My Mother-in-law Smiled While My Daughter Choked At Sunday Dinner. She Thinks It Was An Accident, But I’m An Er Nurse And I Know She’s Poisoning Her. How Do I Catch Her Before It’s Too Late?
“This could work, but we need more. We need proof of intent, pattern of behavior. Can you get Katie to wear a wire?”
“A wire?”
“Audio recording. If Patricia says something incriminating, admits to anything, we have her.”
It took me two weeks to convince Katie. She didn’t want to believe her mother-in-law was trying to kill her—who would?
But finally, after another incident—hives that broke out mysteriously after a cup of Patricia’s special herbal tea—Katie agreed.
The next Sunday dinner, Katie wore a small recording device hidden in her bra. I stayed home, pacing my apartment, checking my phone every five minutes.
Tommy had assured me the device was legal in New York as long as one party consented to the recording. Katie was that party.
Three hours later, Katie called me.
“Mom, you need to hear this.”
She came straight to my apartment, leaving Brian at his mother’s house. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out the recording device.
“Play it from the 30-minute mark,”
she said, her voice flat, shocked.
I connected the device to my laptop and pressed play. Patricia’s voice came through, clear and cultured.
“Of course, I had to be careful with the dosage. Too much and it’s obvious, too little and it doesn’t have the desired effect.”
Another woman’s voice, someone I didn’t recognize, spoke next.
“But aren’t you worried she’ll figure it out? Katie?”
Patricia laughed.
“Please, the girl’s too gentle for her own good. Takes after her mousy mother—no backbone whatsoever. Besides, Brian backs me on everything. He’d never believe his precious mother would hurt his wife.”
“And if she dies?”
“If who dies?”
This was Patricia again, sounding confused.
“Katie. If one of your little experiments goes too far.”
The sound of wine being poured followed. Then Patricia’s voice came through, colder now.
“Accidents happen, Helen. Especially to people with severe allergies. Everyone would understand. Poor Brian, losing his wife so young. He’d be devastated, of course, but he’d recover.”
“And next time, he’d marry someone more suitable. Someone from our circle who understands how things work.”
My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold the laptop. Katie’s face was white.
“She’s been trying to kill me because I’m not good enough for her son.”
“Oh, honey.”
I pulled her close.
“What do we do?”
I called Tommy. He listened to the recording three times.
“This is enough,”
he finally said.
“I’ll contact the DA’s office in the morning. But Maggie?”
“Yeah?”
“Keep Katie away from Patricia. If Patricia even suspects she’s been recorded, she might escalate.”
The Arrest and Conviction
That night, Katie stayed with me. She called Brian and told him she needed space.
He was confused and hurt. He didn’t know what had changed.
I told Katie not to tell him yet, not until we had Patricia in custody. The next day, Tommy called back.
The DA wanted to meet with Katie; they were taking this seriously. Attempted murder charges were on the table.
It took another week to build the case. Tommy pulled strings, called in favors.
The DA’s office interviewed Katie three times. They listened to the recording.
They reviewed my documentation—months of notes, photos, lab results. They interviewed the ER doctors who treated Katie.
Finally, they had enough. On a Tuesday morning, two detectives showed up at Patricia Morrison’s door with a warrant for her arrest.
I wasn’t there to see it, but Brian called me afterward, his voice breaking.
“How could you do this? How could you have my mother arrested?”
“I didn’t, Brian. She did it to herself.”
“She was trying to help Katie! She made her food, tried to take care of her!”
“She was poisoning her.”
“You’re insane, both of you! My mother would never!”
“Brian, we have her on tape admitting it.”
The line went silent. Then, quietly:
“What?”
“Katie recorded her at Sunday dinner three weeks ago. Patricia admitted everything to her friend Helen. It’s all on tape.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then listen to it at the trial.”
He hung up on me. Katie filed for divorce the same day.
Patricia Morrison was charged with attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment. Tommy handled Katie’s divorce pro bono.
