
Maine man who sold cyanide tablets to Englishman was found guilty of mail fraud, wire fraud, and several other charges.
COUNCIL CHRONICLE – At the beginning of the week, a Maine jury found Sidney Kilmartin, a 54-year-old Windham resident, guilty of mailing cyanide to an Englishman who later committed suicide. The accused was also found guilty of one count mail fraud, two counts wire fraud, and one count of sending hazardous substances.
Maine Man Sent Epsom Salts Before Cyanide, Authorities Declared
For those of you unfamiliar with the case, back in January 2013, the Maine authorities arrested 54-year-old Sidney Kilmartin after Andrew Denton, an individual from Hull, England committed suicide in his apartment.
Following a police investigation, it was discovered that Denton contacted Kilmartin several weeks before he was found dead in his apartment. Based on the evidence collected from the scene of the crime, the authorities established that Denton ordered potassium cyanide tablets from the Windham. However, before shipping him the real tablets, Kilmartin sent Denton regular Epsom Salts.
Regrettably, the latest shipment contained the real deal, Denton using them to carry out his plan. Curiously enough, the detectives discovered that several days passed between Denton receiving Kilmartin’s delivery and ingesting the tablets.
Despite the prosecution claiming that the accused is directly responsible for Denton’s death, the defense proved that prior to meeting Kilmartin, the Englishman attempted to take his life on more than one occasion.
In 2015, one year after the Maine man was taken into custody, a U.S. District Court Judge dismissed the defense’s mental incompetency grounds, declaring Kilmartin fit to stand before the court.
Documents suggest that Kilmartin has a criminal record, being sentenced to prison in 2009 for aggravated assault on an elderly person.
Conclusion
As far as the cyanide tablets are concerned, the investigators determined that Kilmartin managed to secure them by posing a jeweler. The tablets were bought from a California company and shopped to a fictitious Augusta address.
Image source: Flickr
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