In a disturbing case out of Alabama, Brian Mann, a 36-year-old man, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly poisoning his estranged wife with lead. The incident reportedly took place during the couple’s divorce proceedings in September 2022, and the wife spent about two months in the hospital due to the poisoning.
The Discovery of Poisoning and Initial Investigation
Authorities began investigating the case after the woman was hospitalized and became unresponsive. The Hartselle Police Department was alerted to her condition and launched an investigation to determine the cause of her illness.
Court documents show that investigators initially focused on the possibility of lead poisoning.
Mann reportedly cooperated with the police during the investigation, providing details about his wife’s medications and vitamins at the time. However, after the first search of the couple’s home yielded no signs of lead, a second search also came up empty.
Despite this, police continued to probe the case, growing more suspicious as they learned more about Mann’s behavior.
Mann’s Suspicious Actions and Self-Diagnosis
The investigation took a twist when Mann reportedly told a nurse practitioner that he had done an X-ray on himself and discovered a substance in his gut, which he believed to be lead.
When the nurse suggested a follow-up scan to determine if he was also being poisoned, Mann appeared nervous and indicated that he wanted to leave the clinic.
The follow-up scan on Mann revealed a substance in his colon that appeared to be lead, but it didn’t seem to have been there for long. This raised further suspicions that Mann may have ingested lead on purpose to create the impression that he was also being poisoned.
Police then accessed Mann’s medical records, and the evidence suggested that he intentionally ingested lead to mislead investigators and draw attention away from his wife as the sole victim.
A Construction Project Connection and Arrest
The case took another significant turn when a tipster contacted the police. According to the tip, the person had worked on a construction project in 2021 at Mann’s workplace and had left unused lead at the site. This lead was allegedly given to Mann, connecting the poisoning to a potential source of the lead.
On September 2, 2022, Mann was arrested and charged with attempted murder. The authorities believe that Mann intentionally poisoned his wife with lead and attempted to make it look like he too was a victim of poisoning.
Defense Challenges Evidence
Mann’s defense team has questioned the validity of the evidence collected during the investigation. They raised concerns about the method used to extract lead from Mann’s wife’s urine, claiming it was improperly done in the back parking lot of the Hartselle Police Department using a five-gallon bucket and strainer. They argued that this could render the evidence inadmissible in court due to mishandling, improper labeling, and a lack of chain of custody.
Mann’s Legal Proceedings and Trial
Despite multiple delays, Mann is now set to stand trial at the Morgan County Courthouse. He posted a $500,000 bond following his arrest and has been wearing an ankle monitor since his release. Mann has pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempted murder and is preparing to face a court trial.
This case brings attention to the disturbing potential for intentional harm, with Brian Mann allegedly using lead poisoning to carry out a plan to harm his estranged wife. While the investigation continues and the trial moves forward, Mann’s actions have raised serious questions about motive, deception, and the extreme measures someone might take during a divorce.
