Oct 30, 2008 6:20 am US/Eastern
Police: L.I. Man Poisoned Wife With Cyanide
Maureen Steeves On Life Support After Husband Put Cyanide Into Her Coffee
David Steeves Fled The Country, Arrested Upon Return To L.I.
EAST PATCHOGUE, NY (CBS) ―
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Police say David Steeves had cyanide delivered to his Long Island home, which he slipped into his wife's coffee.
CBS
A Long Island man was charged Wednesday with trying to kill his wife by poisoning her. Authorities say the 41-year old researched cyanide on the internet, then had it delivered to his home where he slipped some into his wife's coffee.
Police said David Steeves knew life with his wife was over and became desperate. "They were estranged because he told his wife he was gay which created problems in the marriage and he tells us he felt he didn't want to see her with anyone else so he decided to poison her," said Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk County police.
With wife Maureen sprawled on the floor, Steeves called 911. "She had been cooking a meal when he left for the store. When he returned, there was smoke in the house, food burning on the stove, and his wife was foaming at the mouth," Fitzpatrick said.
As doctors tried to figure out what was wrong, Steeves jumped on a Delta flight and left the country with the couple's teenage sons. First they went to England, then to Florida. Steeves was arrested when he returned Tuesday, nine days after the poisoning.
"He denied poisoning her. He denied buying cyanide," said defense attorney Joe Hanshe. Instead, Hanshe claims investigators forced his client to cough up what they wanted to hear. "He was manhandled, pushed around, threatened, and ultimately had to give a statement," he said.
"He wasn't someone you could easily go up to and approach," said Steeves' neighbor Clinton Brown, whose son hangs out with Steeves' teens across the street. "Something like that happening so close to home is insane and he should get everything coming to him," Brown said.
Maureen Steeves is on life support but not expected to survive. The two sons are in the custody of state social services. If she dies, charges against her husband David will be upgraded. At this point, he's charged with attempted murder.
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