Timeline: Investigating the death of Linda Curry
A look at Paul and Linda Curry's relationship and the investigation into Linda's 1994 poisoning death.
Originally hired as a secretary, Linda Curry worked her way into management at Southern California Edison's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
Paul Curry and Linda Meet
In 1989, Linda met and began dating Paul Curry, who had been hired to train engineers at the plant. Linda was 45, and Paul was 32.
"Jeopardy!" Winner
Paul Curry was a two-time "Jeopardy!" winner and a Mensa member. He quickly impressed Linda with his smarts.
Paul and Linda Wed
Linda and Paul married in Las Vegas on Sept. 12, 1992.
The Couple's Home
The couple lived in this house in San Clemente, Calif., which Linda had bought.
A Passionless Marriage
Linda Curry's best friend, Merry Seabold, told "48 Hours" that there was no passion in the marriage and Paul seemed uninterested in sex.
A Million-Dollar Policy
About one month into the marriage, Linda Curry confided to Merry Seabold that Paul wanted her to get a $1 million life insurance policy, naming him as beneficiary.
Spying on Paul Curry
Linda Curry asked another close friend and coworker, Frankie Thurber, to move into the Curry home and spy on Paul.
A Doting Husband
Before she moved out, Frankie Thurber thought Paul Curry appeared to be a doting husband. She watched him draw bubble baths for Linda. Other friends observed that Paul would prepare exotic salad dressings for his wife.
Linda Curry Becomes Ill
Linda Curry soon became ill with gastrointestinal problems and was rushed to Samaritan Hospital in July of 1993. Doctors suspected poisoning and Linda's nurse alerted authorities that someone had tampered with Linda's IV.
IV Tampering
When Linda Curry's mysterious illness returned in December, Paul took her to a different hospital in Mission Viejo. At Mission Hospital, Linda's IV was again tampered with.
Merry Seabold remembers a sign on the door of Linda's hospital room barring Paul Curry from entering unaccompanied.
Police Get Involved
Police were so suspicious that they audiotaped interviews with Linda and Paul Curry.
Pleading with Linda
Linda Curry's friend, Bill Sandretto, begged her to move out of the house she shared with Paul.
Sandretto, who was a life insurance salesman, convinced her to change the beneficiary on some of her life insurance policies from her husband to her sister.
A Strange Email
On the morning of June 9, 1994 Merry Seabold was surprised to receive this email from Paul. She said it was the first email she'd ever received from Paul and she thought it was strange.
In the email, Paul was concerned about his wife's health and wrote Linda was feeling worse than ever.
Linda Curry Dies
Later that night around midnight, Paul Curry called 911 and claimed he had awoken to find his wife wasn't breathing. Linda was rushed to Samaritan Hospital and pronounced dead.
Nictine Poisoning
Toxicology reports revealed the presence of a sleeping medication in Linda's body and extremely high levels of nicotine. Neither Linda Curry nor Paul Curry were smokers.
False Resume
Meanwhile, a routine security check at work uncovered that Paul Curry had lied on his resume and didn't have a college degree. His boss, Mike Flower, confronted Paul, who resigned.
Paul Curry Cashes In
Linda Curry had divided her estate between her sister and her husband. Still, Paul Curry collected $419,000 from two of Linda's life insurance policies and her retirement plan.
The Investigation
The case stalled for years until 2002, when Sgt. Yvonne Shull of the Orange County Sheriff's Dept. re-examined evidence and reinterviewed witnesses.
Paul Curry's New Life
Sgt. Shull tracked Paul Curry to Kansas, where he was living with his new wife and working for the City of Salina as a building code inspector. Curry is shown here speaking in a business meeting.
Paul Curry Arrested
On Nov. 9, 2010, Sgt. Shull interrogated Paul Curry and played the audio from the old police interviews with Linda.
Curry was emotionless even after he was arrested for Linda's 1994 murder.
The day after his arrest, Paul Curry's then wife, Teresa, visited him in jail. In a recorded phone call, Curry told her the case against him "looked bad."
No Direct Evidence
Although investigators never found a syringe in the Curry home or direct evidence that Paul Curry purchased nicotine, Prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh felt the case against Paul Curry was strong.
The Enema Defense
Paul Curry's attorney, Lisa Kopelman, argued that Linda Curry had health problems before she even met Paul and that she gave herself a nicotine enema.
Nicotine Expert Testifies
Dr. Neal Benowitz, a renowned nicotine expert and Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, told the jury that Linda Curry died quickly from nicotine poisoning.
Jurors believed Linda had been murdered and concluded Paul Curry was guilty since he was the only person home with her that night.
Paul Curry Sentenced
Paul Curry was found guilty of first-degree murder for financial gain and sentenced to life in prison without parole on Nov. 14, 2014.