The Murder of Peggy Carr: Poisoned Coca-Cola and the Neighbor Next Door

In the fall of 1988, Peggy Carr, her son Duane Dubberly, and her stepson Travis Carr became violently ill inside their rural Florida home. The symptoms were strange and terrifying: severe nerve pain, numbness, weakness, trouble walking, and eventually, hair loss. Doctors discovered they had been exposed to thallium, a rare and deadly heavy metal. The source was even more disturbing. Someone had carefully opened glass bottles of Coca-Cola, added thallium, resealed the caps, and placed the bottles inside the Carr home. Peggy died after spending more than four months in a coma. Six other members of the household were also poisoned, including a young child. The investigation pointed to George Trepal, the Carr family's next-door neighbor. He had chemistry knowledge, a history of disputes with the family, and a bottle-capping machine in his garage. We cover the poisoning, the undercover operation that gave investigators access to Trepal's home, the trial, and the later questions about FBI testimony that did not overturn his conviction. Thank you to this week's sponsors! It’s not too late to enroll for this fall… see how K12-Powered Schools can help your child thrive, this year and beyond! Enroll online today at K12.com/moms. Treat yourself to the most advanced bras and shapewear on the market. Use our exclusive link to save 20% off Honeylove at honeylove.com/MOMS. Experience the new standard in comfort and support with Honeylove.  Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. To get your 20% off text MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. SOURCES: https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1993/77667-0.html https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1378976.html https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-11th-circuit/1606616.html https://www.leg.state.fl.us/capitalcases/inmatedetails7d85.html?IID=403 https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/special/9704a/21trepal.htm https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/345265/file/01-2267_petition.pdf https://www.flsheriffs.org/uploads/apb/ALL_POINTS_BULLETIN%2C_VOL_1%2C_NO_3%2C_1991.pdf https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/05/01/Poisoning-suspect-had-staged-murder-party/4393641534400/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/04/08/sebring-man-arrested-in-fatal-cola-tampering/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/08/26/suspect-used-poison-before-officials-say/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/05/fatal-cola-tampering-case-goes-to-jury/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/02/06/man-guilty-of-murder-in-poisoning-of-neighbors/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/03/08/family-s-bitterness-persists-despite-death-sentence-for-man/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/09/17/murder-on-the-mind/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/04/16/u-s-probe-fbi-lab-work-flawed-florida-convictions/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2000/10/27/judge-calls-fbi-agent-s-work-sloppy-but-death-verdict-stands/ https://books.google.com/books/about/Poison_Mind.html?id=jkoR8UN8-PIC https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38420185/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8249271/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices