Toxic Love cover art

Toxic Love

The Shocking True Story of the First Murder by Cancer

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Toxic Love

By: Tomas Guillen
Narrated by: Peter Lerman
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About this listen

Omaha, Nebraska, 1978.

Sandy Johnson was in shock. Her husband, Duane, and young daughter, Sherrie, were violently ill when word arrived that her infant nephew just died of mysterious causes. Days earlier, the entire family was happy, healthy, and living the American dream. Now they were at the center of a terrifying medical crisis.

Duane soon died in a condition unlike anything the doctors had ever seen. As they raced to discover what disease or toxin could have done so much damage so quickly, Lt. Foster Burchard of the Omaha police began to suspect foul play. Sandy herself became a primary suspect, as did her ex-boyfriend Steven Harper - a man prone to violence who never got over their breakup.

In Toxic Love, investigative reporter and true crime author Tomás Guillen offers a detailed and vivid account of this baffling case from the day of the poisoning to the harrowing trial and the murderer's eventual suicide on death row.

©1995 Tomás Guillén (P)2020 Tantor Crime Murder True Crime Exciting Forensics
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This has to be one of the worst cases of murder I've ever come across. It's one of the most disposable stories I've ever heard. The method of murder rivals ways the Nazis devised in the second world war

Just appealing and vile

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Toxic love right enough. What a crazy story. Glad he finally got caught. And got his in the end.

Toxic

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I am always amazed at the methods people come up with to murder someone and yet never give much thought to the consequences. The devastation and needless suffering of the innocent. This book encapsulates it all
As a side note: I’m grateful for the Plus catalogue that allows me to try different authors without wasting a credit. I would never have read this otherwise

Very interesting

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I loved listening to the story, though I didn’t like the narrator’s voice, I put up wit it as I was totally gripped by the story from the beginning.
Such a sad story and knowing that this is a true story makes it worse. What a truly awful way to die. I have no sympathy for the murderer.
I was gripped the whole way through and wanted to know more. This is worth listening too even with the horrible voice (it sounded stunted and robotic).

Absolutely Brilliant

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It absolutely blew my mind how more sympathy was extended by the author to a man who killed four people, two excruciatingly slowly, than to his intended victim. Fascinating case but terrible narrative.

The Author Forgot Who The Villain Was

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