A Texas woman who has appeared on “The Walking Dead” and “The Vampire Diaries” admitted today that she did indeed tried to poison President Obama by sending him letters laced with ricin, although she initially said her husband had done it.
Shannon Guess Richardson pleaded guilty today to possessing a biological toxin, a felony. The mother of six allegedly ordered castor beans online in her ex-husband’s name and had them sent to a P.O. box which was also registered to him; she then mailed various letters containing the poison, including one to President Obama. Richardson was reportedly upset about Obama’s stance on gun control.
“After he left the house, I printed the mailing labels for President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Mark Glaze with The Raben Group,” Richardson said a statement.
President Obama’s letter read, in part, “What’s in this letter is nothing compared to what ive got in store for you mr president. You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. Anyone wants to come to my house will get shot in the face.”
Nathan Richardson, who had just filed for a divorce from his wife at the time, has been cooperative with police and maintains that he had nothing to do with the plots. He currently has custody of the couple’s children, including a baby boy Shannon gave birth to while in prison.
“Breaking Bad” fans will know that ricin is a highly toxic poison derived from castor beans, which can cause respiratory failure if inhaled. However, the U.S. Postal Service announced after an investigation that none of the letters actually posed a health risk due to the ricin being poorly made and would likely have caused nothing more serious than diarrhea.
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