Radio Host Denies Poisoning Wife

A Missouri radio talk show host arrested during a commercial break has pleaded not guilty in Massachusetts in the slow poisoning death of his wife.

Authorities say James Keown, 31, laced Julie Keown's Gatorade with a substance found in antifreeze, ethylene glycol, while the couple lived in Waltham, Mass., reports Christina Hager of CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston.

James was arraigned in a court in Cambridge, Mass.

Julie lapsed into a coma and died in September 2004 after suffering for months with what prosecutors say were unexplained symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash on her leg. She was 31.

James then moved back to Missouri, where he was working at KLIK radio in Jefferson City when he was taken into custody Wednesday, and brought back to Massachusetts.

Julie and James had moved to Waltham from Missouri eight months before she died.

Police say James told family members he came to Massachusetts to attend Harvard Business School, but that was a lie. It's believed, reports WBZ-TV's Teri Adler, that James moved Julie away from her family with the intent of killing her.

James' motive, authorities say, was a $250,000 life insurance policy on his wife.

Julie's parents came to Cambridge from their Missouri home to watch their son-in-law's court session.

Her father, Jack Oldag, told reporters, "We will miss hearing her laugh and seeing her smile for the rest of our lives. …It is now time for Julie to receive the justice and dignity she truly deserves."

But James insists he didn't do it.

His lawyer, J.W. Carney, Jr. said James "remains in mourning for her passing."

He added, "It's always suspect when the prosecutors need a year to get enough evidence to even obtain an indictment."

Keown was held without bail, says Hager, and will remain behind bars in Cambridge until his next scheduled court session next month.