.”
The police reported that when Ferrante “learned” about his wife’s death from cyanide poisoning, he asked:
“Why would she do that to herself?” and then, “Who would do this to her?”
Ferrante is a top researcher of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was arrested in West Virginia; his lawyer, however, said he was on his way to Pittsburgh to turn himself in to police. As expected, the University of Pittsburgh has placed him on indefinite leave.
Ferrante’s apparent motivation, according to a source, was the fact that Klein — who was 23 years younger than the alleged murderer — was planning on leaving him, at least in part due to his controlling nature. The source also added that Ferrante believed she was having an affair. ABC News reports that Ferrante has been charged with one count of criminal homicide.
The couple have a 6-year-old daughter.
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Naturally, one’s first response to this bizarre story is “what the hell was he thinking” and “how in the world did he think he was going to get away it?” But then upon further reflection, I am struck by the uncanny realization that intelligence, worldly achievements, and the respect of one’s peers don’t seem to count for much in an emotionally unstable individual, which appears to possibly be the case with Ferrante.
From a legal standpoint, the fact that Ferrante poisoned his wife — in the event he is convicted — will almost certainly be viewed as an “aggravating factor.” This means that should he be found guilty as charged, Ferrante will face either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Update:
Paula Reed Ward of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in July of this year that Ferrante’s defense attorneys are trying to suppress evidence seized against Robert Ferrante from his offices and computers based on the argument that search warrants obtained by the prosecution in the case were too broad to be legitimate.
The District Attorney’s office countered by telling the judge that Ferrante’s lawyers can’t even raise that argument because their client had no expectation of privacy in his University of Pittsburgh research lab to protect, because the computers were designed to be used to facilitate his research, and were not meant for extracurricular activities, which by implication would include research on poisons.
