A woman has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering her boyfriend in a calculated act of poisoning. Judy Church, 67, was found guilty of lacing Leroy Fowler’s drink with antifreeze, leading to his agonizing death. Church callously filmed Fowler’s suffering as the lethal substance shut down his organs, asking him if he was enjoying himself.
Prosecutors revealed that Church manipulated the situation by pretending ignorance when she called emergency services, claiming her boyfriend must have ingested something harmful. The court heard that Church had sole access to Fowler during the critical period when the antifreeze took effect.
Antifreeze, containing ethylene glycol, a hazardous chemical also found in deicing fluid and brake fluid, was identified as the murder weapon by the prosecution. Detectives unraveled Church’s sinister plan through DNA evidence found on a Powerade bottle in the couple’s home, which tested positive for antifreeze and Church’s DNA.
During the trial, Fowler’s sister testified that he suspected Church of tampering with his shake. Last week, Church was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The court described the relationship between Church and Fowler, involving another woman, as toxic and dysfunctional.
In a victim impact statement, Randall expressed the pain of losing Fowler to Church’s actions, emphasizing that no one deserved to suffer as he did. Fowler’s older sister, Tammy Carbone, also conveyed the deep anguish caused by losing a loved one in such a tragic manner.
