North Carolina | DA won't seek death penalty against woman accused of poisoning family

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (DPN) — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against a Western North Carolina entrepreneur accused of poisoning her family during a Thanksgiving dinner and killing a man nearly two decades ago.

During a mandatory Rule 24 hearing Thursday in Henderson County Superior Court, Assistant District Attorney John Douglas Mundy announced that the state will proceed with the case against Gudrun Linda Jean Casper-Leinenkugel, 52, as a non-capital matter. The decision removes the possibility of an execution, meaning the maximum penalty Casper-Leinenkugel now faces is life in prison without parole.

The hearing is a procedural requirement in North Carolina for any case eligible for the death penalty, allowing a judge to ensure sufficient evidence of "aggravating factors" exists. By declaring the case non-capital, the District Attorney’s office has narrowed the trial’s focus strictly to the defendant's guilt or innocence.

Casper-Leinenkugel faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and three counts of distribution of a prohibited food or beverage.

Authorities allege that during a Thanksgiving gathering on Nov. 30, 2025, Casper-Leinenkugel served wine laced with acetonitrile to her guests. The chemical, an industrial solvent, is metabolized by the body into cyanide. According to the CDC, this process leads to "delayed toxicity," often appearing hours after ingestion.

The poisoning claimed the life of Casper-Leinenkugel’s daughter, 32-year-old Leela Jean Livis, on Dec. 1. Two others — Casper-Leinenkugel’s other daughter, Mia Lacey, and Lacey’s boyfriend, Richard Pegg — fell ill but survived.

The investigation led the Henderson County Sheriff's Office to reopen the 2007 file of Michael Schmidt. While Schmidt’s death certificate originally attributed his death to "acute acetonitrile toxicity, probably huffing," investigators now allege Casper-Leinenkugel was responsible for his poisoning as well.

Defense attorney Paul Bidwell told reporters after the hearing that Casper-Leinenkugel "firmly denies" the allegations, describing the state’s case as one built on conjecture.

"In that meeting [with investigators], I didn't hear anything that implied guilt. I just heard theories," Bidwell said, calling the 18-year gap between the alleged crimes "unusual."

While a definitive motive has not been established, the involvement of the North Carolina Department of Insurance suggests investigators are scrutinizing life insurance policies or financial benefits tied to the deaths of Livis and Schmidt.

Despite the gravity of the charges, Casper-Leinenkugel’s family appears divided. Some family members, including surviving victim Mia Lacey, sat in the gallery Thursday to show support for the defendant.

However, Travis Peterson, the Wisconsin-based father of Leela Livis, described the loss of his daughter as a "gut punch." He recalled attending the funeral in Transylvania County, where Casper-Leinenkugel was present but appeared "wooden."

"I’d go to give her a hug and she would just... it was like hugging a plank of wood," Peterson said.

Casper-Leinenkugel was a prominent figure in the Asheville business community, with past ties to Bean Werks Coffee and Tea and the Patton Public House.

The investigation remains active with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Casper-Leinenkugel is scheduled to return to court April 30.

Source: DPN, News outlets, Agencies, Staff, AI, February 27, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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