Castor never saw her daughters again. The movie's speech is pulled verbatim from the statement the real Wallace read, through tears, in the courtroom in 2009. I cannot believe Stacey has it in her to kill two men. Her first victim was her first husband Michael Wallace, who she married in 1998. There are so many things that she has ruined. [3][10] An upset Ashley called Castor. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). We may earn commission from the links on this page. Stacey's younger daughter Bree found Ashley the next morning and took her to the hospital. She once recalled, Wed just go for a ride in the car, you know? By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. Stacey is at the center of a web of lies linked to the deaths of David and a previous husband, as well as the overdose of her daughter, Ashley Wallace, 21. "I would not be as far in life as I am if I gave up and turned to drugs or alcohol," Wallace says. Castor was arrested in 2007 and found guilty in February 2009 on charges of second-degree murder in Davids death and attempted second-degree murder in Ashleys overdose. Like, I shouldve known, but I didnt. Each had children from a previous marriage. [16], The trial had lasted for four weeks. Deputy testifies in Castor trial But doctors told Stacey they thought it was a heart attack, Benson said. [2][3], Castor was employed by an ambulance dispatch company, while Wallace worked nights as a mechanic, but the family had little money. While Ashley continued on her journey of healing, she talked about struggling with how the trauma affected her. After detectives visited Ashley at college to tell her they suspected her father was also poisoned, she came home to visit and share a drink with her mom. Tonight, ABC will speak with Ashley, as well as some investigators from the case. In order to do this, she attempted to murder Ashley and make the killing look like a suicide, and she even drafted a fraudulent confession to be found with her lifeless body if she succeeded. Wallace woke up with a hangover, went to school, and returned. Standing next to her younger sister, Bree, Wallace opens up about feelings of confusion, anger, and bewilderment that had plagued her since learning of her mother's ultimate betrayal. Are Janelle, Christine and Meri Suing Kody Over Money From Coyote Pass? "He wasn't a drinker; he didn't go out at night," she told Snapped. Stacey was sentenced to 51 years to life without the possibility of parole. [3][10] Soon after, Ashley said, Castor invited her to come to the family home in Liverpool and drink together. Castor, however, never visited. Ashley and Bree testified at Stacey's trial, where Stacey was convicted of murder and attempted murder. [2] In 1991, they had a second daughter, Bree. [3], The detectives on the case ordered wiretappings on Castor's house. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? That same day, Castor was arrested at the hospital and charged with the murder of David Castor and attempted murder of Ashley. [3][17] Likewise, he questioned how a woman who had lost two husbands to poisoning would not seek help for a daughter in Ashley's state. Stacey Castor claimed it was a suicide, but detectives soon suspected murder -- and she then tried to poison her own daughter, Ashley, with antifreeze and frame her with a suicide note confessing . I had a speeding ticket when I was 18 years old, Castor remembered. However, an investigation revealed how the authorities believed that Stacey was responsible for it all. She was the executor of his estate. While the authorities initially ruled it a suicide, they later learned Stacey was responsible for poisoning David. [17] Prosecutors argued the "typing sounds" were those of one of the several drafts Castor had written of the suicide note. CONVICTED murderer Stacey Castor used duplicitous methods to victimize her own family members. [15] With a "jam-packed" courtroom, most were focused on Castor. You can check out the video here. In 2005, her step-father, David Castor, took his own life. Imagine Wallace's horror when she woke up in the hospital on September 14, 2007 and discovered that her mother and "best friend," Stacey Castor, was likely behind each of these acts. [15] She had said that her husband got the idea to kill himself with antifreeze while both were watching a news report about Lynn Turner, who murdered two past lovers by using the poison. 20/20: Fatal Flaw - On The Rocks chronicles David Castor's death and the chain of events that resulted in Stacey's incarceration. [3] Castor's mother believed her granddaughter Ashley to be guilty. Along with being suspected of killing her first husband, Castor was found guilty of poisoning her second husband with antifreeze and attempting to murder her daughter, Ashley Wallace. He expected them to do everything that he said without question. [30] It was not immediately apparent how she died and the manner of her death was listed as undetermined. Page 2", "Exhumed Body Reveals Stacey Castor's First Husband 'Didn't Just Die': Exclusive Look Inside Anti-Freeze Murder Mystery; What Brought Two Men to Rest in Neighboring Graves. She says that's good enough for me.. She says that her mother offered her a "nasty-tasting" drink that she at first refused but eventually drank because she trusted Castor. Wallace left the courtroom in 2009 knowing she would return to a family of people who adored her. I told her that there was a suicide note indicating that she had killed her father and her stepfather, Norton said. - Official ABC 20/20 YouTube clip, Daughter testifies in Stacey Castor murder trial (Video), Update: Jurors talk on video about Stacey Castor guilty verdict, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stacey_Castor&oldid=1142148661, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 19:46. She told the officers that she did not write the note and was confused about their questions and accusations. I never knew what hate was until now. 's office that Castor died of a heart attack, with no evidence of suicide or foul play. [24] He relayed that "psychopathic traits and histories of childhood abuse have been consistently reported in these women" and suggested that if Castor were guilty of the crimes of which she had been convicted and accused, then she would be demonstrating psychopathic traits, including regarding even her own child as an object to be used for her convenience. 11 True Crime Novels That Every Armchair Detective Will Love, These Women Committed Brutal Crimes and Are Now Just Walking Around Free, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). Stacey Castor was only a teenager when she first met Michael Wallace in 1985. In 2000, Michael succumbed to a heart attack and died. Stacey Castor listens to opening statements in court in Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2009, in this photo from pool video, as opening statements begin in her murder trial. On the morning of September 14, 2007, Bree found Ashley barely alive in her bedroom. The jurors also heard Friday from Ashley Wallace's boyfriend, Matthew Gandino. [3] The investigators soon felt the only way to prove Castor responsible for both homicides was to have Wallace's body exhumed. While utilizing antifreeze, Stacey poisoned and killed her late second husband David and proceeded to plot an attempt on her daughter Ashley's life. He said there were certain similarities in the two husbands' deaths. Born on July 24, 1967, New York -born Stacey Castor became notoriously dubbed as "The Black Widow" in the media for the murders she committed. Leshinski said Stacey claimed that David had been depressed because he had recently lost his father -- and that possibly his drinking and suicide that weekend was as a result of him being depressed about his father's death.. She maintained that it was Ashley who murdered Wallace and David, though she would not speculate about motives beyond implying that her daughter might be mentally ill.[17] Fitzpatrick pointed out that Ashley's mother had never sought therapy for her and that at 21 Ashley exhibited no sign of mental illness. The Daughter of Notorious "Black Widow" Opens Up, A Lifetime Movie Is About This Shocking Abduction, The "Friends" Women Reunite to Celebrate Courteney, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, "Even though I hate her, I love her at the same time," Wallace said in an. In fact, he said they had talked about the issue about a month earlier and both agreed suicide was selfish and unfair to the loved ones left behind. Castor told authorities that her daughter had taken pills and left behind a suicide note confessing to both murders. Detective testifies about Castor's mispronunciation Jan. 11, 2000: Castors first husband dies. She repeated that she only drank the "nasty-tasting" beverage because she trusted Castor. Michael's corpse was uncovered and examined in relation to investigators considering Stacey a suspect in his homicide, as well as the homicide of her second husband David. "Your honor, [Castor] is a monster and a threat to society," he said. 2005 to 2006: Det. That was fun. Ashley then talked about that fateful day in January 2000. Castor quickly took the note from the sister and later gave it to the paramedics. I wanted to make sure she was convicted.. Stacey Castor's daughter Ashley Wallace took the stand this morning as the prosecution's first witness to tearfully testify about the deaths of her father and stepfather. For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter. [4] Their daughter Ashley was 12 at the time and had been alone with him. Powered by. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com. The jurors today also heard that Stacey Castor's fingerprints were found on the glass containing antifreeze found on her husband's bedside nightstand in 2005. She was 48. How can you hate someone and love them at the same time? The couple was married in 1990 and had two daughters together, Ashley and Bree. Castor tried to kill Wallace, and frame her for murdera crime Castor herself had committed. [3] Tests revealed that potentially fatal painkillers had been found in Ashley's system, and that she most likely would have died if taking her to the hospital had been just a few minutes later. "[18], On February 5, 2009, Castor was found guilty of second degree murder in the poisoning death of David and of attempted second degree murder for overdosing her daughter Ashley with drugs and vodka. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In 2007, she was arrested for second degree murder in David's death and for attempting to murder Ashley and frame her for the murders of David and Wallace. [4] Castor was the owner of an air conditioning installation and repair company, and Stacey served as his office manager. Ashley was born in 1987 to Michael Wallace and Stacey. "I was trying to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't wake up," 17-year-old Bree Wallace said of her sister, Ashley. [8] A toxicology screening ruled that Wallace had also been killed through antifreeze poisoning. Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. James Knoll Answers Viewers' Questions About Stacey Castor", "Wife convicted of attempting to murder husband with antifreeze", "Mistrial Declared In Antifreeze Murder Case", "Wife guilty of trying to kill husband with anti-freeze curry", "Husband guilty of murder in 'letter from grave' case", "Did Stacey Castor murder her own father? Stacey's daughter Ashley said that one night she had a cocktail made by her mother that tasted bad - the next day she woke up in a hospital where detectives told her of a suicide note she allegedly never wrote Credit: ABC 5 Officials took Stacey to court in a historic case after Ashley told police she never attempted suicide Credit: ABC Police found a glass of green liquid on the bedside table next to where David Castor was found dead. [3] On the stand, Ashley retold how her mother had convinced her to drink the two nights before she almost died. While Ashley was close to her mother, Bree was her fathers princess. .css-ssumvd{display:block;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.0625rem;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.25;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-ssumvd:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-ssumvd{letter-spacing:0rem;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}The "Friends" Women Reunite to Celebrate Courteney, The Reason Hoda Kotb Hasn't Been on the Today Show, Keke Palmer Is a New Mom! Ashley Wallace was attending her first day at college when two investigators arrived to deliver the news that her father had died of antifreeze poisoning. I think part of it was to bring justice to David, my dad, and myself.. In 2000, when she was 11, her father, Michael Wallace, died of a suspected heart attack. Tonight, ABC News' 20/20 will speak to Stacey Castor's daughter, Ashley Wallace. Defense's opening statements The authorities believed that Stacey tried to kill her daughter and shift the blame onto her. Eventually, Stacey started dating again and in late 2001 met a recent divorcee named David Castor. Castor told Diane Leshinski, then-detective with the Onondaga Sheriffs Office, that she assumed he was sleeping it off. Where is Wallace now? ' The authorities believed that Stacey tried to kill her daughter and shift the blame onto her. For the third time within eight years, Stacey Castor called for help, saying her daughter had consumed pills and a bottle of vodka. As police investigated the crimes, they also suspected that she murdered her first husband, Michael Wallace. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Stacey relayed to the 911 dispatcher that Ashley had consumed alcohol and quite a few doses of medications, Spinelli said. Under questioning by District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, she said she had not seen the note moments earlier. Little is known about her early life her later infamy overshadowed her youth but Castor's mother says that her daughter once envisioned great things for herself. In 2009, her mother was found guilty of intentionally poisoning her then-husband David Castor with antifreeze and later trying to kill her too. In addition, she is suspected of having murdered her first husband, Michael Wallace, in 2000; his grave lay next to David Castor's until David's remains were disinterred in 2016 and buried elsewhere by his son. Stacey was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, and a plot to present a forged will. On the surface, she seemed to have gone through a lot of trauma, losing two husbands and having a daughter attempt to kill herself. [17], Fitzpatrick asserted that Castor's behavior during David Castor's and Ashley's illnesses made no sense, given the years she had worked for a paramedics company. [3] In a final attempt to convince the jury that she was not guilty, Castor took the stand. Although Wallace's sister was skeptical and requested an autopsy for Wallace, Castor refused, saying she believed the doctors were correct. When they broke down the door, they found that he was dead inside after ingesting antifreeze. [3] After she learned police had exhumed Wallace's body and found traces of antifreeze in his system, she was believed to have devised a plan to set up her daughter Ashley for the murders. All Rights Reserved. On September 13, 2007, Castor gave her daughter a glass of vodka mixed with crushed pills, according to her court testimony. During her mother's trial, Ashley reads an emotional statement to the judge. Bree said one of the officers who responded to the call to help her sister was starting to let her read the note when her mother asked the officer to take it away. When Wallace passed in 2000, doctors initially believed he suffered a heart attack after months of sickness. Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily. Fitzpatrick, who prosecuted the case, said there was compelling evidence against Castor. She said that "Ashley brought this on" and insists that she and Ashley know what really happened. 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman Is a Proud Mom of 14: See Her Kids Today! Spinellis line of questioning led to a noticeably-suspicious response from Stacey Castor. Lets just get drunk I was like, Cool! You know, what kind of teenager wouldnt think that was awesome? He testified Stacey Castor seemed to be trying to keep him from trying to contact Ashley the afternoon and evening of Sept. 13, 2007. She had noticed his ill appearance that day, but thought nothing of it. [17], Prosecutors brought up another piece of "damaging evidence" against Castor when they cited having heard "typing sounds" while Castor was on the phone. Castor, New York Department of Corrections inmate number 09G0209, was placed in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Bedford Hills, New York. Her first victim was her first husband Michael Wallace, who she married in 1998. My father will never walk me down the aisle. Bree Wallace, of Clay, testifies in the murder trial or her mother, Stacey Castor. [3][17] Castor said she had cut herself off while saying "antifreeze" because she had intended to say something else. According to ABC News, Castor never saw her daughters again. While two cases were being presented to the jury - her second husband David Castors death and the attempted murder of her daughter Ashley Wallace, attorneys were also allowed to present evidence from Michael Wallace's death. By then, the couple had been together for two years. The note also called it antifree instead of antifreeze.. "As hard as it is to get up everyday and put a smile on my face, I know that I have to. When her sister came in to check on her later, she was unresponsive. Advertisement Where are Ashley and Bree Wallace now? [5] Physicians told Castor that her husband had died of a heart attack. Hear Stacey Castor's frantic 911 call to police about daughter who overdosed. She said he was larger than life., Mike was the life of the party if you needed something that Mike had, he would give it to you.. See Photos of Her Baby, Jane Fonda Regrets the Type of Mother She Was, Al's Facial Expressions on 'Today' Are Everything, Journal Prompts That Help You Move Forward. Bree Wallace found a 750-word typewritten letter that appeared to be written by Ashley, with her typed signature - confessing to the murders of her father and stepfather, and saying she was now taking her own life. April 20, 2009, 9:22 AM. The gruesome tale earned her the nickname The Black Widow in the news. She said it was normal for her sister to take an early-afternoon nap but not to be asleep in her bedroom as long as she was that day. Ashley is engaged to be married and is still close to her sister Bree. I want her to sleep through til morning," Bree quoted her mother as saying. To Michael Wallace and Stacey served as his office manager was not guilty, Castor.... Be guilty told her that there was compelling evidence against Castor their daughter Ashley was at... At Oprah Daily on this page, but we only recommend products we.. Day, Castor never saw her daughters again investigators from the statement real... Over Money from Coyote Pass suicide, they also suspected that she did not write note! ] is a Proud Mom of 14: See her Kids Today 14! Like this, Sign up for our newsletter authorities that her husband had died of a suspected heart attack Benson. 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Fatal Flaw - on the case up with a `` jam-packed '' courtroom, were! Defense 's opening statements the authorities believed that Stacey tried to kill two men left the courtroom in 2009 she!, but thought nothing of it been alone with him was unresponsive who she married in 1998 well as investigators. Think part of it was to bring justice to David, my,. 13, 2007, Castor never saw her daughters again [ 16,... For a ride in the two husbands ' deaths would return to a family of people who adored her when... Is pulled verbatim from the case hear Stacey Castor recommend products we.. This page, but thought nothing of it was not guilty, Castor was the owner of an air installation... For our newsletter an upset Ashley called Castor to bring justice to David, my dad, Stacey! Wiretappings on Castor 's daughter, Bree found Ashley the next morning and took her sleep. Dead inside after ingesting antifreeze ] with a hangover, went to school, and.. On this page to this site Privacy Policy 4 ] their daughter Ashley was 12 at the hospital charged... Again and in late 2001 met a recent divorcee named David Castor and love them at the time and two! Seen the note moments earlier of her death was listed as undetermined father will walk... By District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, she said she had noticed his ill appearance that day, thought! As undetermined Castor responsible for it all victimize her own family members later trying kill! To our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy a. The links on this page that day, Castor gave her daughter taken! Succumbed to a family of people who adored her but we only recommend products we back the moments! Is a Proud Mom of 14: See her Kids Today otherwise submit to this site on September,... [ 15 ] with a hangover, went to school, and Stacey as... The blame onto her would return to a heart attack and died step-father, David and! Had not seen the note and was confused about their questions and accusations and late!
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