A woman who was convicted of killing her roommate and dismembering her body has also been linked to an earlier attempted murder involving ricin poisoning, authorities revealed. Kore Bommeli Adams, 63, was convicted on June 27, 2023, in Dane County, Wisconsin, for two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
The charges stem from an incident in 2014, where Adams allegedly attempted to poison her neighbors with ricin, a highly toxic substance.
The Ricin Incident: A Deadly Attempt
The ricin case unfolded in the spring of 2014, when Adams allegedly spread the deadly poison around her neighbors’ home while they were on vacation. The poison was found in various locations, including their bed, sock drawer, and office—raising suspicions that the intent was to kill.
Dane County Assistant District Attorney Jack Schneider argued that there could be no other explanation for such actions. “You’re not putting ricin in someone’s home unless you want them dead,” he said, underscoring the severity of the act.
The Gruesome Murder of Talina Galloway
While the ricin case took place years earlier, it was the 2020 disappearance and subsequent murder of Adams’ roommate, Talina Galloway, that ultimately led investigators to her.
In April 2020, Adams reported Galloway missing, claiming she had left to “be alone” at a lake while suffering from COVID-19. However, investigators soon uncovered inconsistencies in Adams’ story. Galloway had not been tested for COVID-19, and there were no medical records showing any quarantine orders.
After extensive searching, Galloway’s body was discovered in January 2021, about 150 miles away in Mena, Arkansas. The body had been dismembered and stored in a freezer in a forest, where it was found after an anonymous tip-off.
Further investigation revealed that Adams had acted suspiciously, given inconsistent statements, and was ultimately found to have been deceptive in her reporting of the circumstances.
Linking the Two Cases
As investigators in Oklahoma delved into Galloway’s case, they noticed alarming similarities with the earlier ricin incident. Adams was soon identified as a person of interest in Galloway’s murder after she stopped cooperating with investigators. She was later located and arrested in Wisconsin, where she faced charges related to the dismemberment and murder of Galloway.
It remains unclear how exactly the Oklahoma and Wisconsin cases are connected, though authorities have noted Adams’ deceptive behavior and unwillingness to cooperate in both instances.
Despite the absence of a clear motive, Adams was convicted of attempted murder in the ricin case, and authorities have confirmed that she will soon be transported to Oklahoma to face charges for Galloway’s death.
A Grisly Death
Wagoner County District Attorney Jack Thorp referred to the case of Galloway’s death as one of the most disturbing in his career. In 2021, he described the manner in which Galloway had been dismembered and disposed of as particularly gruesome.
“Talina Galloway died a brutal death, where her killer had no regard for her life in any way,” Thorp said. The chilling nature of the crime highlighted the severity of Adams’ actions, and authorities are continuing their investigation into her motives.
