Real Life Crimes Involving Poison Project



“Pick Your Poison” Project

Toxicology is the study of poisons, and their chemical and physical effects on the body. There have been many cases of people intentionally trying to poison another. As a class we are going to research some cases and explore the forensics behind the toxicology; thus proving once again, that crime does not pay. Students will research a different poison and a case involving that poison. You will choose a case you consider most interesting or unusual. You will be researching an actual crime where a person intentionally poisoned another person. You may present the following information in any creative format. It must contain the following information:

Poison Info:

• Type of poison- : household or environmental poisons, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, or food

• Level of toxicity- (how much will make one sick? How much is lethal? What unit is measured?)

• “Chemistry” of the poison—element? Compound? Formula or symbol; state of matter

• Other uses of the poison

• Effects or symptoms on the body-- what does this chemical do to the body? How does it interfere with the body?

• Detection- how does science trace the chemical? How do you get a diagnosis of this poison?

• Lasting effects or possible treatments

Case info:

• Describe the story in detail- what happened and why?

• Give the who? Where? When?

• How were the perpetrators caught?

• What forensic evidence was found that indicated the particular poison was used in the crime?

References:

• Must have THREE sources – is NOT a source!

*** CHECK THE RUBRIC ON THE BACK!!!

Poison Cases

1. Julia Lynn Turner 18. Jane Toppan

2. Ronald Clark O’Bryan (AKA The Candyman) 19. Joann Curley

3. James Keown (Gatorade Murder)

4. Mary Ann Cotton 20. Richard "Iceman" Kuklinski

5. Kristin Rossum 21. Anna Hahn

6. Amy Archer Gilligan 22. Cordelia Botkin

7. Audrey Marie Hilley 23. Dr. Robert Ferrante

8. Harold Shipman 24. Georgi Markov

9. William Palmer 25. Alexander Litvinenko

10. Graham Young 26. Syrian Gas Attacks

11. Dr. Edward William Pritchard

12. Dr. Michael Joseph Swango

13. Dr. William Sybers

14. Jim Jones

15. Marshall Applewhite & Heaven’s Gate

16. Viktor Yushchenko

17. Charles Cullen

Pick your Poison Rubric

|Item needed in presentation |Possible points |Points Earned |

|Type of poison | | |

|(household or environmental poisons, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, or food) | | |

| |5 pts | |

|Level of toxicity- (How much will make one sick? How much is lethal? What | | |

|unit is measured?) |5 pts | |

|“Chemistry” of the poison—element? Compound? Formula or symbol; state of matter | | |

| |5 pts | |

|Other uses of the poison |5 pts | |

|Effects or symptoms on the body-- what does this chemical do to the body? How does|5pts | |

|it interfere with the body? | | |

|Detection- how does science trace the chemical? How do you get a diagnosis of this| | |

|poison? | | |

| |10pts | |

|Lasting effects or possible treatments |5 pts | |

|Describe the story in detail- what happened and why? |10 pts | |

|How were the perpetrators caught? |5 pts | |

|What forensic evidence was used |10 pts | |

|Creativity- pictures, interest facts such as statistics added |5 pts | |

|Work sited page |10 pts | |

|Presentation – Professional, eye contact, voice projection, evidence of preparation|20 pts | |

|Total |100 pts | |

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