California v. Cynthia Sommer

After almost 12 hours of jury deliberation, Cynthia Sommer (33) was found guilty of the 2002 fatal poisoning (arsenic) murder of her husband, Sgt. Todd Summer (23) of the US Marine Corps. After complaining of stomach pains, cramps, and other illnesses Sgt. Todd Sommer died suddenly on February 18, 2002. His death was originally ruled as cardiac arrhythmia with unknown etiology. More than a year later, scientists found elevated levels of arsenic in Todd Sommer's tissues: more than 1,000 times the normal level in his liver and 230 times the acceptable level in his kidneys.

Although there was a huge lack of evidence linking Sommer to the murder of her husband, the State managed to get a conviction based on circumstantial evidence. Prosecutors admitted they had no evidence — no purchasing records, electronic paper trail or any direct link to prove that Sommer had access to the arsenic that killed her husband. Instead, they focused on the defendant's seeming inability to live within her means and her promiscuous behavior after her husband's death.

Sommer was not linked to having any connection to arsenic, nor was she linked to any other physical evidence.

Part of the States case they presented was the fact that Sommer, weeks after her husband died, was out at parties and hosting parties (including sex parties/orgies), going to thong and wet t-shirt contests in Tijuana, and getting piercings and tattoos on her body. They argued that this is not the way that a normal person would grieve. However, the defense argued that everyone has their own way of grieving and for some people that includes getting attention, especially physical attention from other people. This is how they tried to explain the reasoning behind Sommer having sexual relationships with other Marines following her husbands funeral death and later on.

Sommer stood to gain $250,000 in veteran benefits after her husband died. She was accused of murdering him to gain financially in order to pay for her breast implants among other things.

Sentencing begins on March 23, 2007