PITTSBURGH (AP) – A former University of Pittsburgh medical researcher wants a new trial in the cyanide poisoning of his neurologist wife claiming, among other things, that a lab test confirming a lethal level of the poison in her blood was suspect.
Robert Ferrante’s appeals brief filed in Superior Court on Wednesday was first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which objected when the initial appeal was filed under seal in February. The court agreed the filing was in the public interest and last month ordered defense attorney Chris Rand Eyster to file a new brief within 14 days.
Ferrante, 68, is serving life in prison without parole after being convicted of first-degree murder in November 2014. Allegheny County prosecutors contend Ferrante killed Dr. Autumn Klein, 41, by putting cyanide in her energy drink in 2013, which text messages show he urged her to drink to enhance her fertility.
Klein collapsed and fell suddenly ill – she could be heard gasping for air in the background as Ferrante called 911 for an ambulance – on April 17, 2013. She died three days later.
Ferrante’s attorney contests the reliability of Quest Diagnostics lab results that concluded Klein was poisoned. The defense also argues 89 search warrants were overly broad and the case lacked enough evidence to convict Ferrante.