If you're thinking of marrying a biochemist

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a criminal case involving a biochemist who was convicted of murdering her husband. Participants reflect on the actions taken by the biochemist, the methods used, and the implications of her profession in relation to the crime. The conversation includes elements of speculation about the choices made in the crime and the use of chemical substances.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes the biochemist's method of murder as "unimaginative" given her scientific background.
  • Another participant reflects on their own experience with hydrochloric acid in a high school chemistry lab, suggesting familiarity with the substance.
  • A different participant emphasizes that the danger of hydrochloric acid depends on its concentration, implying that the specifics of the acid used could affect the situation.
  • Another comment points out the availability of various subtle poisons, questioning why the biochemist chose a more direct and violent method instead of a less detectable one.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the actions of the biochemist, with some questioning her choices and others commenting on the nature of the crime itself. There is no consensus on the implications of her actions or the appropriateness of her methods.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not delve into the legal or psychological aspects of the case, nor do they explore the broader implications of a biochemist committing such a crime. The discussion remains focused on the specifics of the incident and the reactions to it.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring the intersection of science and criminal behavior, as well as individuals curious about the public perception of professionals in STEM fields in relation to ethical conduct.

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Think twice.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2007/12/12/4721388-ap.html

LOS ANGELES - A biochemist who killed her husband by knocking him out and pouring hydrochloric acid on him was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder.

A Superior Court jury found Larissa Schuster, 47, of Clovis, guilty of murdering Timothy Schuster with the special circumstance that the murder was committed for financial gain. His half-dissolved body was found a few days after his 2003 death in a barrel that was inside a storage unit that his wife had rented.

Schuster was expected to be sentenced Jan. 16 to life in state prison without possibility of parole.

Defence lawyer Roger Nuttall declined to comment to The Fresno Bee after the hearing. A call to his office by The Associated Press seeking comment after the verdict was not immediately returned.

The trial began in October; it was moved to Los Angeles after a judge ruled there was too much media attention in Fresno County to guarantee a fair jury.

The Schusters co-owned a chemical lab and were in the midst of a bitter divorce.


Prosecutors said Larissa Schuster and her former lab assistant kidnapped her 45-year-old husband on July 10, 2003, knocked him out with a stun gun and chloroform-soaked rag, then dumped his bound body head-first into a barrel while he was still breathing.

The assistant, James Fagone, told authorities that Larissa Schuster then poured hydrochloric acid into the 200-litre container.

Fagone said Schuster paid him $2,000 to help rob and assault her husband but he didn't know murder was planned. Schuster testified that Fagone killed her husband by accident and that she only helped dispose of the body.

Fagone was convicted in December 2006 of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Nasty stuff.
 
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That's pretty unimaginative for a biochemist.
 
mgb_phys said:
That's pretty unimaginative for a biochemist.

That's what I was thinking. We used hydrochloric acid in high school chem lab.
 
moose said:
That's what I was thinking. We used hydrochloric acid in high school chem lab.

it depends how concentrated the acid was
 
It's not so much the HCl ( can be nasty if sufficiently concentrated )
It's just that with a wide range of subtle, undetecable poisons to choose from she (allegedly) bashes him over the head and dumps him into a drum of acid!
 

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