Trial begins for NY woman accused of killing boyfriend by lacing his drinks with antifreeze

NY woman goes on trial in lover’s antifreeze death

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — A manslaughter trial has begun for a woman accused of killing her boyfriend by lacing a jug of margarita cocktails with antifreeze at their apartment in western New York.

Cynthia Galens was charged with murder in January, three months after Air Force veteran Thomas Stack died from complications of ethylene glycol poisoning. But a grand jury opted for a first-degree manslaughter charge, which carries a sentencing range of five years to 25 years in prison.

State police say the 51-year-old Galens told them Stack was abusive and she decided in October to pour a shot glass of antifreeze into a margarita mix. She says she intended only to sicken him.

A jury was selected Monday. Prosecutor Bill Hart says the trial should last several days.