A former restaurant owner in North Carolina faces multiple murder charges. Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel allegedly killed one person and almost killed two more by putting a deadly chemical in their drinks. As police dug further into her connections to those three people, they discovered she was likely responsible for the death of another man nearly 20 years ago. Currently, it is unknown how she was connected to her alleged victims. There’s a possibility the poisonings were completely random, but they may have been targeted. The case remains under investigation as the woman sits in police custody.
In a news release on January 16, 2026, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation announced that it had arrested Casper-Leinenkugel of Hendersonville. The woman has been charged in connection to the 2025 murder of Leela Livis and the attempted murders of Mia Lacey and Richard Pegg.
During the investigation, detectives also found evidence to connect Casper-Leinenkugel to the 2007 murder of Michael Schmidt that happened in Hendersonville County.
“To preserve the integrity of this investigation, no further information will be released at this time. There is no current or ongoing threat to the public,” the release noted.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by People, authorities allege that 52-year-old Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel “distributed or otherwise caused to be placed in position of human accessibility or ingestion” a beverage containing the poisonous chemical acetonitrile “which might cause death or serious physical injury.”
The US Environmental Protection Agency notes that acetonitrile is “a clear colorless liquid with a sweet ethereal odor.” It has many uses, including being a solvent, for spinning fibers, and is used in lithium batteries. If ingested, acetonitrile can result in cyanide poisoning. It is also “very soluble in water.”
In the arrest warrants, authorities allege Casper-Leinenkugel knowingly put the chemical in the victims’ drinks. She allegedly killed Livis and Schmidt with “malice aforethought.”
Thus far, it is unknown if or how she knew any of her victims, but the woman previously operated a restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, WKRC reported. It did not provide a timeframe.
Casper-Leinenkugel has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of distribution of certain food and beverage prohibited.
She is being held at the Henderson County Detention Facility after a judge denied her request for release.
