Feb. 03--A Geneva woman was ordered held without bail Wednesday morning for the alleged poisoning death of her husband, and prosecutors disclosed a strikingly similar attempt in 2002.
Kane County Judge Robert Morrow issued the no-bail order after hearing how Julia Gutierrez, 53, allegedly placed six prescription sleeping pills into a smoothie for her husband, Eduardo, 53.
Police said they found the man's body Thursday in their Geneva home, along with a note allegedly written by Julia, which read in part, "I love him so much, please forgive. God understands. I hope to see you in Heaven."
Prosecutors have said Julia also attempted to take her own life. She allegedly told police that she had been suffering from an "environmental illness" that had made life unbearable for both her and her husband.
"I didn't want him to live to suffer," she allegedly told police.
Assistant State's Attorney Greg Sams said at the Wednesday morning bond hearing that Geneva police responded to an incident at the Gutierrez residence in 2002. Julia, Sams said, had slipped as many as 10 prescription sleeping pills into a milkshake for Eduardo.
The husband was found groggy, but he recovered, Sams said.
A friend of Gutierrez told police in 2002 that Gutierrez had said in a phone call, "we went to sleep last night and we were not supposed to wake up," Sams told the judge.
There were, however, no charges filed in 2002, the prosecutor said. After the hearing, Sams declined to provide further comment on the 2002 incident. Geneva police could not immediately provide information about the incident.
Authorities think Eduardo Gutierrez died Jan 26. He had gone to lunch with a friend, and after coming home, he drank a smoothie laced with sleeping pills made by his wife, authorities allege.
Police came to their home on Crissey Avenue on Thursday after someone had requested a well-being check. They found Eduardo dead in the living room and Julia unconscious in an upstairs bathroom.
She was transported to Delnor Hospital and eventually brought to the Kane County Jail, where she is being held under a suicide watch.
Julia reportedly told police, "I've been holding on all this time for him, but I couldn't do it anymore," Sams said in court.
Last week Julia had mailed $40,000 in cash and a $5,000 check to a Rock Island family with instructions that the family give the cash to charity and spend the check, the prosecutor said.
