DARLINGTON, WI – A Wisconsin woman is facing over a decade in prison for poisoning her 71-year-old veterinarian husband with animal euthanasia drugs, leaving him in a coma shortly after their wedding, authorities said.
Amanda Alicia Chapin, 51, entered a no-contest plea on Friday to a charge of felony first-degree reckless endangerment of her husband, Gary Chapin. This charge was reduced from first-degree attempted homicide as part of a plea agreement with Lafayette County prosecutors last week, according to court records.
Chapin allegedly administered barbiturates, which she had stolen from her husband, into his coffee on three separate occasions between July and August 2022. The couple had tied the knot in March of that year. Shortly thereafter, Chapin reportedly forged the signature of one of her husband’s children on a power of attorney document, as detailed in a criminal complaint.
Authorities say Chapin pressured her husband to amend the deed to his house, ensuring she would inherit the property upon his death. Just two weeks after the deed was altered, she began drugging his coffee. The relationship, which began online, was described as tumultuous from the start, with Gary Chapin’s family suspecting that he was merely a “sugar daddy” for Amanda.
The third dose of the drugs left Gary Chapin in a four-day coma. Blood tests revealed the presence of the same barbiturates he used to euthanize animals. Chapin reportedly delayed calling 911 for three hours after her husband failed to wake up. During this time, she accessed his email and forwarded herself conversations he had with his attorney and children.
Before the discovery of the drugs in his system, Gary Chapin’s son had already filed a restraining order against Amanda, suspecting her involvement in his father’s sudden medical crisis. Chapin violated this restraining order in September 2022 by sending her husband a suicide note, claiming his children were attempting to “destroy” her.
Gary Chapin received care during his coma at SSM Health Monroe Clinic Medical Group, where the barbiturates were detected in his bloodstream. The following day, he filed for divorce. Chapin was subsequently taken to a local hospital after paramedics responded to her home.
Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Barbara W. McCoy has ordered a presentencing investigation and scheduled Chapin’s sentencing hearing for July 15. She faces up to 12.5 years in a state correctional facility.