Tulsa World: Georgia father gets 100 years for poisoning kids' soup

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Georgia father gets 100 years for poisoning kids' soup

By Associated Press
Published: 5/22/2009 8:05 AM
Last Modified: 5/22/2009 2:09 PM

JONESBORO, Ga. - A Georgia man was sentenced to 100 years in prison for poisoning his two children to extort money from Campbell's Soup Co.

William Cunningham was sentenced Thursday after a jury found him guilty of seven counts of aggravated assault.

Cunningham was indicted in July 2006 on tampering and fraud charges in federal court and was also charged with child cruelty in Clayton County. The girl and boy, then 18 months old and 3 years old, were hospitalized after Cunningham fed them soup tainted with prescription drugs and lighter fluid.

On one occasion, authorities said he used the prescription drugs Prozac and Amitriptyline — both used to treat depression — to poison the children.

Cunningham was arrested in March 2006. According to prosecutors, the former dump truck driver called Campbell's in January 2006 and threatened to sue the company because its soup was contaminated.

Authorities said there was no evidence the soup was tainted when it was purchased. A family member said the youngsters may suffer lifelong respiratory problems after swallowing the poisoned soup.

The children's mother, Rhonda Cunningham, filed for divorce during the case.

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	Report Comment DF, Tulsa (5/22/2009 8:21:37 AM) 100 years? It should be 100 years for each kid.
	Report Comment tfromtulsa, Tulsa (5/22/2009 8:28:50 AM) Maybe someone will take care of this guy in prison.
	Report Comment Peter Piper, TULSA (5/22/2009 8:30:10 AM) These CREATURES are coming out of the woodwork--we need to reopen many closed mental hospitals and get back to basics--no namby-pamby happy talk!!
	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (5/22/2009 8:52:29 AM) T-TownJack, You could do for pennies with a .22 shot to the head.
	Report Comment FaithnHim, Crested Bute, (5/22/2009 10:26:32 AM) How do people like this live with themselves? No conscience here (not sure thats spelled right for anyone on grammar patrol)... What does someone like this think when they look in the mirror? He will surely reap what he has sown at the big house!
	Report Comment Bullhead, Nicut (5/22/2009 2:44:16 PM) Great question, Faith. My Lord! He deserves the needle.
	Report Comment Ric, Broken Arrow (5/22/2009 3:03:56 PM) I found a white worm in the chicken noodle soup at NEO back in '81.
	Report Comment eej, Brooklyn, NY (5/22/2009 4:37:25 PM) I'd like to visit mr. cunningham in prison. I'll start making the Kool-Aid.
	Report Comment susieq, broken arrow (5/22/2009 5:10:36 PM) What a moron and a monster - we see a lot of ads on tv always ready to sue someone - and there are ligit reasons -but what good would the money of done if he lost his children though doing what he did doubt if he cared - and there would probably be a way to tell if the stuff was in the can or added to the soup anyway - moron and monster bad combination
	Report Comment Mr. Brown, Fallon, Nevada (5/22/2009 6:03:37 PM) They should chain him to a wall at the beginning of the chow line, and require each inmate to throw a can of soup at him as a condition for entering the prison cafeteria...
	Report Comment wHAT_NOW?, Broken Arrow (5/22/2009 6:25:28 PM) Justice will be done, but not enough time. Anyone who could harm children, don't deserve to live free!

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