Case 349: Michael Wallace & David Castor

For early access and dad-free episodes, check out our Patreon, Apple Premium and Spotify subscription memberships. Our episodes deal with serious and often-distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. At 2pm on Monday, August 22, 2005, 38-year-old Stacey Kaster called the police. She was the office manager at her husband David's heating and air conditioning business, and he hadn't shown up for work that day. Stacey was concerned because David had been acting erratically lately. Over the weekend, the couple had an argument that culminated in David yelling at Stacey to take the kids and get out. He also warned her that if she ever left him, he would make her sorry. Afterward, he locked himself in the bedroom of their home in the town of Clay, New York. Stacey hadn't heard from David since. She tried calling him at home, but he didn't answer. She told the police she couldn't understand why he was acting this way, but admitted that he had been depressed lately. She agreed to meet an officer at the house so they could conduct a welfare check. Sargent Robert Willoughby arrived at the Kaster's home and found Stacey sitting in a lawn chair out the front. Given the situation, her body language was unusually relaxed. She explained that she'd been waiting for the police to arrive before she entered the house. Stacey let Sargent Willoughby inside, stopping in the kitchen while he continued toward the main bedroom. He found it unusual that she showed little interest in checking on her husband herself. Willoughby tried the bedroom door and found it locked. He knocked loudly and identified himself, but received no response. Unsure whether David was inside, Willoughby walked around the outside of the house to see if he could look into the room through a window. The blinds were closed, so he retrieved a ladder to check a higher window that still couldn't get a clear view. Sargent Willoughby went back inside. Stacey followed him for a moment before inexplicably disappearing into the garage. With no other option, Willoughby kicked open the bedroom door. Inside, he found 48-year-old David Kaster laying naked on the bed. He was motionless, turned on his side and facing the wall. What appeared to be reddish-brown vomit had pulled around his head and was caked on his hands. Clothes and bedding scutted messily throughout the room also appeared to be stained with the vomit. One of David's hands was stiff and cooled in a claw-like position, as though he had been gripping a glass. On the nightstand, beside the bed, were remnants of cranberry juice, a bottle of apricot brandy and a short glass half-filled with a bright green liquid. From outside the room, Stacey called out, asking whether her husband was okay. Willoughby checked David's pulse before responding. No, he's not. Stacey Kaster appeared at the bedroom door, saw her husband on the bed and screamed. She started yelling hysterically, bringing back, bringing back. He's not dead. He's not dead. A forensic examiner who soon arrived at the scene concluded that David Kaster had only been deceased for a short time. Lucas, stripping from his mouth and nose, suggested that he had died from some type of poison. The focus turned to the glass of bright green liquid on his nightstand. It didn't smell like liquor, but appeared to be antifreeze, a liquid used in vehicle cooling systems to regulate engine temperature. A blue plastic bottle of peak brand antifreeze was discovered on the bedroom floor, partially tucked under the bed frame directly underneath the David's overhanging feet. It appeared that he had consumed the poisonous antifreeze and taken his own life. But something was off about the scene. On the side of the bed closest to the door, a trail of vomit ran down the bare mattress and pulled on the rug below. The bottle of antifreeze was positioned on its side on top of the pooled vomit, but the container itself was notably clean. It appeared as though the bottle had been placed there after David vomited. Even the glass of antifreeze on the nightstand looked remarkably clean, given David's state earned the room in general. A loaded shotgun was also found under the bed. Stacey hadn't mentioned it, so the police were surprised to find it. In the adjacent bathroom, a tail rack had been torn from the wall, but nothing else appeared to miss in the rest of the house. Meanwhile, Stacey remained in a state of denial about her husband's death, demanding that paramedics come to the house and save him. When questioned at the scene, she revealed that David had been drinking copious amounts of alcohol that weekend and had not been acting like himself. Stacey said she hadn't been at home the day before, as she had been out shopping. She said she'd gone to Walmart and had a receipt to prove it, but couldn't remember what she had done with it and that she must have thrown it away. Police searched the kitchen bin in an attempt to find the receipt. Barely hidden beneath a few pieces of paper, they discovered a turkey-based art. It appeared to be brand new and contained a few small drops of green liquid, confirmed to be antifreeze. Stacey Kasta went on to provide an eight-page statement detailing the lead-up to her husband's death. While she appeared shaken, her account was coherent, clear and highly detailed, not something typically seen in newly widowed people experiencing shock. Simply stating that she had gone to a fast-food restaurant wasn't enough. She described pulling into the drive-through and listed every item she purchased, including the sizes. She recalled the specific brand of cigarettes she bought at a convenience store, the people she spoke to on the phone, and the names of friends she ran into. Stacey repeatedly described David as being depressed, anxious and stressed, something she said was exacerbated by the recent death of his father and business troubles. Referring to David as melancholy by nature, she also claimed he was unhappy with himself and his perceived inadequacies, which led to low self-esteem. According to Stacey, David often lamented that he didn't have long to live. He believed his blood pressure was dangerously high and that he could drop a dead any day. Although David often talked about what would happen if he were gone, asking Stacey what she would do and how she would survive, he didn't seem afraid of death itself. What really frightened him was the prospect of a medical episode that would leave him incapacitated. He didn't want his family burdened with his long-term care or medical expenses. While Stacey admitted that she and David were prone to arguments, she said they'd become more frequent in the week before his death. Their second wedding anniversary passed without celebration and she described the relationship as having lost its spark. Stacey even admitted that she'd begun seeing another man. For his part, David had tried to bring some romance back into the relationship by suggesting they'd go on a second honeymoon, but Stacey didn't think it was practical. She felt they would have to take their daughters with them as the youngest was 15 and Stacey thought she was still too young to stay home alone for two weeks. This led to their biggest argument yet. David had always carried some resentment about being a stepfather to Stacey's two girls and he often expressed a jealousy when she gave them attention instead of him. It was this latest fight that led to David locking himself in the bedroom on the night of Friday, August 19. When he eventually emerged, he and Stacey spent the next seven hours arguing on an off for their many issues. Stacey recalled David drinking a glass of soda during the ordeal. When she asked for a sip, he told her, "Get your own." She thought he was simply being difficult, but in hindsight, she wondered whether he had put something in the drink to harm himself and didn't want her to be affected as well. While David had never been violent towards Stacey, she said that the recent change in his demeanor made her feel as though he could lash out at any moment and she became afraid to talk to him. Over the weekend, David continued to isolate himself in the bedroom and to drink heavily, at times of vomiting or loving himself. Stacey said she tried to help by cleaning up, keeping David hydrated and rubbing his sore feet. As his condition worsened, she repeatedly asked whether he needed medical attention, but David refused. On Saturday, David passed out on the bedroom floor and Stacey had to call a friend to help lift him onto the bed. The friend verified this account, stating that David was completely out of it and didn't even recognize him despite having known him for years. Stacey was in and out of the house throughout the day, but said she checked in on David whenever she was home. She also claimed she called him regularly while she was out. At 5am on Sunday, August 21, Stacey said she heard David dry-ratching in the bedroom and went in to make sure he was okay. She found him naked and convulsing. He yelled at her to leave him alone and to get the fuck out of the house, ordering her to take her children with her. Stacey shut the door and left the house with her daughters, fearing what David might do if she didn't. It was the last time she saw him alive. To Stacey, it seemed that David wasn't going to stop until he had drunk himself to death. At 7.30am on the morning of Monday, August 22, she went to their shared workplace alone. She gave David time to sort himself out, but as the day wore on and he failed to appear, she began to have a bad feeling. When she was unable to reach him, that's when she decided to call the police. The cast of family's relatives and friends painted a very different picture of David and Stacey's marriage. When the couple had tied the knot two years earlier, things had reportedly started well, with David described as treating Stacey like a princess. Aware that people could behave very differently in public than behind closed doors, investigators started looking into David's background for any red flags. There wasn't anything particularly unusual about him. David had lived in the general area all his life and knew a lot of people. He was an avid outdoorsman with lots of hobbies. He particularly enjoyed snowmobiles and motorcycles, interests that Stacey outwardly supported, writing with him as his passenger. As time went on, cracks in David and Stacey's marriage began to show. Most of their issues revolved around Stacey's two teenage daughters, Ashley and Brie, who didn't get along with David. Stacey described her husband as having a "king of the castle" attitude towards her girls. They saw him as dictatorial and resented his lack of patience and his "my way or the highway" approach. Stacey tried to warn David that the girls wouldn't obey him without question, but he didn't listen. conflicts and arguments were frequent, especially between David and Ashley, who was more up front about her feelings. David told others that Ashley was selfish and disrespectful. Ashley openly admitted that she didn't get along with David. He constantly alternated between wanting to be a father figure to her and her sister and to not wanting anything to do with them. Only in Brie missed their lives with their mother before David came into the picture and resented that he took up most of her time. They had overheard the fiery arguments between the two, which usually took place in the garage in an attempt to keep the girls out of it. Ashley told the police that she didn't see David at all on the weekend before his death, while Brie admitted to opening his bedroom door and seeing him on the floor in his underwear. Regardless of their family issues, the girls were shocked and upset to learn that David had taken his own life. They'd been completely unaware that he was depressed, yet their mother assured them that he was. David Castas' autopsy revealed the presence of microscopic crystals in his kidneys, which confirmed he'd consumed a fatal amount of antifreeze. His poisoning results in a gradual build-up of symptoms, starting with slurred speech, confusion, poor coordination, nausea, and a drowsiness. As the substance is metabolised, it breaks down into highly toxic acids that rapidly attack the body, leading to severe metabolic acidosis, dehydration, abdominal and back pain, and increasing neurological decline. The most serious damage typically emerges in the kidneys, where crystal formation can cause acute renal failure, dramatically reducing urine output and triggering further systemic collapse. In its final stages, untreated poisoning can progress to heart rhythm disturbances, seizures, coma, and ultimately death from multi-organ failure. It was a horrific way to die, but Stacey Castas didn't find it particularly unusual that David had chosen this method to take his own life. She said they had recently watched an episode of the True Crime series 48 Hours, in which a woman killed her two husbands by spiking their food with antifreeze. She and David had seen the episode twice. Given the context, this admission stood out to investigators, but the medical examiner didn't find any signs of foul play, and concluded that David had indeed died by suicide. David's loved ones weren't convinced. Given that David worked in the heating and cooling industry and spent a lot of time around cars and motorcycles, he was fully aware of what antifreeze could do. His loved ones didn't believe he would willingly subject himself to such a painful death, and they viewed the entire suicide theory as preposterous. As far as they were concerned, David was a happy man living a life he enjoyed and was far from depressed, let alone suicidal. Even if he was, they questioned why he would choose a slow, torturous death when a loaded shotgun was readily available beneath his bed. They also took issue with the way Stacey portrayed David as an alcoholic. According to those who knew him well, he wasn't a regular drinker and only consumed alcohol on special occasions. From the outset, suspicions lingered that there was more to the story. Not only did the antifreeze bottle and glass in David's bedroom appear unusually clean, almost like they'd been staged, there was also the question of why a turkey-baseder containing antifreeze was found in the kitchen bin. And why did Stacey call for a welfare check from her office instead of going to the house to check on David first? Investigators were convinced they were dealing with a murder. They presented their suspicions to the medical examiner. While he wasn't convinced enough to change David's cause of death to homicide, he did think there were sufficient grounds to amend it to inconclusive. This opened up further investigative opportunities for police, and evidence taken from the cast of home was promptly sent for testing. A sample of David's blood returned surprising results. At the time of his death, he had a very little alcohol in his bloodstream. Samples of his vomit also indicated that he had been sick shortly before his death rather than continuously vomiting over a two-day period. These results contradicted Stacey's account of the weekend in which she described David as consistently binge drinking and repeatedly vomiting. Fingerprints were lifted from the glass containing the antifreeze that David had allegedly drunk from, and an examination revealed they belonged to Stacey. While there could be numerous innocent explanations for her fingerprints being on a drinking glass in her own home, what struck detectives was that none of David's fingerprints were found on the glass, nor were any discovered on the bottle of antifreeze. A palm print was recovered from the bottle, and investigators were unable to conclusively determine who it belonged to. Phone records revealed further holes in Stacey Kastner's account. While she had told police that she regularly called home over the weekend to check on David, records from her cell phone, work phone and the various landlines she had access to, showed that she only called home once. The call was made from her work phone on the afternoon of Monday, August 22, right before she called 911. Investigators also found it odd that Stacey had arrived at work at 7.30am, but didn't call the police to conduct a welfare check until 2pm. They wondered whether she was giving David ample time to die before notifying the authorities. The most compelling evidence came from the turkey-based that found in the Kastner family's kitchen bin. David's DNA was found on the tip in quantities far greater than would be expected from casual contact. Testing showed that DNA was from his saliva, suggesting the tip of the baster had been in his mouth. The idea that David had administered antifreeze to himself in this way, especially if he had been as heavily intoxicated as Stacey claimed, seemed far-fetched to investigators. They concluded that David was likely lying incapacitated on the bed while someone stood over him using the baster to drip antifreeze into his mouth. And while they believed that person was Stacey, they also explored other possibilities. Investigators looked into whether David had any enemies, deaths, affairs, addictions or a secret life that his friends and family might not know about. Finding no evidence that he did, Stacey Kastner remained the primary suspect. This theory was bolstered by the discovery of David's will, in which he left Stacey his entire estate, including his business. In the event that Stacey died before him, the will stipulated that David's estate would pass on to her two daughters or their offspring. Notably, David's own son from a previous marriage was emitted from the will. This was perplexing given that they had a good relationship, and in a previous will, David had left everything to his son and ex-wife. None of his family members were mentioned in the will either, which was highly unusual given how close he was to them. The will was apparently signed by David and two independent witnesses the day after he married Stacey. But David's signature appeared rough and uncertain as though someone else was trying to replicate it. Legally, the two witnesses were required to sign the document in David's presence. However, when questioned by investigators, they admitted that Stacey had brought them the document for the first time after David died and asked them to sign it. Even though they knew what was wrong, they felt that Stacey had been through enough, and they didn't think it would be a big deal. Neither of the witnesses said they had considered the possibility that Stacey could be using them as part of a larger scheme. By the time of David's funeral, his loved ones were still confused about the circumstances of his death. To them, it all felt like a bad dream. They couldn't reconcile what they had been told about David with what they personally knew about him. Many were also left with an uneasy feeling about David's final resting place. Stacey had arranged to have him buried in a plot right next to a man named Michael Wallace, who happened to be her first husband. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. Michael Wallace was introduced to Stacey by mutual friends in 1985. Stacey was in her senior year of high school, and 24-year-old Michael was regarded as the life of the party. She was immediately smitten, and to not at all concerned that Michael came with a history. He had spent time in jail for driving while intoxicated, had several children from a previous marriage, and was reportedly abusive to his ex-partner. While Stacey knew that Michael wasn't perfect, she viewed him as a big-hearted guy who would do anything for anybody. Stacey said she knew she wanted a future with Michael within five minutes of meeting him. A whirlwind romance ensued, and Stacey thought of Michael as the love of her life. But when she became pregnant at 19, Michael wasn't willing to commit. The pair separated before Stacey gave birth to their daughter, Ashley. Stacey focused her attention on her baby, feeling that her purpose was to take care of her. In time, Michael and Stacey reconnected, and to Stacey's delight, he proposed. With their rocky start behind them, they became inseparable. Others recalled how joyful Stacey was at the time, saying that with Michael, she was the happiest she had ever been. She spoke about him as though he were a Hollywood movie star. She didn't even mind Michael remaining close to his first wife and other children, inviting them to parties and events. Michael appeared to be a changed man. While his ex-wife reported that he had been abusive to her in the past, she noted that he didn't display the same temperament with Stacey, who came across as being in charge in the relationship. In her words, Stacey had tamed Mike. But although Michael had become a more settled family man, he was unable to leave his partying ways behind. He still occasionally drank and used to drugs, issues he had dealt with throughout his life, which sometimes brought out the worst in him. But at his core, Stacey still considered Michael to be a good man, and to those close to them agreed that he adored Stacey. While they disagreed at times, the first few years of the Wallace marriage were good. Three years in, Stacey gave birth to the couple's second daughter, Brie. Michael took to Brie immediately, considering her his little angel. As Brie quickly became Michael's favorite, his oldest daughter Ashley started to receive less attention from him. Stacey noticed and stepped in to fill the gap, spending as much time with Ashley as she could. They formed a strong bond that Stacey described as going beyond mother and daughter to that of best friends. While Ashley felt the same way, she didn't entirely agree with how her relationship with Michael was perceived. She didn't recall ever feeling rejected by him and remembered her childhood with him fondly. Throughout this time, Stacey was employed as an ambulance dispatcher and Michael worked as a mechanic. They didn't have much money, but they were comfortable. From the outside, the four-member Wallace family appeared to be a normal, functional unit. But by the time Stacey and Michael had been married a decade, the dynamic between them had shifted, with accusations of infidelity on both sides. Stacey confided in a friend that she was considering divorce, but always had reasons for not going through with it. Then in late 1999, Michael began to get sick. He told a doctor that he felt like he was constantly drunk, even though he hadn't been drinking. He described feeling dizzy and recalled one instance where he couldn't stand up from the toilet. Tests ruled out low blood pressure, infection and diabetes, but no clear cause was found. As time wore on, Michael's condition worsened, he developed a hacking cough, became short of breath and bloated, and his skin turned dark purple. He complained of shoulder and back pain and had no energy. Doctors still couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, but others suspected heart disease. Perhaps his lifestyle was finally catching up with him. On Tuesday, January 11, 2000, 12-year-old Ashley recalled seeing her father laying listlessly on the couch and making unusual movements. At one point, one of his arms shot up into the air, then held out to the side, before dropping back down. Ashley went to pick up her younger sister Bree from school, and when they returned home, there was an ambulance in the driveway. Their mother came out and told them to go No way did a neighbor's house. They were late at all. told that their father had died. Michael Wallace's death was presumed to have been the result of a heart attack, with the shoulder and back pain he reported being seen as a warning sign. However, it was never confirmed because Stacey didn't request an autopsy. At Michael's funeral, attendees were struck by how stoic she seemed. In fact, no one recalled seeing her cry at all. In their view, she didn't present as a typical grieving widow. Even Ashley and Brie noticed their mother's unshakable composure, though they assumed she was just trying to stay strong for them. Stacey explained that she had intentionally chosen to remain calm in the face of tragedy as an example for her daughters. She didn't want to act like a widow, but a mother, which was her priority. Others were impressed and admired her strength. Stacey collected Michael's $50,000 life insurance payout and used the money to pay for his funeral, settle some debts and take her daughters on a vacation. The trio appeared to adapt to Michael's absence surprisingly quickly, seeming happy again almost overnight. That sense of stability was shaken when Stacey met David Castor two years later in 2002. Another whirlwind romance followed and they married the following year. While Stacey was happy with David, her daughters were not and attention within the household persisted up until his death. Just as she had after the death of her first husband, Stacey appeared to recover from their tragedy quickly and with little outward mourning. Once again, she maintained that she wanted to set a good example for her daughters. Ashley and Brie were relieved that life felt peaceful and happy again, like it had before their mother met David. Privately, some people thought it was strange that Stacey had lost two husbands within the span of five years. They told themselves that she simply had bad luck, but in the weeks after David Castor's death, investigators weren't so sure. The similarities between David and Michael's deaths were too precise to be dismissed as mere coincidence or misfortune. They were particularly struck by the fact that Michael had exhibited symptoms of alcohol intoxication while insisting that he hadn't been drinking. David's death had been similar, with Andy Fries poisoning mimicking the effects of alcohol intoxication. The possibility that Stacey could have also been responsible for the death of her first husband intensified the investigation into her. Her phones were tapped and covert surveillance cameras were installed in locations she frequently visited, including the cemetery where her two former husbands were buried side by side. This camera was useful for what it didn't capture. At no point was Stacey recorded visiting either man's grave, not even on the anniversary of David's death. Given that Michael Wallace's body had an undergone an autopsy, investigators made the decision to exume his remains. What was left of Michael's organs were tested, and to no sign of heart disease was found. A sample of his kidney was examined under a microscope and crystals were identified. The crystals were compared to those found in David Kaster's kidneys, which had been caused by the Andy Fries. To the shock of investigators, they were a match. While this discovery confirmed that Michael had also died as a result of Andy Fries poisoning, testing also revealed that he had ingested a rat poison. This weakened the already highly unlikely possibility that Michael might have impulsively taken his life using Andy Fries and pointed toward a more sustained and deliberate pattern of poisoning over time. And because Michael had sought medical help for his worsening symptoms, it further suggested that he didn't want to die and wasn't fully aware of what was happening to him. Stacey Kaster was informed that Michael Wallace's body had been exhumed and that evidence of Andy Fries had been found in his remains, but investigators intentionally withheld the information about the rat poison. In response, Stacey made a cryptic comment saying, "I'm sick of being controlled by someone from the grave." In a subsequent three-hour interview, Stacey was asked to clarify how many times she had called David Kaster between Friday, August 19, and Monday, August 22, before she called the police to request a welfare check. She stated that she had called from her cell phone every 30 to 45 minutes. It is already new from her phone records that no such calls had taken place. They then asked Stacey to repeat details from her original statement regarding David's death, some of which she now described it differently. When shown an image of the glasses on David's nightstand, Stacey pointed to an empty one and began explaining that she had brought him cranberry juice, but then misspoke. She said, "Well, I poured the antifree, I mean, I poured the cranberry juice into this glass." When told her fingerprints were found on the glass containing the antifreeze, Stacey abruptly replied, "That's it, I'm done, I want an attorney." She stopped answering questions and got up to leave. Before she left, she noticed a close-up photograph of the turkey-based I recovered from her kitchen trash bin. Clearly unsettled, she wanted to know about it, but an investigator replied, "Sorry, you've discontinued the interview, I can't talk to you anymore." Stacey denied any involvement in either Michael or David's deaths. While she remained under suspicion, she eventually visited their graves. Stacey's recorded her showing little emotion, and she left shortly after. Investigators interpreted the visit as being less about paying respects and more about confirming whether Michael's body had been exhumed. Phone taps captured her speaking with friends, expressing anxiety about the investigation, and insisting that she hadn't killed either man. She also said she didn't believe the claims that antifreeze had been found in Michael's body. A little over a week after the discovery that Michael Wallace had been poisoned on the morning of Friday September 14, 2007, Bri Wallace was walking down the hallway of her home when she heard something strange. It sounded like shallow gasps and strained moans coming from her older sister's bedroom. Bri opened the door and saw 20-year-old Ashley lying at the foot of the bed with pillows piled on top of her head. Bri removed them and found Ashley in a catatonic state. Her eyes and mouth were open, but her gaze was unfocused, and her expression was one Bri had never seen before. Ashley didn't respond when her name was called. As Bri screamed louder, their mother rushed into the room. On seeing Ashley, she immediately called 911, telling the operator, "I think my daughter took some pills. My youngest daughter came into her room and screamed and I just woke up. She's having trouble, it sounds like there's something in her throat." At that moment, Ashley began vomiting. Stacy was instructed to roll her onto her side so she wouldn't choke. She remained panicked, but was able to answer the operator's questions clearly. As an ambulance was dispatched, Stacy admitted that she had left Ashley sleeping for almost 20 hours without checking on her. She suspected Ashley might have overdosed on sleeping pills, but couldn't estimate how many she had taken. She also added that Ashley had drunk an entire bottle of vodka. Bri, who had initially left the room into stress, finally returned and to notice the folded piece of paper near the head of Ashley's bed. She hadn't seen it earlier, but now it was obvious. She picked it up and began to read a typed message, but her mother quickly took it from her. What do I have to read, Stacy asked, while still on the phone with the 911 operator? Adding, "She left a letter." The letter read, "Mommy, when you read the letter, just remember I love you and everything I did because I love you. I'm sorry all of this is happening to you, but now everyone is going to know what really happened, and they know it wasn't you. was me. No one was ever supposed to know about Daddy. I told you when Daddy died, it was all my fault, and Daddy was doing things you never knew about. He was drinking. He was smoking pot again. I saw him. He was mean to you and me, and he only ever loved breathe. I couldn't let him do those things to you anymore. You think I don't remember how things were, but I do, and I didn't ever want to live like that anymore. It wasn't fair to you or me. Daddy wasn't going to be good to you, only breathe. I couldn't stand it anymore. The cops said there was antifreeze in Daddy's body, but did they tell anyone about the rap poison too? When I got home from school that day, I knew what was going on. Daddy was barely breathing. I knew he was going to die. That's why I didn't call you for help or anyone else. I wanted to make sure he couldn't be mean to you or me anymore. He died before I went to pick up a brief from school. I watched him, and I knew he couldn't hurt you anymore. Then we were happy for a while, just the three of us, and then you married David, and he was mean to you. He was mean to all of us, meaner than Daddy, and I knew you loved him like you loved Daddy, and you were going to let him treat you like he did, and you wouldn't leave. It wasn't fair, mummy. He didn't love you or me or breathe. I never thought anyone would miss David. No one but you loved him. It was harder than with Daddy because you were always home or with him, but I did it. I made sure he would never hurt you anymore too. That Friday when David came home so you could go to the post office is when I first did it. It was easy. I asked him if he wanted something to drink, and I put the antifreeze in his glass with some soda. He drank two whole glasses. That was it. Only it took longer for David than with Daddy. Once I put the antifreeze in Daddy's gatorade, it only took a day or so, and that's when he died. When you were sleeping on the couch after David locked himself in the room, I got the extra key because I knew where he hid it, and I put stuff in the room. I tried to get him to drink some of that booze with the dropper thing, but he was out of it and wouldn't. I poured the antifreeze in the glass and on the floor and to left the bottle in the room, and to then I put the gloves back in the kitchen and got ready for work. You never knew. All these cops are saying all of this stuff about you to everyone you know, and mummy, it's just not fair when you told me they dug Daddy up. I knew what was going to happen. No one was ever supposed to know mummy, and to now that they do and they think you did, but you didn't. It was me. When the cops came to my school today, I thought they had figured it out and I was going to jail, but they didn't take me. Mummy, I can't live like this and watch what they are doing to you. Not anymore, but I can't go to jail for the rest of my life. I can't put you through that. I did the only thing I could to help you mummy. I know you hate me for doing what I did, but mummy, remember, I love you more than anything, and I did it for you and for us. Please forgive me. Mummy, someday when all of this is over, please forgive me. Make sure you take care of Bri. She is all you have left now. Remember how happy we all were together, and you will be happy again. I promise you. Mummy, tell Matt I love him, and I'm sorry. Tell Bri to be a good girl for you and I love her. Please don't hate me. Remember, I love you. Ashley. Ashley was rushed to hospital. She was drenched in sweat, trembling, her teeth chattering, and her body convulsing. Tests confirmed elevated levels in her blood work, and her heart rate was dangerously high. If Bri hadn't discovered Ashley when she did, doctors thought she would likely have died before the morning was through. In the hospital, Bri told police that she had been worried about her older sister since the previous day. She mentioned the note she had found on Ashley's bed, believing it might have been a suicide note, but said she only managed to read the first few lines before her mother took it. With nothing to suggest that Ashley was depressed or suicidal, it was a very unusual turn of events. She had been looking forward to starting college, and had recently told her boyfriend that she would never consider taking her own life. And yet, doctors described that the variety and quantity of drugs found in Ashley's system as a smorgasbord. She was found to have consumed over 60 sleeping pills and painkillers. After undergoing dramatic life-saving efforts, Ashley's awareness of her surroundings slowly began to improve. She could hear questions being asked, but wasn't conscious enough to respond. Finally, she managed to ask, was I in a car accident? Investigators explained that a typed suicide note had been found at the head of her bed, confessing that she was responsible for the deaths of her father, Michael Wallace, and her stepfather, David Kaster. After being told she had overdosed, Ashley looked at the investigators like they were crazy. What note, she asked? What pills? Mum gave me an ambient pill. I didn't write any note. I didn't try to kill myself. Why would I? Ashley was shown her purported suicide note. She maintained that she had never seen it before. Outside the room, when Bri and Stacey Wallace were informed that Ashley was going to survive, Stacey became increasingly focused on gaining access to her daughter. She told investigators and hospital staff that it was wrong to separate a mother from her sick child. When she was denied, her agitation increased. On the other side of the door, Ashley was beginning to recall the events leading up to her hospitalization. As she remembered the foul tasting alcohol, her mother had encouraged her to drink. It became clear to her that something was very wrong. Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's answers. By supporting our sponsors, you support Case file to continue to deliver quality content. Ashley recounted her memories of the days leading up to her hospitalization to investigators. She was on campus about to start her first day of college when detectives paid her a visit and told her that her father Michael hadn't died of a heart attack but had in fact been poisoned. She found this difficult to believe and immediately called her mother. Unbeknown to them both, the call was being monitored. Ashley complained about having been questioned by police when all she wanted to do was go to class. Stacy was sympathetic and agreed to pick her up. Once they got home, Ashley was surprised when her mother suggested, "Let's get drunk because we've had a hard day." It was unlike her mother to suggest such a thing as she had never previously encouraged Ashley to drink alcohol. Ashley could recall only one other instance in which she was allowed to try a beer, and even then her mother monitored the situation closely and didn't let her drink any further. But because Stacy was her best friend and because she had no reason to doubt her, Ashley agreed. Stacy poured her a glass of watermelon-flavored vodka. It had a strange taste, but Stacy assured her daughter it was just the fruity flavoring. Ashley continued to drink but after a while she began to feel light-headed and threw up. Stacy told her this was normal and offered her a pill to help her sleep it off. The next day, Ashley felt somewhat hungover but otherwise able to function. When she returned home from class later that morning, Stacy immediately suggested, "Let's get drunk, let's just get totally drunk." It wasn't even midday but Stacy was insistent. She sent Ashley out of the room to do some chores. When she returned, a vodka cocktail was waiting for her in a large cup with the straw. It looked unusual with the chalky material floating in it. Stacey encouraged her to stir it, saying it contained vodka, orange juice, and soda. Ashley stirred it and took a sip, but found the drink unpleasant and gagged. The taste was so foul that she couldn't bring herself to take another sip, saying, "I can't drink this, it doesn't taste good." Stacey replied that there was likely too much vodka in it and encouraged her to try again, showing her how to place the straw further back in her throat to avoid tasting the alcohol. Ashley followed her instruction and finished the whole cup. Shortly after, she began to feel unwell again. She felt as though she was in a tunnel and went to her room to lie down. Later that day, Stacey took a phone call from Ashley's boyfriend Matthew. Phone taps recorded the conversation during which Stacey said Ashley was in her room asleep and drooling normally. Later that night, Matthew went to the caster family home. From outside, he noticed Ashley's room was dark and repeatedly called her cell phone. Eventually, Stacey answered, "Matthew was surprised as this had never happened before." Stacey told him to call back on the landline, apparently unaware it was being monitored. When he did, Matthew asked to speak with Ashley, but Stacey said she was asleep and couldn't be disturbed. Thinking quickly, he asked for a favor. Without telling Stacey that he was outside the house, Matthew said that he had lost his ATM card and suspected it might be in Ashley's room. Stacey agreed to go and look for it. A short time later, Stacey returned to the phone to report that Matthew's card was not there. Matthew was incredulous. He had been watching the house and hadn't seen a light go on in Ashley's bedroom, suggesting Stacey had never gone in there to look. As the night continued, Stacey hosted a small gathering in the backyard while Ashley remained in her room supposedly asleep. About 18 hours after she had drunk the vodka cocktail, Ashley was found on the brink of death by her younger sister. An examination of the caster family's computer revealed that the supposed suicide note had been written in stages over time. Two drafts were saved, which differed slightly from the final version found in Ashley's bed, with the last recorded access occurring on Wednesday, September 12, 2007. Two days before, Ashley was hospitalized. This coincided with the day Ashley was questioned by police and told that her father had been poisoned. The emerging story was that after realizing police had discovered Michael Wallace had been murdered, Ashley knew that Jake was up and decided to take her own life. But first, she typed out a full confession in a suicide note, also admitting to having murdered David Castor. Yet, this theory didn't align with the evidence. The suicide note was last accessed on the caster computer at 2.27pm. At that time, Ashley was in class on campus. Stacey, however, was at home. She picked Ashley up at around 3.30pm to begin their impromptu drinking session. Notably, some words in the note was spelled correctly in one section, but misspelled elsewhere. This suggested that the author had deliberately dumbed down the content in order to distance themselves from it, but had done so inconsistently. It was also striking that the letter focused less on Ashley's apparent guilt or remorse, which were typically the central themes of a suicide note, and more on asserting Stacey's complete innocence in Michael and David's deaths. This point was repeated at least 14 different ways throughout, but it was the mention of Rat poison that really intrigued investigators. The Rat poison had been discovered in Michael's system after his body was exhumed, but authorities had deliberately kept that detail under wraps. It was information only his killer could have known, and meant that whoever had written the note was the one who had killed Michael Wallace. In the note, the word "anti-freeze" was misspelled as "anti-free". While this could have been dismissed as a simple spelling error, investigators recalled a prior interview with Stacey during which she had referred to filling David's glass with "anti-free" before quickly correcting herself to say it was cranberry juice. They wondered whether she had intended to say "anti-freeze" but had cut herself off mid-word, or whether she in fact had a habit of referring to it as "anti-free", which would provide a strong potential link to her being the author of the suicide note. This link was strengthened when investigators compared the note to samples of Stacey's writing, which revealed identical idiosyncratic or grammar and word usage. Although Stacey said she hadn't read the note, she still referred to it as a suicide note, clarifying that she had read the first couple of lines before stopping. While she wouldn't openly claim that Ashley had authored the note, she maintained that she hadn't written it herself. She accepted its contents and said she fully believed that Ashley had killed both of her husbands. Investigators had long intended to arrest Stacey but had been cautiously taking their time to gather solid evidence. Now that it was looking like she was willing to harm her own children to avoid suspicion, they moved forward and placed her under arrest for the murder of David Castor and the attempted murder of Ashley Wallace. While investigators were convinced that Stacey was also responsible for Michael Wallace's death, they proceeded with the charges they were most confident would secure a conviction. Stacey appeared largely unfazed during the booking process, treating the situation as though it were a big mistake. She said her children were her whole life and insisted that anyone who knew her would attest to the fact that she'd never hurt them. She maintained that Michael had died of natural causes, that David had taken his own life and that Ashley intended to do the same. Stacey said she was not even remotely guilty and insisted that she had loved both of her husbands. She revealed two tattoos, one on each shoulder, which she had gotten after their deaths. Each depicted a teddy bear with the man's birth date above and the date of his death below. She continued to assert that the wrong person had been arrested and that her innocence would be proven. Even some of Stacey's closest relatives and friends believed that Ashley was the real killer. They accepted the notion that Ashley, despite being just 12 years old at the time of her father's death, had devised, carried out and nearly succeeded in an elaborate poisoning scheme on two separate occasions. Day portrayed Ashley as jealous of the attention Michael gave to her sister, Bri, suggesting that this motivated her to commit murder. They also pointed to her conflicts with David as further evidence of instability. "I've seen her temper," one person said, suggesting it was enough to prove she was capable of double homicide. Stacey encouraged the suggestion that a 12-year-old was fully capable of premeditated murder, telling an ABC reporter after her arrest. Children are killing children and children are killing other people every single day. Ashley struggled in the aftermath of her mother's arrest. She couldn't understand why Stacey wasn't defending her and instead trying to implicate her in the murders. For someone she previously considered her best friend, it was a crushing blow. "I would have done anything for her," Ashley said. She tried to kill me instead. When she was discharged from hospital, reporters asked her how she felt after her suicide attempt. Ashley pushed back, clarifying that she hadn't tried to kill herself and that her mother had drugged her. When asked why her mother would do such a thing, Ashley responded. She must have been looking for an easy way out. The mother versus daughter narrative made for compelling tabloid coverage, with both women steadfastly claiming they were being framed by the other. While the ordeal took a heavy toll on Ashley, Stacey appeared to cope well, showing little visible emotion. She seemed unfazed that neither her daughters reached out to her in custody awaiting trial, convinced that they would eventually reconcile, even though both Ashley and Bri were vocal about wanting nothing to do with her. By the time Stacey faced a jury in January 2009, she had been hit with an additional charge relating to David's fraudulent will. The defense fought hard to maintain her innocence, arguing that the simplest explanation was the correct one, that Ashley's suicide note was genuine and she had written it herself. They didn't shy away from the implication, stating "the guilty person is Ashley Wallace and not Stacey Castor." The suggestion that Ashley was the killer formed the crux of the defense's case. They framed the case against Stacey as a miscarriage of justice, arguing that the evidence against her was purely circumstantial and based on an assembly of guesses and theories. They accused police of having decided on Stacey's guilt from the outset, arguing that this bias meant they hadn't properly considered alternative explanations. After all, they had bugged Stacey's phone and kept her under surveillance, but didn't do that to Ashley. While they acknowledged it would be disingenuous to suggest that none of the evidence raised suspicion against Stacey, they maintained that if she was the killer, there were certain things about the case that didn't fit. Adding, "On the flip side of that, you will say that the evidence makes sense only if Ashley Wallace is the killer." More importantly, they claimed there was nothing that definitively excluded Ashley, whom they described as spoiled and ungrateful, and asserted she had every opportunity to do everything she claimed in the latter. Ashley Wallace testified at her mother's trial, marking the first time the pair had been in the same room since Ashley was hospitalized. She didn't make like contact with her mother once during her three-hour testimony. Ashley maintained that she loved her father, Michael, and that they had a good relationship. While she admitted she didn't like David very much, she said she had cut him some slack just before he died and that things weren't as tense between them because she was working most of the time. Ashley said she was aware that David was sick in the bedroom over the weekend before his death, but maintained she was never alone in the house with him during that time. She said she didn't see him at all and was at work when he was found dead. Ashley spoke about her mother's unexpected and uncharacteristic suggestion that they get drunk together after Michael was found to have been poisoned. She described how the first attempt left her feeling sick. The prosecution portrayed this initial incident as a trial run for the actual murder attempt the next day, arguing that Stacy was testing whether Ashley would comply and drink something offered to her without question, even if it tasted off. Asked why she drank the drink her mother gave her even though it tasted awful, Ashley said, because I trusted her. She denied attempting to take her own life and when asked if she had poisoned her father or stepfather within the freeze, she firmly replied, "No, I did not." The defense worked to suggest that Ashley had a motive to carry out the motives. They pointed out that she knew that her father had alcohol and drug issues that impacted the family. They also highlighted her tumultuous relationship with David and her awareness that he frequently argued with her mother, but went further by alleging that David had molested Ashley when she was 13 years old. Ashley had never made such an allegation and that there was no evidence to support the suggestion. This line of questioning stopped as quickly as it was established, with observers viewing it as an attempt to provide the jurors with a possible motive for viewing Ashley as the killer, even if the suggestion itself was baseless. The defense produced a letter Ashley had once written to a former boyfriend in which she complained about David and expressed the desire to punch him in the face. She also wrote that she wanted to leave home, adding that when she moved out her mother would be sorry. Ashley didn't shy away from acknowledging these feelings. She was a moody teenager and made no pretense of liking David, but maintained that it didn't mean she wanted him dead. She also didn't deny having written a note during a particularly low point after her father's death, in which she expressed a fascination with death and dying. In the note, she wrote that she had attempted suicide twice, but hadn't gone through with it, because, quote, "Each time I thought about my sister and how I couldn't have her here without someone to protect her or someone for her to look up to sometimes." The defense's implication was that because Ashley admitted to attempting suicide in the past, she was therefore capable of doing so again. However, she maintained that there was no third time. Bri Wallace also took the stand. Unlike her older sister, she was far more emotional while testifying, often breaking down in tears and needing to pause to drink water and compose herself. She spoke of the morning she found Ashley on the brink of death, saying she had wanted to check on her the previous evening, but Stacy said to leave her alone. Bri had nevertheless opened the door and looked in, but Stacy quickly shoot her away, saying, "She's fine, leave her alone. I want her to sleep through until morning." Stacy sat impassively as her daughters testified, never looking up, but occasionally resting her head on her hand. She remained calm and steadfast as she testified in her own defense. The first question posed to her by her attorney was whether she had killed Michael Wallace. No, she replied. She said she had loved Michael with all of her heart and still did, but she maintained that he had treated their children differently, describing how he favoured Bri by being present from the moment she was born and calling her princess. Stacy said Michael didn't have the same connection with Ashley, who didn't receive her own affectionate nickname. She alleged that Michael had spanked Ashley, but not Bri, and described Ashley as having behavioural issues since early childhood. At Michael's funeral, she recalled that Bri was distraught while Ashley remained stoic. Stacy also pointed out that she wasn't the only one who felt it was unnecessary to order an autopsy for Michael, noting that his own mother had agreed. As for David Castor, Stacy maintained that she had loved him too. She repeated her account of his final weekend, describing his heavy drinking following her refusal to go on a trip with him. She claimed that on the Friday, she had gone to the post office for an hour during which Ashley was home with David. This was notable as Ashley's supposed suicide note stated. That Friday, when David came home so you could go to the post office, is when I first did it, implying that Ashley had poisoned David while Stacy was out. What was striking about this testimony was that Stacy never mentioned a post office trip at any point during the prolonged police investigation, including in her many informal and formal interviews. Nor did she ever tell investigators that Ashley had been alone with David at all that weekend. Stacy admitted to having friends signed David's will after his death, a revelation that only further undermined her credibility and suggested a willingness to be deceptive. She maintained it was something they had discussed but never completed, and said she simply wanted to ensure his estate was settled the way he had intended. Adding, "I could never have anticipated in a million years that I would be widowed after two years of marriage." She also clarified that when she said anti-free during her police interviews, she had intended to say "anti-freeze" but stopped herself before finishing the word. Stacy admitted she had given Ashley a vodka mixer to celebrate her first day of college, but denied giving her any pills. She also denied much of what Ashley had alleged about the events leading up to her hospitalisation, including that she had prepared drinks and forced her to consume them. She maintained that whatever Ashley had drunk, she had done so on her own, without Stacy's involvement or approval. She also didn't find it unusual that Ashley had a long sleep afterward, as she said she was prone to sleeping for extended periods. Stacy claimed she checked on Ashley throughout the night, but only realised something was wrong when Brie found her. next morning. After four weeks of proceedings, the jury took 16 hours to deliberate. Stacey Kasta remained characteristically emotionless as she was found guilty of all charges. The verdict immediately vindicated Ashley Wallace, who embraced her sister Bri as both cried in relief. At court, Ashley expressed her happiness that the whole Lord Dill was over, saying, "I can honestly say this is the best day of my life because I knew I didn't do it. Now that I know everybody knows I didn't do it, it's just 10 times lighter." While Bri admitted she felt sympathy for her mother, she added, "I was happy they decided she was guilty because we all knew that was true." When asked if the sisters would ever be able to move on, Ashley said, "I already have. We already have." As for whether they would ever speak to their mother again, Ashley said, "I don't want to talk to her ever again. I really don't. I really have nothing to say to her. I'm glad she'll be away for a very long time, and she can't hurt anybody ever again." In post-trial interviews, jurors revealed that they hadn't found Stacey credible, combined with the fact that she had the most access to both victims, this ultimately solidified their guilty verdict. Victim impact statements were read at Stacey's sentencing hearing. David Castor's son, David Jr, described his father as someone who worked hard and played hard, and who loved life, and still had so much ahead of him. He was traumatized by hearing how antifreeze had slowly and painfully shut his father's body down. Seeing photographs of him naked in his own vomit, knowing the pain he endured, was devastating. But, having to listen to Stacey deny and slander him after his death, was even worse. The allegations that his father was a pedophile were particularly egregious. "Let me set one thing straight," David Jr. said. "My father was a good man, with a moral compass that pointed north." He said his father's murder had caused a chain reaction of pain to everyone's life that he touched and described Stacey as standing at the top of a ladder in which each rung represents a growing level of evil. He also expressed sympathy for the ordeal Stacey had put Ashley and Bri through, while praising the strength the sisters had shown throughout the trial. With Bri by her side, Ashley said she was still burdened by the question of why her mother had done what she did, but accepted that she might never get an answer. She detailed the lives her mother had ruined, not only Michael and David's, but also those of their loved ones, as well as her own and her sisters. She spoke of how Stacey had forced family and friends to pick sides and described her anxiety about whether the jury would believe her. Ashley continued to feel conflicted about her mother, admitting she both loved and hated her. "That bothers me," she said, "it's so confusing. I never knew what hate was until now." More than anything, Ashley said she wanted her mother to apologise for everything, including the lies. Accepting that it was unlikely ever to come, Ashley promised not to shed any more tears over it. As horrible as it makes me feel she concluded, "This is goodbye, Mum. As hard as you tried, I survived, and I will survive, because now I am surrounded by people who love me." The district attorney urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence on Stacey. She highlighted Stacey's callous conduct, including how she continued to socialise in her backyard with friends as her daughter lay in bed fighting for her life from the overdose she had given her. She is cold, calculating, and without any human emotion for what she has done, the DA said. Human life is sacred. Stacey Castor places no value on human life, not even her own flesh and blood. To Stacey Castor, human beings are disposable. The judge who admitted to seeing all types of killers during his three decade career called Stacey at first. He had never seen a mother who was willing to sacrifice her own child's life in order to direct suspicion away from herself, remarking, "I have to say, Mrs. Castor, that you are in a class all by yourself. Unlike many defendants who pass through my court room, you're not just a danger to the general public, you're a danger to the people who love you and a closest to you." I believe that the sentence that I'm about to impose will remove that danger once and for all. Stacey Castor was sentenced to 25 years to life for the attempted murder of Ashley Wallace. She was given the same sentence for the murder of David Castor. She would have to serve over 51 years behind bars before being eligible for parole, with her earliest possible release date being June 2055, a month shy of her 88th birthday. In 2009, Stacey Castor agreed to be interviewed for a two-hour special for ABC's award-winning TV program 2020. In it, she continued to profess her innocence and accuse Ashley of knowing what really happened. A forensic psychiatrist told 2020 that offenders like Stacey tend to deny, deny, deny until the bitter end, and that she would likely never admit guilt. Stacey chose not to be evaluated by a psychiatrist for the purpose of her trial, which would have opened the door to a potential mental health defense. As such, she hasn't been officially diagnosed with anything that might shed light on why and otherwise seemingly normal functioning wife and mother would not only kill two husbands she professed to love dearly, but also attempt to implicate the daughter she claimed to be her best friend. The closest suggested motive is financial, but in Michael's case, he was not a wealthy man. David did have a successful business, though he still faced financial difficulties, and his $50,000 life insurance payout was not considered exorbitant. Stacey Castor was never found legally responsible for the death of her first husband, but investigators remained convinced she was responsible and ultimately closed the case on that basis. They considered it fortunate that Michael's remains weren't cremated, as the truth surrounding his death might otherwise never have been uncovered. They also acknowledged that had Stacey not made the mistake of attempting a second poisoning, she may well have escaped to justice for Michael's death entirely. While there has been no evidence to suggest that Stacey has any other victims, it is widely accepted that she could have killed again had she not been found out. However, she didn't display the broader traits typically associated with serial killers. According to commentators, the one patent she did demonstrate was an ability to use her own child in a way that served her own needs. Neither Ashley nor Bree spoke to their mother again after the trial. At 6.48am on Saturday, June 11, 2016, seven and a half years into her prison sentence, 48-year-old Stacey Castor was found dead in her prison cell. Her cause of death was a heart attack and no foul play was suspected. Stacey was late to rest in a shared grave with her first husband, Michael. Her burial placed each of her husbands, both her victims, on either side of her. That same year, David's son arranged for his father's remains to be disinterred and reberried elsewhere.