Victim's doctor testifies in poisoning trial

Pooja Lodhia Image
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Doctor accused of poisoning coffee
The target of the alleged assault survived, but could suffere permanent health damage

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Testimony continued Tuesday in the trial of an MD Anderson doctor accused of poisoning a respected cancer doctor.

Prosecutors claim Dr. George Blumenschein's colleague and lover, Dr. Ana Gonzalez-Angulo, poisoned him last year. On Tuesday, jurors heard from the doctor who treated Blumenschein after the alleged incident.

"His kidneys were failing and the amount of acid in his blood was quite severe," said Dr. Kristen Price, a witness for the prosecution.

Dr. Gonzalez is on trial, charged with aggravated assault. Her defense attorneys say she did not poison anybody.

She and Dr. Blumenschein were having an affair while he was still living with his longtime girlfriend, Evette Toney.

"She told me that Evette Toney didn't like her," testified Dr. Kristen Price, "and she didn't like that they spent so much time together."

On the morning of January 27, 2013, Dr. Blumenschein and Dr. Gonzalez had sex and drank vodka.

Prosecutors say Dr. Gonzalez then forced her lover to drink two cups of coffee, allegedly laced with a component of antifreeze.

Dr. Price testified to seeing signs of the chemical, called ethylene gylcol, in Dr. Blumenschein's body. She alerted police.

"There have been people who have used that in a suicide attempt," Dr. Price testified, "or you hear it more commonly in people that are trying to hurt another person."

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