Kristen Emily Hogan, 33, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, has been charged with attempted murder after prosecutors alleged she poisoned her estranged husband with antifreeze during a bitter custody dispute.
Investigators claim she carried out the poisoning in August 2025, leaving her husband hospitalised with kidney failure.
Court filings suggest Hogan researched lethal chemicals, including potassium cyanide and monoethylene glycol, weeks before the alleged attack.
The Alleged Poisoning Incident
According to court filings, the alleged poisoning took place on 10 August 2025. Hogan’s estranged husband reportedly drank a small amount of wine at his Ridgefield home before becoming violently ill. He suffered vomiting, confusion and slurred speech, and was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors first suspected a stroke, but later tests revealed he had been poisoned with ethylene glycol, a toxic substance commonly found in antifreeze.
Medical staff said the poisoning caused kidney failure severe enough to require dialysis. Police seized the open wine bottle, which tested positive for ethylene glycol.
Prosecutors allege Hogan was responsible for contaminating the wine, which was later seized and tested positive for ethylene glycol.
What Investigators Found
An arrest affidavit states Hogan’s phone connected to her husband’s home WiFi just before the incident, supporting prosecutors’ claim that she had access to the property. Digital evidence also included searches on her devices for terms such as ‘potassium cyanide,’ ‘monoethylene glycol’ and ‘how much … would kill you.’
Police said Hogan admitted purchasing monoethylene glycol in late July. She told investigators it was intended for cleaning carpets.
According to court documents, she later confessed to adding the chemical to her husband’s wine, but denied wanting to kill him. Instead, she allegedly said she wanted to make him sick in response to what she described as ‘mental abuse.’
Custody Battle at the Centre of the Case
Court records show Hogan and her estranged husband shared custody of their young child and co-owned the Ridgefield property where the poisoning occurred. Prosecutors argue the alleged attack may have been motivated by custody and financial control, suggesting she sought to remove her husband from the family home.
Authorities also disclosed that the couple’s child was briefly hospitalised with similar symptoms, though toxicology tests are pending. If ethylene glycol exposure is confirmed, Hogan could face additional charges of child endangerment.
Legal Proceedings and What Comes Next
Hogan was arrested in early October and charged with two counts of attempted murder and interfering with an officer. She is currently held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to return to court on 9 October 2025.
Her defence team is expected to argue that prosecutors cannot prove intent to kill, highlighting questions about the dosage of the chemical and her claim that she only meant to cause illness. Legal experts say the case may hinge on whether the court accepts her statements as evidence of reduced intent, or whether the search history and chemical tests demonstrate a plan to kill.
For now, Hogan remains in custody as prosecutors prepare a case that has already drawn widespread public attention. Poisoning allegations in the context of a custody dispute, they note, raise some of the most serious concerns in family-related criminal law.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
