• Prosecutors drop death penalty request against mother accused of poisoning daughter
• Poisoning occurred during family gathering

Prosecutors in Henderson County, North Carolina, announced that they will not seek the death penalty against the woman accused of poisoning drinks consumed by several people, resulting in the deaths of two, including her daughter, according to local media reports from the court hearing.

During the session, Assistant District Attorney John Douglas Mundy said that Gudrun Linda Casper-Leinenkugel’s trial will proceed as a non-capital case.

Casper-Leinenkugel faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and three counts related to distributing contaminated food or drink. The charges relate to the death of her 32-year-old daughter, Leela Jean Livis, and the attempted poisoning of her other adult daughter and that daughter’s boyfriend.

Court records indicate that the poisoning occurred during a Thanksgiving gathering on November 30, 2025, when three attendees — Livis, Richard Pegg, and Mia Lacey — drank from the same beverage and became ill. Documents revealed the drink had been laced with acetonitrile, a chemical that metabolizes into cyanide and causes delayed toxicity.

Livis died on December 1, 2025, according to a prior statement from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Investigators also noted evidence potentially linking Casper-Leinenkugel to the 2007 death of Michael Schmidt, whose death certificate cites “acute acetonitrile toxicity, possibly from inhalation.”

Casper-Leinenkugel, a former entrepreneur, previously managed restaurants in Asheville.

Speaking to the media, Livis’ father, Travis Peterson, described learning of his daughter’s death as a “gut-wrenching shock.” “My firstborn… when I first found out Leela had died, it hit me like a punch,” he said.

Several family members were present in court when Casper-Leinenkugel was informed she would not face the death penalty, including Mia Lacey, the alleged victim.

Her defense attorney, Paul Bidwell, previously stated that his client “firmly denies all criminal allegations and intends to vigorously defend herself.”

The next court session is scheduled for April 30.