Wife, retired cop charged with poison-mushroom murder of Indiana man
09/22/2020 11:22 am PDT
via WXIN:
HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) --
Investigators said poisonous mushrooms found in the stomach of a murdered Indiana man whose body was found in a ditch in April were the cause of the man's death.
David Fouts, 50, was found dead near the 21500 block of Overdorf Road on Friday, April 24, three days after he had last been seen alive. A woman walking her dog found his body.
The Hamilton County Coroner's Office said an autopsy showed David Fouts was on his back at the time of death, but his decomposed body was not in that position when it was found. Police said evidence indicates his body was moved days after his death. The autopsy also revealed several chunks of mushrooms in Fouts's stomach.
The Hamilton County pathologist wrote that “mushrooms in the decedent's stomach contents which were identified as Leucocybe connatum as the basis for the cause and manner of death,” the Indianapolis Star reports.
WXIN reports court records say Fouts had cuts on his hands and duct-tape residue on his wrists and ankles.
The victim's wife, Katrina Fouts, 54, is charged with murder; conspiracy to commit murder; false informing; and failure to report a corpse. Terry Hopkins, 64, is charged with murder; conspiracy to commit murder; and failure to report a corpse.
The Indianapolis Star reports Hopkins is a retired Richmond police officer.
READ Probable Cause Affidavit: Probable cause affidavit in David Fouts case - Cox National Content Desk
Investigators said Katrina Fouts never reported her husband missing or tried to call him in the days after he had disappeared. The affidavit states investigators discovered searches on her cellphone about a poisonous mushroom and inquiries about overdosing on medications.
The affidavit states Terry Hopkins bought microfiber cleaning cloths, duct tape, six-inch diagonal cutters, utility knives, box cutters and cleaning gloves at a Richmond store. The day before Fouts was found, Hopkins bought two blue tarps; a 6,400-pound lifting sling; a 500-pound hydraulic lift; and white zip-ties at a different store in Muncie.
Investigators said Katrina Fouts had searched on her phone for “Indiana homicide laws,” “crime of passion law in Indiana” and “How to pass lie detector test."
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