A 47-year-old Michigan man was found guilty of the murder of his wife, and mother of two, by spiking her cereal with a lethal dose of heroin. The victim’s breast milk played a key role in the case, according to the prosecutor.
Jason Thomas Harris was convicted in September 2014 of premeditated murder, solicitation to murder and delivery of controlled substance causing death. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton stated that Harris was convicted. Press release.
According to testimony at trial, the case was initially ruled an accidental overdose but was changed to homicide in August 2019 by the Genesee County Medical Examiner, which allowed police and prosecutors to pursue the murder charge, the prosecutor’s office said.
After the woman’s death, family members went to the Davison Police Department. They suspect that something was wrong with her death. They insist that she didn’t use drugs and request further investigation, according to the release.
The frozen breast milk that Christina Harris previously stored in the freezer for her infant son was tested and it was determined that she was not a drug user, the prosecutor said.
The Genesee County Medical Examiner ruled Harris’ cause of death as heroin toxicity, John Potbury, Deputy Assistant Prosecuting Attorney told Inside Edition Digital.
“This was a very tragic case and my heart goes out to the family and friends of Christina Harris for their terrible loss,”Leyton stated this in a statement.
Leyton stated that it was the first time breast milk has been used in criminal cases in Wolverine State history. The New York Post reported.
Harris was charged in 2019, five year after his wife’s passing. He was entitled to $120,000 of life insurance benefits. Two weeks after his wife’s death another woman moved into the home, According to the Associated Press,.
Harris’s siblings had also reportedly told police that he had been talking about getting rid of his wife, the Post reported.
The prosecutor continued: “The circumstances of this case make for a unique story and garner headlines in the media, but at the core of it a family is mourning the loss of their loved one and I can only hope that today’s verdict will help them with closure,”He said.
Harris’ attorney, David Clark told Inside Edition Digital that Harris’ sentencing will be on Dec. 10. He did not give any additional details.
Harris is facing a mandatory sentence to life in prison for Harris without the possibility of parole.
