A North Carolina woman accused of poisoning drinks with a toxic chemical was arrested on murder charges in the deaths of two people and attempted murder charges related to two others, authorities said.
Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, 52, of Hendersonville, is accused of killing Leela Livis in 2025 and trying to kill a man and another woman, Richard Pegg and Mia Lacey, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Livis died at age 32 on December 1, her online obituary shows.
While the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigated Casper-Leinenkugel, authorities “located evidence linking” her to “the murder of Michael Schmidt,” authorities said.
Schmidt was killed in Henderson County in 2007, according to investigators.
Casper-Leinenkugel is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of distribution of certain food or beverage prohibited, according to authorities.
She waived her right to an attorney on Tuesday, January 20, when she had a scheduled first appearance hearing, court records show.
Casper-Leinenkugel previously ran a restaurant in Asheville, WKRC reported.
According to a July 2016 report published in the Mountain Xpress, Casper-Leinenkugel owned Patton Public House in West Asheville. The establishment reportedly opened that month.
In Casper-Leinenkugel’s warrant for arrest viewed by Luxury Handbag Shopping, authorities wrote that she poisoned beverages with acetonitrile, described as a substance “which might cause death or serious physical injury,” on three occasions.
The poisonings relate to the murders of Livis and Schmidt and attempted murders of Pegg and Lacey, documents show.
“The defendant unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did knowingly distributed or otherwise caused to be placed in position of human accessibility or ingestion beverage which contained poisonous chemical, acetonitrile…,” the arrest warrant says.
Acetonitrile is a hazardous liquid that is easily dissolvable when placed in water, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Exposure to the chemical “can cause fatal cyanide poisoning as it changes to cyanide within the body,” the agency reports online.
Acetonitrile has a variety of uses, according to the agency. It is used to create pharmaceuticals, perfumes, pesticides and more.
Certain medical tests may confirm whether someone has been exposed to acetonitrile, including lung, liver and kidney function tests, as well blood and urine tests, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.
On Friday, January 16, a judge decided against allowing Casper-Leinenkugel’s release, court records show. She is being held in custody without bond.
Investigators have not shared a possible motive for the poisonings and killings allegedly involving her.
In the news release shared by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, authorities said. “To preserve the integrity of this investigation, no further information will be released at this time,” and added that “There is no current or ongoing threat to the public.”
Casper-Leinenkugel is due in court for a probable cause hearing on February 20.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation advises anyone with information related to her criminal investigation to call the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crime Unit at 828-694-2938.
