FBI Cites Advances in Forensic Technology in New Look at Fatal Tylenol Case

The FBI searched the suburban Boston home yesterday of a man convicted of extortion in the 1982 Tylenol killings, hauling away five boxes and a Macintosh computer.

James Lewis lived in the condo since around 1995 when he was released from prison, the Boston Globe reports. He served a sentence of more than 11 years for writing a letter to Tylenol's manufacturer demanding $1 million "to stop the killing," according to the Chicago Tribune. Lewis was a suspect in the seven Tylenol deaths but he was never charged.

An FBI statement said the agency was conducting a complete review of the evidence in the case that was prompted in part by the 25th anniversary of the crime in 2007. The publicity had prompted many people to call in tips, according to the statement published by the Associated Press. “Further, given the many recent advances in forensic technology, it was only natural that a second look be taken at the case and recovered evidence.”

The FBI did not mention Lewis in its announcement.

After his release from prison, Lewis started a computer programming business, the Globe says. A website for one of his companies links to a page containing a “bizarre five-paragraph statement” that refers to "the curse of being labeled the Tylenol Man,” according to the Tribune. He also posted a message to his website in 2007 promising to address the controversy.

“After 25 years of cringing in fear, I am tired of hiding in silence,” the message said, according to the Globe account. “I will not run and hide any more. I will now face this controversy head on."