Cancer doctor to soon learn punishment for poisoning ex-lover

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Closing arguments will begin Monday morning in the punishment phase of a cancer doctor convicted of poisoning her fellow doctor and lover.

KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy says jurors will have their work cut out for them. By law there is a range of five years to life in prison and the doctor is probation eligible.

Jurors will hear closing arguments before Doctor Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo learns her fate. Androphy believes the defense team will have a hard time making a case for probation saying, "I'm not sure how probation fits in when you try to poison your boyfriend. Probation for what, learn not to poison?"

Last week after four hours of deliberating jurors found the breast cancer doctor guilty of aggravated assault with a person she was in a dating relationship with, Doctor George Blumenschein. The two were colleagues at M.D. Anderson. Androphy says, "My sense is because it happened so quickly I think you are looking at a 30 plus prison term for her."

Gonzalez-Angulo was convicted of spiking Blumenschein's coffee last year with a chemical found in antifreeze. He survived but testified in court his kidneys are only operating at 40% saying on the stand, "the condition I have now, it puts me at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Medicines I could potentially take I can't take now."

Jurors heard hours of testimony regarding the affair between the co-workers. They also heard from the victim's longtime girlfriend, Evette Toney. When the verdict was reached jurors convicted the doctor on the most serious charge they could which carries the option of stiffer sentence.

Androphy says, "Her whole career was at stake when she was convicted because right now the medical board is going to come in and even if she gets probation they aren't going to let her operate as a medical professional."