Rose Mary Vogel of Sun Lakes, Ariz. has been charged with attempted first-degree murder after trying to kill her hospitalized husband by injecting fecal matter into his IV line, police in suburban Phoenix said Friday.
Vogel, 65, a former nurse, was caught handling her husband’s IV line which was found to contain a brown substance, police said. Tests conducted by the hospital later revealed the presence of fecal matter.
The clincher for investigators — and what may have sealed Vogel’s fate — is police found the same brown substance in the needle of an otherwise empty syringe found in Vogel’s purse.
Vogel’s purse actually contained a total of three syringes, including two with a clear liquid. Vogel is a retired registered nurse who formerly worked at the same hospital that was caring for her husband, Chandler Regional Medical Center, reports CBS Las Vegas Local.
Investigators are conducting forensic tests on all the materials found in Vogel’s possession in the next week, said police spokesman Joe Favazzo.
Vogel’s 66-year-old husband had undergone a heart procedure and was in his room recovering when Vogel tried to inject the poison into his bloodstream. The husband is expected to survive the heart procedure as well as his wife’s attempt to kill him, CBS reports.
Vogel rejected police attempts to interview her to come up with a possible motive. She referred them to her attorney.
