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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,309
Registered: ‎12-01-2012

Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

Mesa City PD opens investigation into death of Gary Lenius whose wife, Wanda, said she served him a deadly cocktail to ward off coronavirus. 

 

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/police-investigating-death-of-arizona-man-from-chloroquine-phosph...

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 21,733
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

@GrailSeeker, just an FYI: Your link includes sidebars that could get your thread deleted.


~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎05-11-2012

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

@GrailSeeker , the plot thickens. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,752
Registered: ‎03-15-2014

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

[ Edited ]

That seems to have been an incorrect report.   From NBC News:

 

"On Tuesday, the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative outlet, published an article reporting that a “homicide investigation” into Wanda Lenius was underway. Flam called that report, which has circulated widely in other conservative outlets, “inaccurate.”"

 

Flam is a spokesman for the Mesa police department. He added that the department's homicide unit is involved because it "investigates all reported deaths within the City of Mesa” — from deaths related to car accidents to the elderly in hospice."

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,407
Registered: ‎07-07-2010

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

Anyone with common sense knows not to serve/drink anything like that.  Looks to me like she thought that she would get away with murder.  I guess she could plead stupid.

The next time that I hear salt and ice together, it better be in a margarita!
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,977
Registered: ‎11-21-2011

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

The article says an investigattion not a homicide investigation, unless they updated it at some point.

 

Either way that story is way too bizarre and I'm glad they are looking into it. It never really made sense and according to her he never seemed to actually agree to take the stuff. Get ready for the Forensic Files episode. Smiley LOL

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,347
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

I thought there was something 'fishy' with her story, but didn't think she could end up on Forensic Files! I just thought she wanted publicity and their agreed upon ploy went too far. Now I feel so bad for the husband with homicide being mentioned.

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Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

This post has been removed by QVC because it could be considered political

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Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death

The Mesa City Police Department's homicide division is investigating the death of Gary Lenius, the Arizona man whose wife served him soda mixed with fish tank cleaner in what she claimed was a bid to fend off the coronavirus.

A detective handling the case confirmed the investigation to the Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday after requesting a recording of the Free Beacon's interviews with Lenius's wife, Wanda. Gary Lenius, 68, died on March 22. Wanda, 61, told several news outlets last month that both she and her husband had ingested a substance used to clean aquariums after hearing Pres. tout one of its ingredients, chloroquine phosphate.

 

Detective Teresa Van Galder, the homicide detective handling the case for the Mesa City Police Department, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing but declined to provide additional details. "As this is an active investigation, I cannot go into any details at this time regarding the case," Van Galder said. The Free Beacon provided a recording of its interview last month with Wanda Lenius.

 

News of the police probe comes after a series of Free Beacon stories raised questions about the portrayal of the couple in the initial NBC report that vaulted the story onto the national stage.

 

Though that report and others suggested the couple mindlessly followed the president's medical advice to disastrous results, friends of Gary Lenius told the Free Beacon they were skeptical he would knowingly ingest fish tank treatment.

 

Rather, they described Lenius as a levelheaded retired engineer and recounted a troubled marital relationship that included a previous domestic assault charge against his wife, of which she was ultimately found not guilty. 

 

"What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man, a retired [mechanical] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and I really can't see the scenario where Gary would say, ‘Yes, please, I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner,'" one of his close friends told the Free Beacon. "It just doesn't make any sense."

 

Another source, who asked that all identifying information be withheld, told the Free Beacon earlier this month that Wanda Lenius "would constantly berate Gary in public.… Everyone was embarrassed for him, but he outwardly did not seem to care much."

 

"In our opinion, their marriage was seen outwardly to be as one-sided as a marriage possibly could be: Gary worshiped Wanda," this person said, adding that his wife "would routinely call him a doofus" and humiliate him in public. Wanda Lenius was charged with domestic abuse assault in 2001 after she allegedly hit her husband and swung a mounted birdhouse at him. Gary Lenius declined to cooperate in the case, testifying that he was not injured or placed in fear of injury. His wife was exonerated.

 

~freebeacon

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Posts: 21,733
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Interesting development in fish tank cleaner death


@MorningLover wrote:

The Mesa City Police Department's homicide division is investigating the death of Gary Lenius, the Arizona man whose wife served him soda mixed with fish tank cleaner in what she claimed was a bid to fend off the coronavirus.

A detective handling the case confirmed the investigation to the Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday after requesting a recording of the Free Beacon's interviews with Lenius's wife, Wanda. Gary Lenius, 68, died on March 22. Wanda, 61, told several news outlets last month that both she and her husband had ingested a substance used to clean aquariums after hearing Pres. tout one of its ingredients, chloroquine phosphate.

 

Detective Teresa Van Galder, the homicide detective handling the case for the Mesa City Police Department, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing but declined to provide additional details. "As this is an active investigation, I cannot go into any details at this time regarding the case," Van Galder said. The Free Beacon provided a recording of its interview last month with Wanda Lenius.

 

News of the police probe comes after a series of Free Beacon stories raised questions about the portrayal of the couple in the initial NBC report that vaulted the story onto the national stage.

 

Though that report and others suggested the couple mindlessly followed the president's medical advice to disastrous results, friends of Gary Lenius told the Free Beacon they were skeptical he would knowingly ingest fish tank treatment.

 

Rather, they described Lenius as a levelheaded retired engineer and recounted a troubled marital relationship that included a previous domestic assault charge against his wife, of which she was ultimately found not guilty. 

 

"What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man, a retired [mechanical] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and I really can't see the scenario where Gary would say, ‘Yes, please, I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner,'" one of his close friends told the Free Beacon. "It just doesn't make any sense."

 

Another source, who asked that all identifying information be withheld, told the Free Beacon earlier this month that Wanda Lenius "would constantly berate Gary in public.… Everyone was embarrassed for him, but he outwardly did not seem to care much."

 

"In our opinion, their marriage was seen outwardly to be as one-sided as a marriage possibly could be: Gary worshiped Wanda," this person said, adding that his wife "would routinely call him a doofus" and humiliate him in public. Wanda Lenius was charged with domestic abuse assault in 2001 after she allegedly hit her husband and swung a mounted birdhouse at him. Gary Lenius declined to cooperate in the case, testifying that he was not injured or placed in fear of injury. His wife was exonerated.

 

~freebeacon


@MorningLoverand this: "Mesa City police declined to comment on the investigation but told the paper that the probe was “normal protocol” for non-natural deaths and noted that the case has not been ruled a homicide “at this time.”


~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland