Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Gudrun Linda Casper‑Leinenkugel, who is accused of poisoning drinks at a Nov. 30, 2025 Thanksgiving gathering that sickened several people and resulted in the death of her 32‑year‑old daughter, Leela Jean Livis. Authorities allege the wine was laced with acetonitrile, a chemical that converts in the body to cyanide. Investigators also say evidence links Casper‑Leinenkugel to a 2007 death in Henderson County. Her defense denies the charges and the next hearing is set for April 30.
Prosecutors Decline Death Penalty in Alleged Thanksgiving Poisoning Case
Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel.Credit: Henderson County Sheriff's Office
Prosecutors announced they will not pursue the death penalty in the case against Gudrun Linda Casper‑Leinenkugel, a North Carolina woman accused of slipping a deadly substance into drinks at a Thanksgiving gathering that investigators say sickened at least four people and killed two, including her daughter.
At a Rule 24 hearing in Henderson County on Feb. 26, Assistant District Attorney John Douglas Mundy told the court the prosecution will proceed as noncapital. A Rule 24 hearing is required whenever charges could potentially expose a defendant to the death penalty and determines whether capital punishment will be sought.
Casper‑Leinenkugel faces multiple charges: two counts of first‑degree murder, two counts of attempted first‑degree murder and three counts of distribution of a contaminated food or beverage. Authorities say the alleged poisoning occurred during a Nov. 30, 2025, Thanksgiving gathering when three attendees—Leela Jean Livis, Richard Pegg and Mia Lacey—drank from the same wine bottle and later became ill.
Leela Livis.Credit: Leela Livis/Facebook
Court documents and statements from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) allege the wine was laced with acetonitrile, an industrial chemical that metabolizes into cyanide and can cause delayed toxicity. Livis, 32, died on Dec. 1, 2025.
Investigators also say evidence uncovered during the Thanksgiving investigation connected Casper‑Leinenkugel to a separate death in 2007 in Henderson County. That death certificate lists the cause as "acute acetonitrile toxicity, probably huffing," according to local reporting.
Several family members attended the hearing, including Mia Lacey, who is identified in court records as one of the people who fell ill after drinking from the shared bottle. Speaking to local media, Livis’s father, Travis Peterson, said the news of his daughter’s death hit him hard:
“My firstborn kid. When I first found out that Leela had died, it was a gut punch.”
Casper‑Leinenkugel, who previously operated restaurants and coffee shops in Asheville, has denied the allegations. Her attorney, Paul Bidwell, told reporters she "firmly denies the criminal allegations against her and intends to defend herself vigorously." Her next court date is scheduled for April 30, and prosecutors say the investigation remains active as the noncapital case moves forward.
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