An Arizona woman has been arrested and charged with attempting to kill her husband by poisoning his coffee.
According to police, Melody Felicano Johnson would put poison in her husband’s coffee every day for months.
When it was discovered what she had done, she was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree attempted murder, attempting to commit aggravated assault and poisoning food or drink.
In court documents obtained by KVOA, Johnson’s husband, Roby Johnson, said that since March, he noticed his coffee had a foul taste to it. At the time, he and his wife were stationed in Germany.
The suspect’s husband currently serves in the U.S. Air Force and was living with his wife and their child, although they were going through a divorce.
Roby Johnson said that he used pool testing strips to find that there were high levels of chlorine in his coffee pot, according to court documents.
He then planted a hidden surveillance camera in their home and found that his wife was pouring an “unknown substance” into the coffee maker.
“Johnson told investigators he pretended to continue drinking the coffee so he could wait until they returned stateside to Davis Monthan Air Force Base before filing a police report,” according to a CNN report.
He then placed more hidden cameras throughout the home and discovered that his wife would “take bleach, pour it into a container and then walk over and pour it into the coffee maker.”
Authorities say Roby Johnson “believes she was trying to kill him to collect death benefits.”
The suspect is currently being held at the Pima County Jail. She has pleaded not guilty and her bond has been set at $250,000. She is scheduled to appear in court in September.
“Prosecutors told the judge a high bond was necessary because the suspect recently bought a house in the Philippines near family and is considered a flight risk,” according to the report.
