The woman accused of killing her daughter after poisoning her with a glass of wine full of acetonitrile at a Thanksgiving dinner has been denied a bond as she is set to face trial for multiple charges.
Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, 52, was arrested on January 16 and charged with two counts each of first-degree murder, attempted murder and three counts of distribution of certain food and beverage prohibited.
The charges relate to two separate incidents, one in 2007 and another in 2025.
Fox Carolina reports that Casper-Leinenkugel hosted twelve people for Thanksgiving in November. Authorities alleged at the bond hearing that she poisoned the wine, which her daughter, Leela Livis, another daughter, and her daughter’s boyfriend were drinking.
The bottle was laced with acetonitrile, a clear, colorless liquid used as a solvent for spinning fibers and as a component of lithium batteries. The chemical metabolizes into cyanide in the human body.
After the dinner, the three victims felt sick, and Livis died on December 1.
Authorities from Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said in the court hearing that Casper-Leinenkugel’s search history revealed she looked up, “What happens if I accidentally ingest acetonitrile”.
The 2007 case, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, found evidence linking Casper-Leinenkugel to the death of Michael Schmidt, who passed away in a house fire that year.
Fox Carolina further reported that the suspect is connected to other deaths that are currently under investigation. Prosecutors said she is facing the possibility of the death penalty and will appear back in court on February 10.
Casper-Leinenkugel is a well-known restaurateur in North Carolina.
In 2016, her European-inspired pub in Asheville was featured in local media.
The suspect opened the Patton Public House in July 2013.
Casper-Leinenkugel told the outlet that she grew up living in Germany and on the northern border between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“I’ve been working since I was 13 … I owned a laundromat. I had to learn how to run the business and fix the machines. It was a good learning experience,” she said.
Casper-Leinenkugel said the idea for Patton Public House was inspired by the comfort food and beer supplied by the European public houses she grew up with.
“We’re actually trying to bring back what a public house used to be,” she said at the time.
In 2018, the establishment was back in the news after several employees claimed that they were not being paid on time. The restaurant is no longer in business.
“I mean, it's ridiculous. I come up here, and I bust my butt off day-by-day and get nothing? I'm not here for a pat on the back,” hostess Maci Hold told WLOS.
