Conviction Upheld for Mich. Man Who Killed Wife by Putting Heroin in Cereal Weeks After She Gave Birth

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Years after 36-year-old Christina Ann-Thompson Harris’ 2014 death, her husband, Jason Thomas Harris, now 49, was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, solicitation of murder and delivery of a controlled substance causing death.

Prosecutors argued that Harris had placed heroin in his wife’s milk and cereal the night that she died, believing that it was tasteless and odorless, according tocourt documents. A court also convicted Harris of attempting to hire a hitman to kill Christina, planning to pay for the crime with $10,000 of her life insurance policy.

Per the court documents, Harris first filed an appeal to his conviction in 2021, arguing that he had ineffective counsel during his trial. On Feb. 22, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld his conviction, writing in a court document that “Harris had a motive to kill Christina.”

“He was having an affair, thought that she was cheating on him, and was tired of her nagging him,” the Court wrote in its ruling. “He specifically stated to many people that he did not want a divorce because he did not want to pay child support or lose custody of the children. Before her death, he told a co-worker that he wished Christina were dead. He even solicited a coworker to murder Christina in exchange for $10,000.”

The Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office said that they were happy with the Court of Appeals’ latest decision.

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Although Christina’s death was initially believed to be an accidental overdose, law enforcement began investigating it as a homicide after receiving reports from friends of the couple that Harris had been complaining about his wife in the weeks before her death. Friends also said that Harris believed his wife had cheated on him and that he was not the father of their then-4-month-old child, and that he’d supposedly talked about “getting rid of her.”

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The prosecutor’s office said the investigation ruled her death as an accidental overdose at first, but her family refused to accept the ruling and urged police to dig deeper. Leyton said there was eventually enough probable cause evidence to support a murder charge.

Harris is now serving a life sentence without parole.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com