LEBANON, Mo. — A Lebanon woman is accused of poisoning her husband’s Mountain Dew two liters after being caught on video.
According to court documents, Michelle Peters, 47, was arrested for first-degree assault and armed criminal action. She is currently in the Laclede County Detention Center with no bond.
On June 24, Peters’ husband spoke to the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office about his suspicion that Peters was putting Roundup weed killer in his Mountain Dew. He had several videos of Peters handling Mountain Dew and grabbing the weed killer.
Around May 1, he noticed that his two liters of Diet Mountain Dew had a strange taste. He continued to drink it anyway. After a couple of weeks, Peters’ husband started having symptoms of a sore throat, coughing up mucus, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
He suspected someone was tampering with his two liters—he was the only one in the household who drinks it—and reviewed video footage to find it was Peters.
He told Peters that he was sick to which she told him he probably had COVID and to stay away from the grandkids. He told police he suspected that Peters was going after his $500,000 life insurance policy.
He also had another video of Peters handling Mountain Dew and a bottle of insecticide.
When Peters was interviewed about the incidents, she explained she was mixing the soft drink and Roundup to use as a weed killer. She admitted to putting insecticide in her husband’s Mountain Dew bottle thinking it was Roundup.
Peters told investigators that her husband was selfish and they had relationship issues. She said she was mad at her husband because she had thrown him a 50th birthday party and he was not appreciative. She said she did it to be “mean” to him.
According to the probable cause statement, the chemical glyphosate, which is found in Roundup, if consumed, can cause increased saliva, burns, pain in the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or even death.
Peters is scheduled for a bond review hearing on July 2.