Man accused of spiking wife's cereal with heroin convicted of murder after breast milk sample helps prove case
A Michigan man accused of spiking his wife's cereal with heroin was convicted of murder and other crimes Wednesday.
The medical examiner had classified Christina Harris' death in 2014 as an accidental overdose. But investigators subsequently alleged that it was a murder scheme hatched by Jason Harris at their Davison home in Genesee County.
Family members insisted that Christina didn't use drugs. Indeed, a sample of frozen breast milk showed no evidence of it. It marked the first time Michigan officials had used breast milk as evidence in a criminal case, WDIV-TV reported.
"This was a very tragic case and my heart goes out to the family and friends," prosecutor David Leyton said.
CBS affiliate WNEM reports Harris is also accused of allegedly trying to hire a hitman and having other relationships outside of their marriage, according to Leyton.
There was no immediate comment by Harris' attorney.
Harris was charged in 2019, five years after his wife's death. He received $120,000 in life insurance benefits. Two weeks after Christina's death, another woman moved into the home.
Harris faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced next month, WNEM reported.