Woman accused of poisoning her husband while in Tucson takes plea deal: court documents
TUCSON, Ariz. - Court documents from Pima County show a woman accused of trying to poison her husband has changed her plea.
The document, which is dated April 8, states that Melody Felicano Johnson has pleaded guilty to two counts of adding poison or harmful substance to food and drink. Both counts are felonies. The change in plea is reportedly done as part of a plea deal.
We first reported on the case against Johnson in August 2023. At the time, we reported that Johnson and and her husband, Roby, are going through a divorce.
Investigators at the time stated that starting from the end of March in 2023, Roby noticed that his coffee was tasting bad. Roby later discovered that the water in his coffee pot contained high levels of chlorine, as indicated by a pool chemical testing strip.
"[The alleged victim] stated he suspected someone was [tampering] with his coffee, and in May 2023, while still in Germany, he set up a camera in his house, which showed [Johnson] pouring something into his coffee pot," read a portion of the court documents.
Roby and Johnson, investigators say, later moved back to the U.S., and were placed in temporary accommodation at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. While there, investigators said the alleged victim set up a camera again, and on July 5, 2023, Johnson can be seen walking over to the coffee maker and pouring something into the coffee maker's water reservoir.
"On [July 18, 2023], after collecting multiple videos over multiple days, including [on July 18, 2023] showing [the suspect] take bleach, pour it into a container and then walk over and pour it into the coffee maker," read a portion of the court documents.
Roby, investigators say, believes the suspect was trying to kill him in order to collect death benefits.
Under the plea agreement, Johnson could be sentenced to probation, consecutive prison time, or prison followed by probation. The court could also impose a fine.
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