Professor accused of poisoning wife with cyanide to face extradition

• Robert Ferrante is expected to waive extradition


• The cause of his wife’s death is cyanide poisoning


• “He’s anxious to defend himself,” his lawyer says

(CNN) — A University of Pittsburgh research professor faces an extradition hearing in West Virginia on Monday as authorities seek his return to Pennsylvania where he’s accused of killing his wife with a lethal dose of cyanide.

Robert Ferrante is not expected to put up a fight.

“He’s anxious to defend himself, have his day in court, prove his innocence,” said Ferrante’s defense attorney William Difenderfer.

Ferrante is accused of killing Autumn Klein, a 41-year-old accomplished Pittsburgh doctor. She was the former head of women’s neurology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Ferrante is a researcher and professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

As part of his position there, Ferrante managed a laboratory where he conducts trials of various drugs and chemicals, according to a criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, text messages were found between the couple on April 17, the day Klein fell ill. The exchange included Ferrante suggesting creatine to Klein in hopes of stimulating egg production.

The complaint also alleges that a day earlier, Ferrante placed an order for an “overnight delivery of cyanide.”

Investigators allege that Ferrante laced the creatine with cyanide.

Cyanide is a naturally occurring toxic substance that can be found in seeds of different plants. It is widely distributed throughout research laboratories as a chemical used in scientific experiments.

Cyanide interferes with the ability of the body to use oxygen to produce energy, which can lead to rapid death.

On April 17, Allegheny County 911 dispatch received a call from Ferrante requesting medical assistance for his wife, who he said was possibly having a stroke, the complaint read. He described her condition as “conscious and breathing, but not alert.”

When paramedics arrived, they found the victim on the floor of the kitchen with a plastic bag containing creatine.

She died April 20.

According to Karl Williams, chief medical examiner of Allegheny County, there is no connection with creatine and fertility. Creatine is a supplement that bodybuilders use to increase body mass, Williams said.

“The amazing amount of subpoenas of investigation that went in to determining in fact that it was a homicide. That’s what took so long,” Williams said.

Ferrante’s arrest Thursday ended a nationwide manhunt. Officials said West Virginia State Police apprehended him after his car was stopped while heading north on Interstate 77 near Beckley, West Virginia.

“He was relatively quiet,” said State Police Sgt. William Tupper. “He knew there were warrants for him. Said he was en route back to Pittsburgh.”

Ferrante has been placed on immediate and indefinite leave from his university, according to school spokesman John Andrew Fedele.

Sole and legal custody of Ferrante’s child has been placed with the maternal grandparents, according to a statement form the district attorney’s office.

His financial assets have also been frozen.

CNN’s Erinn Cawthon and Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley contributed to this report.

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Professor accused of poisoning wife with cyanide to face extradition

Antifreeze poisoning charges

By Heather Hollingsworth, The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Missouri woman and her daughter confessed to fatally poisoning two relatives with antifreeze and attempting to kill a third over a 14-month period, according to court documents. 

Diane Staudte, 51, of Springfield, was charged Friday with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count of armed criminal action. Her daughter, Rachel Staudte, 22, was charged with the same counts Saturday. 

Both women are jailed without bond. A spokeswoman for the Greene County prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately return an email Saturday from The Associated Press. It wasn’t clear if the women had attorneys. 

Diane Staudte initially told law enforcement that her husband, Mark Staudte, 61, hadn’t been feeling well and suffered from seizures before his April 2012 death, the probable cause statement said. And she said her son, Shawn Staudte, 26, had been sick with flu-like symptoms before his death in September. 

The medical examiner in Greene County at first ruled that the husband died of natural causes and the son as a result of prior medical issues. But an anonymous tip led authorities to re-examine the deaths earlier this month following the hospitalization of Diane Staudte’s daughter, 24-year-old Sarah Staudte, the statement said.

A detective wrote that a nurse told him that although Sarah Staudte’s condition was potentially fatal, Diane Staudte had visited only a couple times and not stayed long. The nurse described Diane Staudte’s actions as “inappropriate,” saying she joked and laughed with hospital personnel. The nurse also told the detective that Diane Staudte told her that she planned to go on an upcoming vacation to Florida regardless of her daughter’s status. 

A doctor told the detective that Sarah Staudte’s condition was “very suspicious” and said he suspected the young woman had been poisoned. 

Diane Staudte admitted under questioning to poisoning her family by putting antifreeze in their soda and Gatorade over several days, the statement said. 

She told the detective that she killed her husband because she “hated him” and her son because he was “worse than a pest.” She said she wanted to kill her daughter, Sarah, because the young woman “would not get a job and had student loans that had to be paid,” the probable cause statement said. 

The Springfield News-Leader, citing the probable cause statement in Rachel Staudte’s case, said Diane Staudte originally told police she was the only one involved. But the statement said that when Rachel Staudte was confronted with evidence, she admitted to taking part in the deaths and assault. 

During a subsequent interview, Diane Staudte then admitted that she and Rachel Staudte had planned, researched and committed the crimes together, the statement said. 

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Antifreeze poisoning charges