Judy Church found guilty of poisoning boyfriend with antifreeze ingredient in Massachusetts murder trial

A Salisbury, Massachusetts woman accused of poisoning her boyfriend with an antifreeze ingredient has been found guilty of murder. A jury convicted 67-year-old Judy Church of first-degree murder "with premeditation and extreme atrocity and cruelty" in the Nov. 2022 death of Leroy Fowler.

Prosecutors alleged that a dramatic love triangle led to the 55-year-old Fowler's death. They told jurors that Church deliberately poisoned him with ethylene glycol because she was jealous of his relationship with another woman.

Judy Church accused of poisoning boyfriend

The prosecution told jurors that Church poisoned Fowler's fruit punch-flavored Powerade on Nov. 11, his birthday. They said that the poison, usually found in antifreeze, deicing fluid and hydraulic brake fluid, has a sweet taste that was masked by the drink.

Prosecutors said Church videotaped Fowler struggling in their bedroom and asked him "are you having fun?" She didn't call 911 for 30 minutes, and told the dispatcher that Fowler "must have ingested something."

Her lawyers argued that the "something" was the drug Percocet. Fowler was hospitalized and died two days later.

Love triangle

Both sides acknowledged that Fowler was dating another woman named Barbara at the same time, and they both knew each other. Prosecutors showed the jury a picture of a voodoo doll that Church allegedly kept of "Barbara," and Fowler's son testified that she would stick pins in it and throw it around.

Church's lawyers argued that there was no murder and that she was planning to move to Florida with Fowler because she had "won" the love triangle.

Jurors got the case in Salem Superior Court on Friday and returned a verdict on Monday afternoon. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday.