Woman 'killed her grandmother, 90, by lacing her Wendy's chilli with morphine' after she noticed missing cash

A woman has been charged with killing her 90-year-old grandmother by mixing a lethal dose of morphine into her Wendy’s chilli.


Shelby Lynn Adams, 40, from York, Pennsylvania, allegedly laced the chilli – her grandma’s favourite food – during a trip to the fast food restaurant in 2008. Ada Adams was found dead of opiate poisoning in her apartment two days later. It came shortly after she discovered thousands of dollars were missing from her bank account, according to police.


Shelby Lyn Adams admitted taking the woman's checkbook and writing $12,000 out to herself, they said.
Just days before her death, Ada Adams had seen her doctor, who said she was in good health. But when her son, Dave, visited her shortly before her death, he said she was very weak, incoherent and had vomited on herself, according to court documents.

 

Dr. Samuel Land, a forensic pathologist, found she died from an opiate toxicity and had lethal levels of morphine in her body – but had not been prescribed morphine. It is believed her granddaughter had access to morphine as an emergency room employee at York Hospital. She had unsupervised access to all areas of the emergency room, police said.

Ada had discussed the missing $12,000 with her family, including her granddaughter, and said she planned to go to her bank. Shelby was accused of stealing stolen her grandmother's check book and forging check from her elderly grandmother's account.

Police said Shelby Adams bought her grandmother a Wendy's chilli and soda, knowing it was one of her grandmother's favorite meals, and added a lethal dose of morphine. She gave the food to her grandmother and returned the next day to find her grandmother seriously ill. She then removed the Wendy’s container and a bank statement family members said they saw in the home, police said.

In an interview with police, Shelby Adams denied poisoning the food and removing the chili container and bank statement. Shelby Adams admitted she was having money problems, and that her grandmother had loaned her some money. When Shelby paid her back, the check overdrew her account, according to court documents. She was mad at her grandmother and stole the checkbook, writing checks from April to May 2008.

Shelby had previously worked for Shadowfax, a facility for the mentally challenged, but was fired in 2007 after abusing a client, according to charging documents. She faces charges of criminal homicide, four counts of forgery, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property. She is being held without bail in York County Prison.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068652/Woman-killed-grandmother-lacing-Wendys-chilli-morphine.html#ixzz1fK4QZBD7