Antifreeze POISON DEATHS: Diane Staudte CHARGED WITH FIRST –DEGREE MURDER – Kills Husband and Son – Breaking News

By Geno McGahee

Diane Staudte, 51, of Springfield, Missouri, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count of armed criminal action on Friday for her role in the fatal poisoning of two relatives with anti-freeze and the attempted murder of another. Her daughter, Rachel Staudte, 22, has also been charged with the same counts.

Diane’s husband, Mark Staudte, 61, and her son, Shawn Staudte, 26, were both poisoned to death. She reported to law enforcement that her husband hadn’t been feeling well and was suffering from seizures before his death in April of 2012. She told the authorities that her son was suffering from flu-like symptoms before his death in September.

She nearly got away with it. The Green County medical examiner first ruled the deaths natural causes, but a tip to the authorities would uncover the truth. When Sarah Staudte, Diane’s other daughter, was in the hospital with potentially fatal symptoms, Diane was acting abnormally. She was joking around and didn’t show up very often, which made some of the personnel suspicious. A doctor began to suspect that she had been poisoned.

Under questioning, Diane admitted that she poisoned her family with antifreeze that she put in their Gatorade and soda. She said that she hated her husband and that her son was “worse than a pest.” She then noted that she wanted her daughter dead because she “wouldn’t get a job and had student loans to be paid.” She stated that her daughter Rachel and her planned the crimes and carried them out.