Law&Crime Sidebar - Paramedic Accused of Poisoning Wife and Young Daughter with Eye Drops

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Joshua Lee Hunsucker could have his $1.5 million bond revoked after prosecutors filed new charges of witness intimidation against him. Investigators accuse Hunsucker of poisoning his 10-year-old daughter in an attempt to frame his in-laws. Hunsucker had already been charged with his wife Stacy Hunsucker’s 2018 murder, also believed to have been caused by eye drop poisoning. Law&Crime’s Elizabeth Millner spoke with WSOC-TV reporter Copeland Montgomery and North Carolina police chief Will Armstrong about the complex case.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Download the FREE Upside App at https://upside.app.link/sidebar to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.HOST:Elizabeth Millner: https://x.com/_emillnerLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger and Christina FalconeScript Writing & Producing - Savannah WilliamsonGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. A North Carolina man who allegedly killed his wife by poisoning her with eyedrops is now accused of doing the same thing to his 11-year-old daughter. We're breaking down the latest charges with the North Carolina police chief and a local reporter who's been following this story very closely. Welcome to Sidebar presented by Law and Crime. I'm Elizabeth Milner. We've got a crazy crime story for you today that crisscrosses the last eight years. It's a lot to go through, but we've got you covered. In September 2018, Stacey Hunsucker died from

cardiac arrest in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She had been a preschool teacher and a paralegal in the Charlotte and Mount Holly areas of the state. She was just 32 years old and shared two children with the defendant. According to prosecutors, her husband, former paramedic Joshua Lee Hunsucker had her body cremated almost immediately after her death and then filed to collect on her $200,000 life insurance policy. That raised red flags for investigators. Since Stacey had been an organ donor, a blood sample had been taken and was able to be tested. Stacey had a large amount of tetrahydrozzling in her blood. That's the chemical that's found in eyedrops. When it's ingested orally, it can attack the nervous system and even work like a neurotoxin.

They also can reportedly lead to heart failure. Prosecutors believe Huntsucker put a large amount of eyedrops in Stacey's blood over a period of time. According to a court filing, prior to her death, the defendant told two former co-workers that if he killed someone, he would do so using vizene or other eyedrops. In December of 2019, Hunsucker was arrested. in charge with first-degree murder, insurance fraud, and obtaining property over $100,000 by false pretense. He posted a bond of $1.5 million on Christmas Eve of that year and had been out on bond ever since. He had to wear a GPS monitor and abide by a curfew. Court documents give us a better idea of the accusations against Huntsucker. In addition to murder, Hunsucker

is accused of defrauding the insurance company. To with the defendant did submit false or misleading information to the insurance company, the independent order. of Forrester's, Forrester's financial, by stating Stacey Hunsucker's cause of death was due to mitochondrial infarction when it, in fact, it was due to homicide by poisoning. This hasn't been the only time Hunsucker has made headlines, though. In 2021, Hunsucker was indicted on a charge connected to a fire on board a medical helicopter in the middle of the flight. Prosecutors alleged he was working as a paramedic just before his indictment in 2019 when he allegedly set fire to the chopper resulting in an emergency landing.

Unfortunately, no one was hurt, and he remained out on bond. Then in February 2023, Hunsucker allegedly staged his own kidnapping. And it's a story that will likely remind you of the case of Alec Murdoff, the South Carolina lawyer who's serving two life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie and his youngest son Paul. According to the state, Huntsucker said he stopped to change a flat tire in Mount Holly, North Carolina and was pistol whipped in the head. He said his hands were zip tied and that he'd been injected with something. He said his father-in-law, John Robinson, had been the culprit. John Robinson has been summoned to act as a witness on behalf of the prosecution. Court documents say, quote,

An investigation by the Mount Holly Police Department found no evidence to support this claim and that this was done to shift responsibility from the defendant to Robinson for his wife's death. And now in August of 2024, Hunsucker is once again accused of using eyedrops as a weapon. Investigators believe that in February of last, year around the same time as he allegedly staged a kidnapping. Hunsucker poisoned his then 10-year-old daughter by putting the same substance, tetrahydrozolene, in one of her drinks. That same chemical was found in a urine test. According to court documents, Hunsucker's daughters, pH suffered symptoms including but not limited to low

blood pressure, low heart rate, extreme exhaustion and sleepiness, and constricted blood vessels. While pH was receiving emergency medical treatment, the defendant informed the medical professionals that it appeared Ph. had been given vizine. This statement did not appear to be a reasonable conclusion based on the symptoms pH was exhibiting. Prosecutors say the alleged poisoning was all part of a scheme to make his in-laws seem like the suspects, since they were spending so much time with his two children. And during the time that Hunsucker has been out on bond, he's also accused of harassing his in laws in various ways that the court documents detail, quote, routinely videotaping and photographing them by using a GoPro camera to record

them at PH's lacrosse practices, photographing them with PH coming and going from lacrosse practice, sending a package to the residents of John and Susie Robinson demanding that they dismissed the case. The original filing names them as John and Susie Hunsucker. That's believed to be a typo. They are Stacey's parents, quote, making vulgar gestures directed at them after locating them in public places. The document also states that many of those actions were done in the presence of his two kids. On August 5th, 2024, a grand jury indicted Huntsucker on four counts of felony witness intimidation and four felony counts of felony obstruction of justice. A motion to revoke bond reads, the defendant's behavior towards Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had become increasingly aggressive. The state believes that the defendant's dangerous actions will continue to escalate.

The invasion behind the fact that Mr. Hunsucker's assets are frozen in a civil and wrongful death case, he does not have assets to access for purpose. the request for a public defender was granted and the motion to revoked bond was delayed until the public defender can get up to speed hunsucker agreed to remain behind bars until that next hearing which is scheduled for october and here to talk more about the case is brookford police chief will armstrong now chief armstrong thank you so much for joining us today this is a pretty horrific case so talk to me a little bit about your thoughts overall about this case and And especially that added tidbit as far as Joshua Hunsucker allegedly trying to poison his own daughter with eyedrops. You know, when you read something like that, it's terrifying to think that that's even a possibility.

But it looks like investigators have gotten enough information to make the charges. And so, I mean, they had to have enough substantial information there that they were able to pursue these charges. But from reviewing this, it looks like in 2018 is when the death actually occurred. And then I believe it wasn't until December of. 2019 that they actually charge him with first-degree murder. And that was based off of an old lab sample from a blood-dunating lab that, I guess, was in the area. It's heartbreaking. It's kind of, it's sickening to think that that's a possibility to do something like that to anyone,

let alone an 11-year-old girl. So interesting to see where this is going to take investigators moving forward and what information they're going to bring forward to the trial. By the way, when we talk about stories like this that show you how unpredictable the world is, it makes you think about one of the things that can really happen out of nowhere. And that's when you get hurt, right? What do you do next? Well, let me call out our incredible sponsor of Sidebar, Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm.

Look, if you should find yourself in that unfortunate position, this is a firm you may want in your corner. They have over 1,000 attorneys. They have a dedicated team of case specialists, investigators, power illegals. They have a track record of multi-million. dollar verdicts and settlements. There's no upfront fee. The whole process can be done straight from your smartphone. So if you're injured, you can easily start a claim at for the people.com slash LC sidebar. In this case has spanned over years. Talk to me a little bit about what it takes

for an investigation of this kind of magnitude. This has started back in 2018. We're now in 2024 and still these allegations seem to be keep coming out. What are your thoughts and talk to me a little bit about how an investigation kind of goes down for a case like this. So for a case like this, investigators are going to look at everything. They're going to start back from any previous history that he would have had with his, with Joshua would have had with his wife. Then they're going to go further and they're going to start evaluating and seeing if he's had any previous charges, even before he was with his wife, for maybe like assault or things of that nature that maybe would have shown his violent tendencies or what the deal was.

And then they're going to look at things like his financial records. It's going to take a lot of stuff going into this. Furthermore, they're going to have to have, you know, certain forensic scientists on board that are going to look like pathologists and stuff of that nature to look and be able to testify to how this drug would have worked and if it could have been an accident and that kind of stuff to try to rule out any kind of accidental death or that nature because I feel like a lot of times. Sometimes you'll see in this case that defense will argue that it could have been an accident or that they did it to themselves or, you know, something of that nature. So they're going

to have to bring a lot of people on board for this trial to testify and show that there was no accent here. And investigators in this case and authorities, they kind of have been alleging that Joshua Hunsucker when he was out on bond. He kind of did a lot of crazy alleged things. He tried to bring down a helicopter, try to poison his own daughter, as well as even authorities alleged that he's trying to pin this all on his in-laws. What are your thoughts about that? You know, that's very interesting, but it's definitely something they're going to take into consideration during the trial because those are things that's going to show his character and his behavior after not only with what they have, but showing things like, like you said, trying to

take down a helicopter, trying to move the belongings that you purchased with the end. insurance money. Those kind of things are going to be red flags for investigators in any investigation. So I think that it will only build towards the case as far as showing his character after that. And it's going to be up to investigators really to have concrete evidence, I feel like, to show that it wasn't the in-laws and that it was him. Obviously, that's something they're going to consider his actions and the actions of the in-laws and what their motivations or what their, what would have been their reasoning for doing such? Now, Chief Armstrong, is this something that you've ever seen before in your experience?

I have never had this happen in my career, but it has been something that I believe has started years back that, you know, we see cases like this from time to time. I've seen things like it. You know, of course, you watch things like that on a lifetime movie or something, and it goes a lot farther. But never nothing like that, actually, I've experienced this work in that case myself. So trying to prove that I'm really interesting to see how they're going to be able to prove that Joshua was at fault and was the one that was actually putting this into her how he was getting her to ingest this is really going to be interesting because one thing that is that is a keynote here is that Joshua was a paramedic. So with Joshua being a paramedic,

I mean, he would have the necessary training and skill set to be able to do this and he would know the effects of that medication. So that's an important factor here to consider. We at law and crime have covered a lot of cases, surprisingly, of people trying to poison their loved ones, someone that they know with eyedrops, something that can be found in pretty much any household. You can just go and buy it at the store. But do you think that this was something that people, including the defendant in this case, think that there can get away with this type of alleged plot by poisoning someone that they love with eyedrops? I do. I think that because of, like you said, it has become an increasing way that people

have tried to murder someone that I think that people think that it's just that simple. And now sometimes, you know, there are red flags that pop up beforehand because the person will go to the hospital or something of that nature. And so, you know, they're able to draw blood, but they may not check for exactly that chemical, right? And so there's, you know, I guess this would have caused them to look a little bit deeper into that. And so it is consistent. to know that that's a household item that everybody has. And if somebody's trying to take you out, that's all they're going to do is start giving it to you slowly.

But, you know, it's absolutely, in my opinion, I think that investigators for this case, they're going to have to try to find a reason for why he would have done this and showing this pattern of behavior after she's died, you know, the affair and all the stuff that investigators are bringing into this. And it sounds like they had a pretty rough relationship to begin with if you go back and kind of read from some of the statements that family and investigators are talking about.

And what do you believe is going to be the strongest piece of evidence for the state when it comes to any possible trial? I believe that they're really going to have to focus hard on what exactly, who exactly, why exactly Joshua would have done this. It's going to be hard to necessarily prove if no one saw him do this, you know, actually. as an eyewitness. So I believe the next piece of evidence that they're going to really have to focus hard on here is just proving the motivation on why he would have done so. And if he would have had access to these items, which I assume that he would be in a paramedic, and anybody, these are common household items, right? So if you're going to have to figure out why in over a series of weeks, you know, did she have any hospital visits, did this stuff, did she have labs done for

this? You know, I want to know, I'm curious, was it a sudden death or was this kind of slow? You know, I don't know what the effects of it are, but I believe that's going to be something for investigators really try that they're going to have to really try to prove as far as what is, what his motive would have been for this. And obviously, a lot of, I mean, it sounds like it would have been insurance money. And so insurance fraud is a common thing. But, and then just proven that what, what his character has been like as far as in the past with her. I'm really still concerned with the 11-year-old girl. You know, I think that's, that's obviously, really, you know, she may have some key evidence. and some testimony that actually really may help investigators seeing things and being around the home

more than anyone else. Well, Chief Armstrong, I really appreciate your time and for joining us today on Sidebar. We really appreciate your insight into this case. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Also here to talk about this case is WSOC photojournalist Coleman Montgomery. Coleman, thank you so much for being here with us this afternoon. We really appreciate it. When did you first learn of the case of Joshua Hunsucker? In 2019, when he was initially, arrested. I'm a born and raised Gaston County resident. And when this case happened, it really struck a lot of people in the community. And were you surprised Hunsucker went as far as allegedly poisoning his own young daughter, as well as allegedly poisoning his own wife with

eyedrops? So he was just initially, this was just brought to our attention in the motion to revoke his bond for the murder charge. It says, and these documents, prosecutors say that he poisoned his daughter, young daughter, with the same exact substance that allegedly killed its wife. That's tetrahydrazolene, and it's a type of eye drop medication. And they found high levels of that in the daughter's body. Talk to me a little bit about the alleged plot to kind of frame this murder as well as the kidnapping hoax on his in-laws. So after he was out on bond on this, the initial murder charge, the Joshua Hunsucker claimed that he was attempted to be kidnapped as well as pistol whipped by the, by Stacy's father, his father-in-law, and the police

were not able to find any evidence to support that claim. And according to court documents, they say that he was trying to poison his daughter in order to implicate the in-laws in the same way that he killed Stacy. And was there any indication prior that there was bad blood between Joshua Hunsucker and his mother and father-in-law? Since these allegations, we haven't seen much other than the attempted kidnapping that he claimed where John Robertson, the Stacey's dad attempted to kidnap him and pistol whipped him. And what have been like some key pieces of evidence in this case against Joshua Huntsucker. So we haven't seen any of that. His murder trial has not happened yet. And now he is still in he is now in jail under these new charges, the

obstruction of justice as well as the intimidation of a witness charge. We haven't seen any of this evidence other than a blood sample that was taken from Stacey. They say that he did not properly say how she died and how she was essentially she was murdered. And they're saying that by doing that he falsely filed an insurance claim, which was her life insurance, which was $250,000. And they say that now he obtained that property. He got that money and never report how she died, which eventually he filed a false insurance claim. In this case, a lot of crazy twists and turns. And in addition to allegedly poisoning his wife, allegedly poisoning his own daughter, to all frame this allegedly on his in-laws, there's also the helicopter aspect to this as well, too. Can you talk to me a little bit about the alleged taking down of this helicopter as well, too?

So Mecklenburg County has charged Joshua Hunsucker with burning personal property. They claim that he set fire to a machine inside of the helicopter. which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing along a busy highway in Mecklenburg County, which is in Charlotte. And so he's still facing those charges and is now out on bond for burning that personal property. And what's next for Joshua Hunsucker? So he's expected to be in court in October. He just had court this past Friday on these new charges. But the judge is now holding him without bond until they can address the motion to revoke the initial bond for the murder, His attorney told the judge that he's been on a murder trial and has not had time to review this new evidence that the state claims to have.

And now he's also been appointed a public defender on these new charges because the attorney said that he didn't have any money to fight the intimidation of a witness as well as the obstruction of justice. And I know Joshua Hunsucker has just been appointed that new public defender, but has the defense given any indication on what their defense may be going forward? it is it a he's completely innocent he wasn't there type of defense what type of defense do you see kind of playing out in this type of case um the the defense has not has not given anything they it was a very quick four minute um uh court hearing and they were very to the point that the judge understood that the new the attorney has not had time to to look over the evidence and um he did the judge just said that he was just going to stay without bond uh on the these new charges until the motion could be addressed.

All right, well, Coleman, thank you so much for taking time to talk with us about this case. We really appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. All right, everybody. That's all the time we have for you right here on Sidebar. Thank you so much for joining us.

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcast. I'm Elizabeth Milner, and we'll see you on the next episode of Sidebar. You can binge all episodes of this Law and Crime series ad-free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.