Captions: Cynthia Sommer with her late husband, Todd (L); Todd Sommer with his children (R)
DRAMATIC NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE OF A YOUNG MARINE WHO DIED SUDDENLY – WAS IT NATURAL CAUSES OR POISON?
“48 HOURS MYSTERY” ON SATURDAY, FEB. 7
Marine Sgt. Todd Sommer, 23, seemed to be in peak physical condition before he suddenly collapsed and died in February of 2002. The official cause of death was listed as cardiac arrhythmia, but to one NCIS agent, something about the case seemed a little too familiar.
Prior to that fatal day, Todd had complained of severe stomach pains and nausea, information that led NCIS to order a rarely performed test on some of Todd’s tissue samples. The results, prosecutors said, proved that Todd Sommer was the victim of a lethal dose of arsenic. And only one person had both motive and opportunity – his wife, Cynthia.
Although authorities never uncovered direct proof that Cynthia purchased the deadly powder or poisoned her husband, prosecutors believed Cynthia’s questionable behavior in the aftermath of Todd’s death still gave them plenty of ammunition against her. The military police officer who drove her to the hospital recalled that she never shed a tear, and instead of being in a hurry to get to Todd, she asked if they could stop for cigarettes. Cynthia also called an accountant a few hours after his death and within days was trying to collect the 250 thousand dollars from his life insurance policy. She then partied in Mexico with friends, had sex with several Marines who served with Todd and bought herself breast implants within weeks of her husband’s death. Cynthia’s actions, prosecutors said, were not those of a typical grieving widow.
In January of 2007, Cynthia Sommer was convicted of Todd’s murder. But did she actually poison her husband, or was she being judged for her scandalous behavior? Usually a verdict means the end of a case, but for Cynthia Sommer, the biggest surprise was yet to come.
Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports the dramatic new developments on 48 HOURS MYSTERY: “An Invisible Enemy,” Saturday, Feb. 7 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. This broadcast is produced by Marcie Spencer and Gayane Keshishyan. Paul Ryan is the senior producer. Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.
Editors’ Note: CBS News 48 HOURS MYSTERY broadcasts are now available on iTunes.
I watched this and they found that the forensic sample was incorrect and it did not show any poisons. What I found incredible about this was that she did some really stupid things that some people thought was suspicious, but some people morn in strange ways. She chose a breast implant and sex with multiple partners…it doesn’t make her guilty.
By: ajlouny on February 8, 2009
at 3:07 pm
What an unbelievable end to this story.
I understand that arsenic poisoning is very difficult to prove. My intuition tells me the testing labs screwed up the process, but that they really found it after all. It really sounds like this woman got away with murder, and that just makes me furious.
By: mrrx on February 9, 2009
at 11:22 am
She got away with murder. First, what happened to the computer that she previously owned. Her response was that she did not know what happened to it after his death. That is surprising because its not like a computer is a small object that can be easily lost. If I were an investigator, I would try to track that computer. My intuition tells me that she made sure that the evidence that would link her to the murder was destroyed. Secondly, why did she wait so long before calling 911. It was presumed that he had already died before she called 911. That in itself sounds very suspicious. Thirdly, she automatically went for the insurance money after his death. Someone that has lost someone they truly love, I assume, would try to wait off on the insurance because its too painful. If I lost someone at least, I think I would be too depressed to even want to worry about that insurance. Lastly, he went to the doctor’s office a few days before he died. Had he had anything wrong with him I’m confident to say that the doctors would have found a problem, but they didn’t. I strongly believe that he was poisoned, but the test results to prove it were done inaccurately. She’ll pay the price in the long run. Its the saying “whatever goes around comes around.”
By: LE on February 9, 2009
at 4:09 pm
What is with you two commentators? This woman got the raw deal. An overzealous prosecutor knew he could convict her for murder using the evidence of her being immoral. The scientific evidence was wrong and the police scientists should be censured either for sloppy work or for not sticking by their principles. You don’t find arsenic in one compartment of the body and not in the adjoining compartment. That is not the way xenobiotic metabolism and distribution works. The results should have been immediately re-tested. They were not and this poor woman spent years in prison. If a scientist lets a prosecutor brow-beat him down when he knows something is wrong with evidence, he is not a scientist, he is a quack.
By: Greggy on February 10, 2009
at 6:19 pm
Greggy – I understand arsenic breaks down and disappears quickly; plus it is not something typically “tested for”. That’s why I am suspicious of the forensic part of the story. Is it even possible at this point to test thoroughly ? I do not know but suspect not.
The rest of it is awfully damning – losing the computer and her behavior after he dies. That’s not convicting based on morals, but using judgement when viewing everything that happened.
By: mrrx on February 11, 2009
at 12:28 pm
They could of took hair samples and found how much arsenic was in the marines hair or could have did some blood analysis, arsenic should not be in the blood, they could of done some kidney or urine analysis, to see if there were some in the bladder, ureter, or urethra, and try to find some of the organic tissue that became necrotic from the arsenic that was found.
By: Leonard Jones on March 3, 2010
at 10:01 pm