THE MURDER of David Castor shocked Onondaga County in the early 2000s and proved once again that things aren’t always what they seem.
At first, authorities believed that he had died of an apparent suicide, but an investigation soon discovered that he was targeted by the one he loved most.
What happened to David Castor?
On August 22, 2005, David Castor was found dead in his bedroom after his wife, Stacey Castor, made a frantic 911 call saying her husband didn’t show up for work.
At the time, it was believed that he had died of an apparent suicide because police found a bottle of antifreeze under the bed, but according to ABC News, they began to suspect foul play after a turkey baster that smelled like alcohol was found in the trash.
According to ABC, Stacey told Diane Leshinski, a former detective with the Onondaga Sheriff’s Office, that he had been depressed due to the recent loss of his father.
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However, those who knew him, including his ex-wife Janice Poissant Farmer, insisted that he did not kill himself.
Police were also suspicious after they found David’s will, which left everything to Stacey and her daughters from a previous marriage and nothing to his son.
During a two-year investigation, it was discovered that Stacey had poisoned David, and her ex-husband, Michael Wallace, who died in 2000 of what doctors thought was a heart attack.
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Where is Stacey Castor now?
After it was determined that David died of antifreeze poisoning, she had drinks with her daughter, Ashley Wallace.
The next morning, her sister, Bree Wallace, found her barely breathing and called 911.
After police arrived, Ashley was taken to the hospital, and an alleged suicide note was found, according to ABC.
The note reportedly contained a confession from Ashley, saying that she killed her father and stepfather and was now taking her own life.
At the hospital, Ashley was asked about the note and told police that she “did not try to kill [herself], nor did [she] leave a suicide note,” ABC notes.
Soon after, Stacey was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, and a plot to present a forged will.
On February 5, 2009, she was then found guilty and then sentenced to 51 years in prison.
However, she continued to maintain her innocence.
“I did not kill Michael Wallace, I did not kill David Castor, and I did not try to kill my daughter, period,” Stacey told David Muir in 2009, via ABC.
“And I will never say that I did, ever.”
In June 2016, Stacey then died in her cell at the age of 48 of natural causes.
How can I watch David Castor’s 20/20 episode?
ABC’s 20/20 is a popular program anchored by Muir and Amy Robach that tells the stories of true crime mysteries.
David’s episode, titled 20/20: Fatal Flaw- On The Rocks, is scheduled to premiere on ABC on August 5, 2022, at 8pm EST.
It will also be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
David’s murder and Ashely’s attempted murder were previously told in a Lifetime movie called Poisoned Love: The Stacey Castor.