Murder of David Castor

Stacey Ruth Castor (née Daniels, formerly Wallace), of Weedsport, New York, was convicted in February 2009 of second-degree murder in the 2005 death of her husband David Castor and of attempted second-degree murder for the 2007 drugging of her daughter, Ashley Wallace. According to Wikipedia, David died in August 2005 after Castor called authorities to report he had locked himself in their bedroom; when a sergeant forced entry, he was found dead near a container of antifreeze and a glass of green liquid. A coroner initially ruled the death a suicide by antifreeze ingestion, but investigators later found Castor's fingerprints on the glass and David's DNA on a turkey baster, leading them to suspect he had been force-fed the poison.

Castor's first husband, Michael Wallace, had died in early 2000 after an unexplained illness; his death was originally attributed to a heart attack. Following suspicions raised by David's death, investigators exhumed Wallace's remains and a toxicology screen indicated he too had died of antifreeze poisoning. Castor was never charged in Wallace's death, though evidence regarding it was introduced at her trial for David's murder.

In September 2007, after learning police had found antifreeze in Wallace's exhumed remains, Castor was accused of attempting to frame her daughter Ashley for both husbands' deaths. Ashley was found comatose after drinking beverages provided by Castor, and a typed "suicide note" purporting to confess to both murders was found beside her. Prosecutors, led by Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick and Chief Assistant District Attorney Christine Garvey, argued that computer forensic evidence showed the note had been drafted by Castor while Ashley was at school, and that Castor had drugged her daughter with painkillers. Ashley testified she did not write the note and had not harmed either man.

On February 5, 2009, a jury found Castor guilty of second-degree murder for David's death and attempted second-degree murder for the attack on Ashley. She was also convicted of forging David's will to exclude his son from a previous marriage. On March 5, 2009, Judge Fahey sentenced her to 25 years to life for the murder, an additional 25 years for the attempted murder, and 1⅓ to 4 years for forgery, making her eligible for parole after more than 51 years.

Castor was incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. She maintained her innocence, including in a 2009 ABC News 20/20 special, and was dubbed "the Black Widow" by media outlets. She was found dead in her cell on June 11, 2016; the Onondaga County District Attorney's office later determined she died of a heart attack, with no evidence of suicide or foul play.