# Lottery winner fatally poisoned by cyanide **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490 "2013-01-08T15:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/1 "2013-01-08T15:48:38Z")
> **[U.S. News: Latest Breaking Stories, Video, and Photos on American Politics,...](https://www.nbcnews.com/us-news?lite)** > > Get the latest news headlines and top stories from NBCNews.com. Find videos and news articles on the latest stories in the US. The news still seems to be sketchy; but it sure seems like an interesting story that developing. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/2 "2013-01-08T15:52:29Z")
He collected a lump sum of $600k which became $425k after taxes. The 32 yr old wife praised her husband of 12 year as “extraordinary, nice, kind and lovable,” telling the newspaper that he was “the best husband on the entire planet.” I sent this to Mr. Beata. His response: She sounds highly suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/3 "2013-01-08T15:53:01Z")
Very interesting, and very sad. Probably belongs in MPSIMS, though. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/4 "2013-01-08T16:22:47Z")
Dude looks like a swarthy Jon Lovitz. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/5 "2013-01-08T16:25:10Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Dude looks like a swarthy Jon Lovitz. Yea, and he really did have the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/6 "2013-01-08T16:33:06Z")
> [@Vita\_Beata](#): > > She sounds highly suspicious. Yes, I think she wanted to take him to the cleaners. Is there some way to easily get your hands on cyanide? I’d think it would of course be highly regulated, but perhaps there’s some form of animal poison or the like that contains appreciable amounts? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/7 "2013-01-08T16:44:13Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Yes, I think she wanted to take him to the cleaners. You misspelled coroner. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/8 "2013-01-08T16:51:42Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You misspelled coroner. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/9 "2013-01-08T16:55:18Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Is there some way to easily get your hands on cyanide? I’d think it would of course be highly regulated, but perhaps there’s some form of animal poison or the like that contains appreciable amounts? Along those lines, how hard is it to “refine” cyanide from peach pits? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/10 "2013-01-08T16:56:28Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Along those lines, how hard is it to “refine” cyanide from peach pits? Need answer fast? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/11 "2013-01-09T21:08:15Z")
The ME didn’t do an autopsy initially??? Hmmm, where does Hef live? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/12 "2013-01-09T21:14:24Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Along those lines, how hard is it to “refine” cyanide from peach pits? Not that hard. I mean… how would I know? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/13 "2013-01-09T22:54:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yea, and he really did have the ticket. Just wanted to give you praise for this line. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/14 "2013-01-09T23:58:05Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Is there some way to easily get your hands on cyanide? I’d think it would of course be highly regulated, but perhaps there’s some form of animal poison or the like that contains appreciable amounts? Don’t know how easy it is to obtain, but cyanide does have many common industrial uses, including jewelry cleaning and photograph developing. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/15 "2013-01-10T00:36:08Z")
Since he was killed with cyanide, maybe we should ban cyanide, and since it can be made from peach pits, we should regulate those Evil Assault Peaches Won’t someone think of the children!? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/16 "2013-01-10T04:07:00Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Since he was killed with cyanide, maybe we should ban cyanide, and since it can be made from peach pits, we should regulate those Evil Assault Peaches > > Won’t someone think of the children!? Damn right! ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/17 "2013-01-10T04:21:22Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > The ME didn’t do an autopsy initially??? Yeah, that was my initial thought but I guess they don’t always do autopsies. If there isn’t an obvious reason for suspicion or it appears to be a run of the mill cause of death they probably just go with that. This wasn’t questioned until a family member came forward apparently. [From the Chicago Tribune:](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-exhumation-of-poisoned-lottery-winner-proceeds-20130109,0,7132465.story) > [@](#): > > Finding no trauma to his body and no unusual substances in his blood, the medical examiner’s office declared his death to be from natural causes and he was buried at Rosehill Cemetery without an autopsy. > > About a week later, a relative told the medical examiner’s office to take a closer look at the 46-year-old’s death. By early December, comprehensive toxicology tests showed that Khan had died of a lethal amount of cyanide, prompting Chicago police and county prosecutors to investigate his homicide. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/18 "2013-01-10T04:23:36Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Since he was killed with cyanide, maybe we should ban cyanide, and since it can be made from peach pits, we should regulate those Evil Assault Peaches > > Won’t someone think of the children!? I gather this is a joke, but let’s not hijack this into yet another gun control argument. Thanks, **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/19 "2013-01-10T04:26:40Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Since he was killed with cyanide, maybe we should ban cyanide, and since it can be made from peach pits, we should regulate those Evil Assault Peaches > > Won’t someone think of the children!? > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Damn right! If only there were a thread on this board where you could argue about gun control. This is a hijack, so knock it off. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490/20 "2013-01-10T04:27:32Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> MPSIMS. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-winner-fatally-poisoned-by-cyanide/646490.md?page=2)