[3] She maintained her innocence of the two murders and the writing of the note. For the third time within eight years, Stacey Castor called for help, saying her daughter had consumed pills and a bottle of vodka. Police knocked down the bedroom door to find David Castor dead of an apparent suicide. Tonight, ABC will speak with Ashley, as well as some investigators from the case. SYRACUSE, NY -- Stacey Castor's youngest daughter broke into tears today as she told a jury about finding her older sister staring glassy-eyed into space the morning she was rushed to. Little is known about her early life her later infamy overshadowed her youth but Castor's mother says that her daughter once envisioned great things for herself. The jurors today also heard that Stacey Castor's fingerprints were found on the glass containing antifreeze found on her husband's bedside nightstand in 2005. The . Castor was convicted of killing her husband, David Castor, by poisoning him with antifreeze and framing her daughter for the murder. [17] Fitzpatrick frequently shouted at Castor, inspiring Castor's defense attorney Charles Keller to frequently object and even to request a mistrial. She called Bree an innocent victim, whom she lost along with her freedom and her husbands. [3] They wanted to "poke holes" in Ashley's version of what happened and prove that she could have been capable of murder at age 11. "[19] Both of Castor's daughters expressed concern that their mother had not yet apologized to them. Eight years later, those close to Wallace began to notice symptoms of illness- Wallace coughed incessantly and seemed swollen. The worst thing that ever happened to him was he had a hernia.". 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Before dying in jail, Stacey Castor (pictured left) used antifreeze to carry out the poisoning deaths of both of her husbands, Stacey (pictured left) had two daughters with her first husband Michael. Spinellis line of questioning led to a noticeably-suspicious response from Stacey Castor. Castor told David Muir in 2009 that, in the moment, she couldnt believe was happening. [8] A toxicology screening ruled that Wallace had also been killed through antifreeze poisoning. Willoughby says he remembers that Castor screamed, "He's not dead, he's not dead. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) plays Castor, whose likable demeanor hides her dark side. Among the items near his body were a container of antifreeze and a half-full glass of bright green liquid. Even with credit for time served, her earliest possible release date was June 15, 2055slightly over a month shy of her 88th birthday. As hard as you tried, I survived. [3], The prosecutors presented evidence showing how antifreeze poisoning can be identified from the growth of calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys, and that this was seen with examination of Wallace and David's bodies as well. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. I never knew what hate was until now. David had a grown son, David Jr., and she had daughters, Ashley and Bree. Though it initially appeared that he had committed suicide, police later came to the conclusion that his wife had killed him. Wallace's mother tried to kill her. Wallace lives in New York and is engaged and married. One time, he sat up, and he just vomited across the coffee table and laid back down went back to sleep like nothing ever happened. After Castors second husband died, however, investigators exhumed Wallaces body and discovered that he had actually died of antifreeze poisoning as well. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Ashley was born in 1987 to Michael Wallace and Stacey. Born on July 24, 1967, New York-born Stacey Castor became notoriously dubbed as "The Black Widow" in the media for the murders she committed. Ashley then called her mother to talk about it. Update 2:50 p.m.: For . Ashley Wallace Castor is the daughter of Stacey Ruth Castor who was a convicted murderer from Weedsport, New York. On June 11, 2016, Stacey was found dead from a heart attack in her jail cell. [3][9], On Ashley's first day of college, investigators came to her school to question her about her father's death and to inform her that he had been poisoned instead of having died of a heart attack. Though Stacey is the centerpiece of the movie, the end of Poisoned Love belongs entirely to Ashley. The next day, according to ABC, she drank with her mother again and fell asleep. Aug. 16 2003: Castor marries her second husband. Talking about it, Ashley said, Ive relived this day over and over again in my head because what if there was something that I couldve done? While the authorities initially ruled it a suicide, they later learned Stacey was responsible for poisoning David. [2], Stacey, the daughter of Jerry Daniels and Judie Eaton, met Michael Wallace when she was 17, in 1985, and they bonded immediately. Police eventually decided to exhume Wallaces body, which is when they learned that he, too, had been killed through antifreeze poisoning. [2] [3] "Your honor, [Castor] is a monster and a threat to society," he said. [3][9] They felt that this suggested he was force-fed antifreeze. I did not kill Michael Wallace, I did not kill David Castor, and I did not try to kill my daughter, period," she told Muir in 2009. I know that I didn't do anything wrong," Wallace tells OprahMag.com. And then she was tired, after she drank it, and went and laid down., Sept. 14, 2007: Wallace is 15 minutes from death, Castor is arrested and arraigned. Castor's first husband's family believes Castor may have killed her father having brought an open can of soda in for her father to drink in the hospital. But she . She faces 25 years to life in prison. He testified Stacey Castor seemed to be trying to keep him from trying to contact Ashley the afternoon and evening of Sept. 13, 2007. While utilizing antifreeze, Stacey poisoned and killed her late second husband David and proceeded to plot an attempt on her daughter Ashley's life. She says that her mother offered her a "nasty-tasting" drink that she at first refused but eventually drank because she trusted Castor. Forensic investigators found that based on the timestamps, it had been written while Ashley was in school, proving she couldn't have been its author. Where is Wallace now? It would seem like a perfectly obvious thing to autopsy a grown man who's healthy, who lays down on his couch and dies, Michael Benson, who authored Mommy Deadliest about Castors case. Wallace was shaken and called her mother. By ASTRID RODRIGUES. She's focused on moving forward. Sgt. [19] Castor, who professed to being shocked at the guilty verdict, maintained her innocence during the on-air 20/20 special,[3] as well as in unaired parts of the program. [3] After she learned police had exhumed Wallace's body and found traces of antifreeze in his system, she was believed to have devised a plan to set up her daughter Ashley for the murders. "As hard as it is to get up everyday and put a smile on my face, I know that I have to. Thats when Stacey called the police when the authorities showed up, there was a suicide note next Ashleys unconscious body. Wallace left the courtroom in 2009 knowing she would return to a family of people who adored her. She maintained that it was Ashley who murdered Wallace and David, though she would not speculate about motives beyond implying that her daughter might be mentally ill.[17] Fitzpatrick pointed out that Ashley's mother had never sought therapy for her and that at 21 Ashley exhibited no sign of mental illness. ABC reports her as saying, Im like, What are they talking about? I didnt do any of these things that youre saying that I did.'. They didnt want their father replaced., David was difficult with the kids, said Castor. Stacey Castor, 41, is shown here on the day of her wedding to David Castor in August 2003. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Doctors determined that he had died of a heart attack. "And I will never say that I did, ever., She was my best friend, too," Ashley Wallace said of her mother. Ashley Wallace was attending her first day at college when two investigators arrived to deliver the news that her father had died of antifreeze poisoning. [3] They listened in on phone calls for any unusual conversations. She was rushed to the hospital, and the authorities found a typewritten suicide note that appeared to be written by Ashley. Although his death was initially ruled a suicide, a police investigation revealed that he succumbed to antifreeze poisoning - similar to how Michael did. [20] Further, she criticized how Castor had "partied in her backyard with friends like nothing was happening" as Ashley was comatose in her room. [3], On cross examination, Fitzpatrick pointed out what he felt were flaws in Castor's version of that night. Wallace vocally grieved the loss of the old version of her mother, a woman she called her "best friend." Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. As police investigated the crimes, they also suspected that she murdered her first husband, Michael Wallace. None of Ashley's fingerprints were found on the note which she purportedly wrote, but the print expert said there was some additional "ridge detail" on the document that was insufficient to test for identification purposes. A month later on Tuesday, March 5, she was sentenced to 51 years to life in prison. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [22], Fitzpatrick said that under New York sentencing guidelines, Castor would have to serve just over 51 years before she became eligible for paroleat her age, effectively a life sentence.[16]. Bree said her 20-year-old sister was lying across the foot of her bed with a couple of pillows over her face and an empty vodka bottle and prescription pill bottle in the bed near her. But, according to police, all of it was a lie -- and the seemingly unfortunate wife and mother was actually a cold-blooded killer, now known by many as the Black Widow.. [3] For her stepfather, they noted his and Ashley's tumultuous relationship and how they did not get along with each other. Stacey Castor, 41, is shown here on the day of her wedding to David Castor in August 2003. How Did Michael Wallace and David Castor Die. Although Wallace's sister was skeptical and requested an autopsy for Wallace, Castor refused, saying she believed the doctors were correct. In 2007, she was arrested for second degree murder in David's death and for attempting to murder Ashley and frame her for the murders of David and Wallace. David was very conscientious, very work driven, very into outdoors, Castor said. Stacey did this by inviting Ashley over for a drink and doping her. As Wallace herself said at the trial, "I just want it to go away, but I know it will never go away.". And I will survive because now I'm survived by people who love me," Wallace said, while her mother looked on. "He wasn't a drinker; he didn't go out at night," she told Snapped. Because if I don't, than Stacey won.". She claimed he was depressed. I cannot believe Stacey has it in her to kill two men. He had snowmobiles and four-wheelers and a boat David was support and strength and security to me.. In fact, he said they had talked about the issue about a month earlier and both agreed suicide was selfish and unfair to the loved ones left behind. Police suspected that both of Stacey Castor's husbands were poisoned with antifreeze -- a painful death that leads to the formation of crystals in the victims organs. Castor really wanted the 911 call taker to know that there was a suicide note, former Onondaga Assistant District Attorney Christine Garvey said. Soon after, however, investigators found Staceys DNA on a turkey baster that had Castors DNA on it, as well. "The biggest question I ask is why. 20/20: Fatal Flaw - On The Rocks chronicles David Castor's death and the chain of events that resulted in Stacey's incarceration. [4] Castor was the owner of an air conditioning installation and repair company, and Stacey served as his office manager. [19], ABC interviewed forensic psychiatrist Dr. James Knoll for psychological perspective on the case and he answered viewers' questions via video on April 23, 2009, and via site comments on April 27, 2009. "She's fine. Today, we are discussing Stacey Castor. Stacey Castor's daughter Ashley Wallace takes the stand in 2009 as the prosecution's first witness to tearfully testify about the deaths of her father and stepfather. Castor, who died in 2016 at the age of 48, was an American woman found guilty of murdering her husband David Castor and attempting to murder her daughter, Ashley Wallace. I asked Stacey, Do you remember which glass it was that you poured the cranberry juice in? and she looked at it and said, Well, when I poured the anti-free-- I and then she stopped and said, I mean-- I mean, the cranberry juice.. In September 2007, Stacey attempted to frame her daughter Ashley for killing both of her deceased husbands. [3][9], For two years, investigators had collected evidence against Castor for the deaths of her husbands. [17], Castor's defense team presented a pharmaceutical expert in an attempt to cast doubt on the prosecution's claim that Castor had drugged Ashley 17 hours prior to being taken to the hospital. [3][9] Given evidence of the evolution of David Castor's illness, they concluded that Castor had for four days fed her husband antifreeze through the baster before trying to make it look like a suicide. She credits her counselor, doctor, and loved ones with her progress. Castor, New York Department of Corrections inmate number 09G0209, was placed in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Bedford Hills, New York. The outlet also notes that Ashleys overdose occurred just days after police exhumed Wallaces body. Bree Wallace testifies about finding her poisoned sister, Ashley, in 2007 While Ashley continued on her journey of healing, she talked about struggling with how the trauma affected her. She was sentenced to more than 51 years in prison. Stacey is at the center of a web of lies linked to the deaths of David and a previous husband, as well as the overdose of her daughter, Ashley Wallace, 21. Police found a glass of green liquid on the bedside table next to where David Castor was found dead. "And I will never say that I did, ever. Castor insinuated that Wallace was responsible for Michael and David's deaths. [3] Castor said that they had been through enough emotional stress and needed to relax. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. They were blaming Stacey for this," she said. On March 5, 2009, Stacey Castor was found guilty of the murder of her second husband, David, and also guilty of the attempted murder of her daughter Ashley. Castor told Diane Leshinski, then-detective with the Onondaga Sheriffs Office, that she assumed he was sleeping it off. "If Mr. Wallace had been cremated, or if Mr. Castor had not died, we would never have known we had a homicide. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. That note turned out to be a nearly 700-word suicide note which contained a confession to the 2000 murder of the Wallaces' father, Michael, and the 2005 murder of their stepfather, David Castor. (Ashley was just 12 at the time of her fathers death. Even though I do hate her, I still love her at the same time.. Stacey Castor claimed it was a suicide, but detectives soon suspected murder -- and she then tried to poison her own daughter, Ashley, with antifreeze and frame her with a suicide note confessing . "She always wanted to be a paralegal or a lawyer." One of those times was to let Bree look in because the teenager had been asking if her mother was sure he was okay. She, however, had her eyes closed as the verdicts were read. While Ashley was close to her mother, Bree was her fathers princess. "[9], If there is a ceiling in terms of evil, she (Castor) is at the ceiling. She was sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder and an additional 25 years for the attempted murder. During her mother's trial, Ashley reads an emotional statement to the judge. On the morning of September 14, 2007, Bree found Ashley barely alive in her bedroom. She was later found guilty of attempting to murder her daughter. [17] She did not seek care for Ashley for 17 hours and indicated that David Castor, who was staggering and vomiting and unable to stand, "looked OK". She was the executor of his estate. But she tried to kill me instead. She currently lives in Syracuse, New York, and is engaged to Nick Galoni. Stacey took her daughters to Disney World after Mike Wallace died. Defense's opening statements Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com. The authorities believed that Stacey tried to kill her daughter and shift the blame onto her. By then, Stacey had married David Castor, who passed away in August 2005 after ingesting antifreeze. Born on July 24, 1967, New York -born Stacey Castor became notoriously dubbed as "The Black Widow" in the media for the murders she committed. So, to be arrested and handcuffed, I was terrified. ), When Ashley woke in the hospital, she denied writing the suicide note, according to The Age. [15] She had said that her husband got the idea to kill himself with antifreeze while both were watching a news report about Lynn Turner, who murdered two past lovers by using the poison. "[18], On February 5, 2009, Castor was found guilty of second degree murder in the poisoning death of David and of attempted second degree murder for overdosing her daughter Ashley with drugs and vodka. [3] Ashley had already testified to having witnessed her mother working on the computer on something she had hidden to prevent Ashley's seeing it. Hey there, welcome to my channel. She was 48. Police also believe Castor to be behind Michael Wallace's death in 2000, though she was not tried on that charge. Stacey Castor listens to 911 call she made after daughter's poisoning 11 True Crime Novels That Every Armchair Detective Will Love, These Women Committed Brutal Crimes and Are Now Just Walking Around Free, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). Prosecution's opening statements, The Witness List: A quick guide to the testimony. Ashley and Bree testified at Staceys trial, where Stacey was convicted of murder and attempted murder. [3] In addition, they set up cameras overlooking Castor's house and the gravesites of her husbands, who had been buried side by side at Castor's request. Stacey Castor Accused of Poisoning Her Two Husbands, Plotting to Murder and Frame Daughter Ashley Wallace", "Stacey Castor's daughter, Ashley Wallace, testifies during antifreeze murder trial. Courtesy of the Onondaga Prosecutor's Office. 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