Cynthia Sommer - GUILTY!

[Larry, Curly & Mohamed]

Wife Convicted of Poisoning Marine Husband With Arsenic for Life Insurance


YES!
Lets hope this pig gets DEATH!
SAN DIEGO — A jury convicted a woman of murder Tuesday after prosecutors accused her of poisoning her Marine husband with arsenic to cash in on his $250,000 life insurance policy to finance a luxurious lifestyle.

The jury also found in favor of special circumstances against Cynthia Sommer, 33, alleging murder by poisoning and for financial gain.

Sommer could be sentenced to life in prison. She swallowed and stared as the verdict was read.

Yvonne Sommer, the mother of victim Todd Sommer, burst into tears at the verdict and sobbed.

Prosecutors argued that Sommer wanted a more luxurious lifestyle than she could afford on the $1,700 monthly salary Sgt. Todd Sommer brought home and saw the military life insurance policy as a way to "set herself free."

Sommer's defense attorney, Robert Udell, told jurors that his client had lost her "knight in shining armor" and repeatedly returned to the absence of any paper trail linking Sommer to the arsenic.

With no direct evidence that Sommer was the source of the arsenic detected in her husband's liver, Deputy District Attorney Laura Gunn relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of Sommer's financial debt to show that she had a motive to kill her 23-year-old husband.

Continued on the link
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248684,00.html

[Larry, Curly & Mohamed]

bump for the death penalty

[Mortis]

Let's hear it for convicting due to motive.....

This'll be appealed so fast someone's head is going to spin.

I watched some of this on CourtTV. They don't have squat that links her to the crime, but had a litany of people on the stand talking about "thong dances" and "new boobs" etc

I don't know if she did it or not.... but the evidence didn't SEEM to be there.

[stormy]

If I am not mistaken this is the same woman that was linked to on these boards a while back.

Is this the husband that was a Honda enthusiast and is this the woman that posted on his message board garnering sympathy, etc?

[ALBOB2]

If I am not mistaken this is the same woman that was linked to on these boards a while back.

Is this the husband that was a Honda enthusiast and is this the woman that posted on his message board garnering sympathy, etc?

I do believe you are thinking of the correct couple.

[Vaard]

If I am not mistaken this is the same woman that was linked to on these boards a while back.

Is this the husband that was a Honda enthusiast and is this the woman that posted on his message board garnering sympathy, etc?

really?

how long ago was this?

[Vaard]

bump for the death penalty

i seriously doubt that the death penalty would be applied in this case due to lack of direct evidence.........

[Larry, Curly & Mohamed]

If I am not mistaken this is the same woman that was linked to on these boards a while back.

Is this the husband that was a Honda enthusiast and is this the woman that posted on his message board garnering sympathy, etc?


WOW!

[ALBOB2]

really?

how long ago was this?

I want to say it was about a year ago, but I'm not good with time lately.:rolleyes:

[bella-day]

I want to say it was about a year ago, but I'm not good with time lately.:rolleyes:


It may have been even more than a year ago. But you and Stormy are right. I remember reading those chat files.

If I remember right, they even announced her arrest on that board. There were some pretty ticked people since they had tried to support her through her moments of "grief."

[uncledoom]

bump for the death penalty


Only if there is a smoking gun....a circumstantial case would be iffy.

[ALBOB2]

It may have been even more than a year ago. But you and Stormy are right. I remember reading those chat files.

If I remember right, they even announced her arrest on that board. There were some pretty ticked people since they had tried to support her through her moments of "grief."

Yep, some pretty ticked people here too. She came looking for sympathy. When she started acting like a spoiled brat she got told where to go.:rolleyes:

[Mortis]

I don't think she's going to get death.

While my personal feelings about her don't count for squat....

There is no evidence linking her to the poisoning.

[Sidestreamer]

If they had only circumstantial evidence, they death penalty should not be used.

[Quentin0352]

I'm betting she gets 10, does 5 and gets rich on the talk show circuit talking about how her hubby abused and raped her and the system then screwed her over for keeping silent about all of that to keep his memory as a hero unsoiled.

[justpourthecoffee]

On February 18, 2002 , Cindy Sommer's husband, Sgt. Todd Sommer, USMC, died following a brief illness. Cause of death listed on autopsy was cardiac arrhythmia, etiology unknown. His heart was later labeled "morphologically normal", which is quite plausible in the presence of an arrhythmia.

NCIS launched an investigation into Todd's death in May of 2003. Cindy was arrested for murder in 2005.

Despite: claims by investigators that the tape recorder used in the initial interview with Cindy “broke” and they reconstructed the interview from memory; babysitter testimony that conflicts with that of first responders and telephone records; and countless lab discrepancies including breaks in chain of evidence, no quality controls, and defense expert testimony that the results of the AFIP heavy metals testing were inconsistent with arsenic poisoning; Cindy Sommer was found guilty in January 2007 of murder by arsenic poisoning for financial gain.

The scientific evidence does not support death by arsenic poisoning. There is no evidence Todd Sommer was murdered.

http://www.cynthiasommerdefense.com/

[wwrwtw]

It may have been even more than a year ago. But you and Stormy are right. I remember reading those chat files.

If I remember right, they even announced her arrest on that board. There were some pretty ticked people since they had tried to support her through her moments of "grief."
http://www.hannity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49768&highlight=Cynthia+Sommer

[chichimama]

What's odd about the story is that our life insurance policy is $400,000, not $250,000.

[VRWCbabe]

What's odd about the story is that our life insurance policy is $400,000, not $250,000.
It may be different now, but when I was married to the military, the SGLI policy was $250K.

I doubt she'll get death with only circumstantial evidence, but she definitely needs to be locked away forever. She'll be a favorite with the other "ladies" in the shower, I hope.

[ImNewHere]

Killing her or imprisoning her for life would be a waste of some perfectly good breast implants.

[Rhonda]

If I am not mistaken this is the same woman that was linked to on these boards a while back.

Is this the husband that was a Honda enthusiast and is this the woman that posted on his message board garnering sympathy, etc?

Yes it is...what a bitch...this bitch needs to really pay for what she has stolen and destroyed:evil:

http://www.hannity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49768
The board That Todd and she posted on the day after his death
http://www.hondasociety.com/board/showthread.php?t=38461&page=1&pp=30

Years later

scroll down to a post made in 2006
http://www.hondasociety.com/board/showthread.php?t=38461&page=3&pp=30

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10479896/

http://www.kfmb.com/features/crimef...ry.php?id=33386

http://www.kfmb.com/features/crimef...ry.php?id=31082

[bella-day]

A conviction she earned without a doubt.

She deserves much more than she will get. Life in many states doesn't really mean life at all.

She was tried in CA. I wonder what a life sentence actually means there. Maybe Dlaw or PD can tell us.

[FidelisAdMortem]

Justice.

[Rhonda]

Justice.

Yes...but what she gets and what she deserves may not be true justice...to poison a man all the while claiming to love him is evil plain......... in the end she will get JUSTICE!!!!!!

[FidelisAdMortem]

Yes...but what she gets and what she deserves may not be true justice...to poison a man all the while claiming to love him is evil plain......... in the end she will get JUSTICE!!!!!!

You can't go back and change what occured. The fact she was unable to get away with it and convicted of it is a good step forward.

[Rhonda]

Sad but true...:cry:

[rosiegirl]

Rot in hell bitch!

[DLaw911]

i seriously doubt that the death penalty would be applied in this case due to lack of direct evidence.........In Scott Peterson's case there are NO direct evidence whatsoever. And you know where he is sitting right now.

[moda]

On November 30, 2007, Judge Peter Deddeh set aside the verdict and granted Cynthia Sommer a new trial.

Because there were 16 breaks in the chain of custody for Todd Sommer's tissue samples, the new lawyer plans to file a motion to have the lab results suppressed.

This whole case was based on Junk Science. There was no murder.

[bella-day]

I want to say it was about a year ago, but I'm not good with time lately.:rolleyes:


I really think it's been longer than that.

But then...I'm not really good with time either.:D

[Talk2Bill]

weird that two eight month old topics on the same subject are bumped the same day...

[Talk2Bill]

http://www.10news.com/news/15529692/detail.html

SAN DIEGO -- A retrial for a woman accused of poisoning her Marine husband so she could collect his $250,000 life insurance will take place sometime after May 14, a judge ruled Friday.

Cynthia Sommer, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder last year for the 2002 death of Sgt. Todd Sommer, who worked at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

In November, Judge Peter Deddeh granted Sommer a new trial, saying defense attorney Robert Udell made mistakes that affected the outcome.

On Friday, Judge John Einhorn said pretrial motions for the retrial will be heard beginning in mid-May, followed by jury selection.

Sommer, a mother of four, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

[Hadassah]

I don't know if she did it or not.... but the evidence didn't SEEM to be there.


Exactly.

[Gray]

Wife Convicted of Poisoning Marine Husband With Arsenic for Life Insurance


YES!
Lets hope this pig gets DEATH!
SAN DIEGO — A jury convicted a woman of murder Tuesday after prosecutors accused her of poisoning her Marine husband with arsenic to cash in on his $250,000 life insurance policy to finance a luxurious lifestyle.

The jury also found in favor of special circumstances against Cynthia Sommer, 33, alleging murder by poisoning and for financial gain.

Sommer could be sentenced to life in prison. She swallowed and stared as the verdict was read.

Yvonne Sommer, the mother of victim Todd Sommer, burst into tears at the verdict and sobbed.

Prosecutors argued that Sommer wanted a more luxurious lifestyle than she could afford on the $1,700 monthly salary Sgt. Todd Sommer brought home and saw the military life insurance policy as a way to "set herself free."

Sommer's defense attorney, Robert Udell, told jurors that his client had lost her "knight in shining armor" and repeatedly returned to the absence of any paper trail linking Sommer to the arsenic.

With no direct evidence that Sommer was the source of the arsenic detected in her husband's liver, Deputy District Attorney Laura Gunn relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of Sommer's financial debt to show that she had a motive to kill her 23-year-old husband.

Continued on the link
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248684,00.html

Well, let's at least hope the Libs and code pink don't pin a medal on her.

[Dr. Funkenstein]

Bump for new evidence that appears to exonerate Ms. Sommer.

[gdoane]

Killing her or imprisoning her for life would be a waste of some perfectly good breast implants.

Concrete walls need sand too.

[Rhonda]

Wife Convicted of Poisoning Marine Husband With Arsenic for Life Insurance


YES!
Lets hope this pig gets DEATH!
SAN DIEGO — A jury convicted a woman of murder Tuesday after prosecutors accused her of poisoning her Marine husband with arsenic to cash in on his $250,000 life insurance policy to finance a luxurious lifestyle.

The jury also found in favor of special circumstances against Cynthia Sommer, 33, alleging murder by poisoning and for financial gain.

Sommer could be sentenced to life in prison. She swallowed and stared as the verdict was read.

Yvonne Sommer, the mother of victim Todd Sommer, burst into tears at the verdict and sobbed.

Prosecutors argued that Sommer wanted a more luxurious lifestyle than she could afford on the $1,700 monthly salary Sgt. Todd Sommer brought home and saw the military life insurance policy as a way to "set herself free."

Sommer's defense attorney, Robert Udell, told jurors that his client had lost her "knight in shining armor" and repeatedly returned to the absence of any paper trail linking Sommer to the arsenic.

With no direct evidence that Sommer was the source of the arsenic detected in her husband's liver, Deputy District Attorney Laura Gunn relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of Sommer's financial debt to show that she had a motive to kill her 23-year-old husband.

Continued on the link
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248684,00.html

That bitch deserves the death penalty

[Rhonda]

Well, let's at least hope the Libs and code pink don't pin a medal on her.

Give em time

[Dr. Funkenstein]

That bitch deserves the death penalty

There is new evidence that shows the man was not killed by arsenic poisoning. It would APPEAR that she's been cleared (if the tests that came out today are in fact correct).

Care to comment?

[Rhonda]

Bump for new evidence that appears to exonerate Ms. Sommer.

She killed him and I have no doubt..she is a murderer

[Rhonda]

There is new evidence that shows the man was not killed by arsenic poisoning. It would APPEAR that she's been cleared (if the tests that came out today are in fact correct).

Care to comment?


I will wait to see what she used to kill him...other than that...I have no doubt...none...I saw the posts she made on a forum before she was arrested...she is a manipulating killer

[Dr. Funkenstein]

She killed him and I have no doubt..she is a murderer

Despite there being minimal evidence at best, you're still convinced?

Hypothetically, say they exhume him and do another autopsy, only now they determine he died of purely natural causes. Still going to stick by those guns?

[less right]

Concrete walls need sand too.

Actually my comment is about your sig:

One might say that when a mistake is made you must move to the left to fix it... :angel:

...and that continuing to the right either ignores the mistake or hopes nobody notices it. :D

On the topic of Cythia Sommer:

It would seem the cries of her 'guilt' were premature. In this case at least, it wasn't overturned based on some technical legal mistake but on forensics.

[JediMindTrick]

Every single person who made any comment to the effect of hoping this INNOCENT woman would die needs, if they have the slightest shred of honor, to do a huge mea culpa. Because if any of you had your way with speedy executions she would be dead already. And she is apparently INNOCENT since it was a lab mistake that showed arsenic poisoning when in fact there was no arsenic in her husband's body.

This is exactly why I am against the death penalty. The mistake got caught this time but how many have been convicted when it didn't?

[CaptPops]

In today's Miami Herald, she is free.

By ALLISON HOFFMAN
Associated Press Writer


SAN DIEGO --
A woman who spent more than two years in jail before she was cleared of killing her Marine husband with arsenic questioned Friday how prosecutors could sleep at night, now knowing that new tests showed no traces of poison.

Cynthia Sommer, 34, said she barely slept herself on her first night of freedom after a San Diego Superior Court judge Thursday dismissed charges that she poisoned her husband in 2002.

She was convicted of first-degree murder in January 2007 after initial tests of Sgt. Todd Sommer's liver showed levels of arsenic 1,020 times above normal.

But prosecutors found no traces of poison in previously untested tissue as they prepared for a second trial. A judge had ordered a new trial in November after finding she had ineffective representation from her former attorney.

At her trial, prosecutors argued that Sommer used her husband's life insurance to pay for breast implants and pursue a more luxurious lifestyle.

With no proof that Sommer was the source of the arsenic detected in her husband's liver, the government relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of Sommer's financial debt and later spending sprees to show that she had a motive to kill her 23-year-old husband.

Sommer criticized prosecutors for questioning her behavior after her husband's death, saying, "I did what I did."

She was set free within hours of the judge's ruling and emerged from the Las Colinas Detention Facility in suburban Santee.

"The only question I have for (prosecutors) is how they sleep at night?" Sommer said.

Her attorney, Allen Bloom, said he felt the evidence was contaminated. "We've said that all along," he told reporters outside the courthouse.

Bloom accused the district attorney of "gross negligence."

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis defended her handling of the case Friday, saying that justice was served and that her office acted appropriately.

"We did what we were supposed to do," Dumanis told KFMB-TV. "We're all looking backwards now and second-guessing everything."

A recently retained government expert speculated that the earlier samples were contaminated, prosecutors wrote in a motion filed in court. The expert said he found the initial results "very puzzling" and "physiologically improbable."

Todd Sommer was in top physical condition when he collapsed and died Feb. 18, 2002, at the couple's home on the Marine Corps' Miramar base in San Diego. His death was initially ruled a heart attack.

Dumanis said Thursday there was no proof of contamination but offered no other explanation. She said she didn't know how the tissue may have been contaminated.

"We had an expert who said it was arsenic and no reason to doubt that evidence," Dumanis said. "The bottom line was, 'Was there arsenic in Mr. Sommer causing his death?' Our results showed that there was."

Sommer said she wasn't sure what she would do now that she was out of jail. She was looking forward to seeing her four children, ages 8 to 16.

"It's already been an incredible day. I can't wait to finish it," she said.

[Rhonda]

Every single person who made any comment to the effect of hoping this INNOCENT woman would die needs, if they have the slightest shred of honor, to do a huge mea culpa. Because if any of you had your way with speedy executions she would be dead already. And she is apparently INNOCENT since it was a lab mistake that showed arsenic poisoning when in fact there was no arsenic in her husband's body.

This is exactly why I am against the death penalty. The mistake got caught this time but how many have been convicted when it didn't?


Making a comment based on what we have been told of the trial is one things...those who sat on the jury if in fact the evidence shows his death was not her deed..is quite another...the jury and the prosecutors should be judged..not people here who made a comment based on what they have been told by the media..

I will wait to give my "judgement"..since there seems to be evidence on her innocence...let us know will ya?:neutral:

[Hadassah]

In today's Miami Herald, she is free.

By ALLISON HOFFMAN
Associated Press Writer


SAN DIEGO --
A woman who spent more than two years in jail before she was cleared of killing her Marine husband with arsenic questioned Friday how prosecutors could sleep at night, now knowing that new tests showed no traces of poison.

Cynthia Sommer, 34, said she barely slept herself on her first night of freedom after a San Diego Superior Court judge Thursday dismissed charges that she poisoned her husband in 2002.

She was convicted of first-degree murder in January 2007 after initial tests of Sgt. Todd Sommer's liver showed levels of arsenic 1,020 times above normal.

But prosecutors found no traces of poison in previously untested tissue as they prepared for a second trial. A judge had ordered a new trial in November after finding she had ineffective representation from her former attorney.

At her trial, prosecutors argued that Sommer used her husband's life insurance to pay for breast implants and pursue a more luxurious lifestyle.

With no proof that Sommer was the source of the arsenic detected in her husband's liver, the government relied heavily on circumstantial evidence of Sommer's financial debt and later spending sprees to show that she had a motive to kill her 23-year-old husband.

Sommer criticized prosecutors for questioning her behavior after her husband's death, saying, "I did what I did."

She was set free within hours of the judge's ruling and emerged from the Las Colinas Detention Facility in suburban Santee.

"The only question I have for (prosecutors) is how they sleep at night?" Sommer said.

Her attorney, Allen Bloom, said he felt the evidence was contaminated. "We've said that all along," he told reporters outside the courthouse.

Bloom accused the district attorney of "gross negligence."

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis defended her handling of the case Friday, saying that justice was served and that her office acted appropriately.

"We did what we were supposed to do," Dumanis told KFMB-TV. "We're all looking backwards now and second-guessing everything."

A recently retained government expert speculated that the earlier samples were contaminated, prosecutors wrote in a motion filed in court. The expert said he found the initial results "very puzzling" and "physiologically improbable."

Todd Sommer was in top physical condition when he collapsed and died Feb. 18, 2002, at the couple's home on the Marine Corps' Miramar base in San Diego. His death was initially ruled a heart attack.

Dumanis said Thursday there was no proof of contamination but offered no other explanation. She said she didn't know how the tissue may have been contaminated.

"We had an expert who said it was arsenic and no reason to doubt that evidence," Dumanis said. "The bottom line was, 'Was there arsenic in Mr. Sommer causing his death?' Our results showed that there was."

Sommer said she wasn't sure what she would do now that she was out of jail. She was looking forward to seeing her four children, ages 8 to 16.

"It's already been an incredible day. I can't wait to finish it," she said.


He and his family went to an amusment park (if I remember correctly) the day before he died. From what I understand, if he had been posioned with arsenic he would NOT have been to walk around that day. He would have been too ill.

[JediMindTrick]

Making a comment based on what we have been told of the trial is one things...those who sat on the jury if in fact the evidence shows his death was not her deed..is quite another...the jury and the prosecutors should be judged..not people here who made a comment based on what they have been told by the media..

I will wait to give my "judgement"..since there seems to be evidence on her innocence...let us know will ya?:neutral:

I'm not talking about the jury and judge. Mistakes happen and I realize that.

I'm talking about the pro death penalty crowd, many of whom if they had their way would have people executed as soon as the trial would be over. I can think of several right here on this forum who have called for immediate executions.

But as this case shows mistakes happen. Which is why we should never do a punishment that is 100% irreversible.

[Sidestreamer]

Give em time

You and Gray just couldn't contain yourselves.

[Sidestreamer]

I'm not talking about the jury and judge. Mistakes happen and I realize that.

I'm talking about the pro death penalty crowd, many of whom if they had their way would have people executed as soon as the trial would be over. I can think of several right here on this forum who have called for immediate executions.

But as this case shows mistakes happen. Which is why we should never do a punishment that is 100% irreversible.
We should placate this crowd by feeding them a steady dose of America's Most Wanted with a gallon of goat blood so they can bathe themselves after each episode.

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Making a comment based on what we have been told of the trial is one things...those who sat on the jury if in fact the evidence shows his death was not her deed..is quite another...the jury and the prosecutors should be judged..not people here who made a comment based on what they have been told by the media..

I will wait to give my "judgement"..since there seems to be evidence on her innocence...let us know will ya?:neutral:

But you said this earlier today.

http://forums.hannity.com/showpost.php?p=25796343&postcount=41

Have you changed your mind ?

[Rhonda]

But you said this earlier today.

http://forums.hannity.com/showpost.php?p=25796343&postcount=41

Have you changed your mind ?


that was before I saw the other news...I have not changed my mind...the evidence seems to still be out...you want me to change my mind before the evidence is in AGAIN? I am waiting for more news on what they claim happened ok?

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

He and his family went to an amusment park (if I remember correctly) the day before he died. From what I understand, if he had been posioned with arsenic he would NOT have been to walk around that day. He would have been too ill.Good point. Isn't arsenic toxicity progressive?
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/arsenic/clinical_evaluation.html

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

that was before I saw the other news...I have not changed my mind...the evidence seems to still be out...you want me to change my mind before the evidence is in AGAIN? I am waiting for more news on what they claim happened ok?
No, I just wanted to know if you still consider her a murderer.

[Rhonda]

No, I just wanted to know if you still consider her a murderer.

We will see..

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

We will see..

Well, she doesn't have to prove her innocence.

[Rhonda]

Well, she doesn't have to prove her innocence.

Indeed she does not...

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Indeed she does not...I'm just a bit confused as to your response?

The initial autopsy apparently contributed his death to 'natural causes'... the follow-up forensics determined tissue samples were contaminated... the DA dropped all charges... what is there to "see"?

[Hadassah]

I'm just a bit confused as to your response?

The initial autopsy apparently contributed his death to 'natural causes'... the follow-up forensics determined tissue samples were contaminated... the DA dropped all charges... what is there to "see"?

They had to have been contaminated. There was arsenic only in the kidneys and liver, but NOT the other organs???? Highly unlikely. Plus, she donated his organs to science. Why would Cynthia have donated his organs to science if she had posioned him?

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

They had to have been contaminated. There was arsenic only in the kidneys and liver, but NOT the other organs???? Highly unlikely. Plus, she donated his organs to science. Why would Cynthia have donated his organs to science if she had posioned him?
I'm amazed she was convicted in the first place... perhaps she should consider suing her defense team as well as the DA's office.

[Hadassah]

I'm amazed she was convicted in the first place... perhaps she should consider suing her defense team as well as the DA's office.

I read alot of the "evidence" laid out against her......I'm surprised, too. From what Ive read, the prevailing opinion is that she was convicted because people weren't approving of her lifestyle after hubby died. (She basically turned into a sex crazy party animal)