DNA Sample Taken From Longtime Suspect in 1982 Tylenol Killings
A longtime suspect in the 1982 deaths of seven people in the Chicago area who ingested cyanide-laced Tylenol has turned over a DNA sample in response to an order to do so this week by a Massachusetts judge. It was made in response to a DuPage County, Ill., grand jury subpoena after a hearing Wednesday in Middlesex County, Mass., where the suspect lives, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The unsolved case, which created national concern and prompted new tamper-proof packaging on food and medicine, is being reinvestigated because of advances in forensic science. No suspect has ever been charged.
However, James William Lewis, 63, the man ordered to give the DNA sample along with his wife, served more than a decade in prison after being convicted of extortion for sending a letter to the manufacturer of the popular painkiller. It sought $1 million, asking the company to “stop the killing,” ABC News recounts.
Lewis denies any involvement in the murders.
A Boston Globe article provides more details.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “FBI Cites Advances in Forensic Technology in New Look at Fatal Tylenol Case”
Updated at 4:57 p.m to link to Boston Globe article.
