A Texas jury on Monday sentenced a doctor who specializes in cancer research to 10 years in prison for poisoning her lover after he rejected her for another woman, the Associated Press reported.
Dr. Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, a breast cancer research expert at Texas Medical Center, was convicted Friday on charges of aggravated assault for the poisoning of Dr. George Blumenschein. The 43-year-old poured ethylene glycol, which is found in antifreeze, into her colleague's coffee after she learned he dumped her for his longtime girlfriend, prosecutors said.
Blumenschein survived the assault, but his lifespan was shortened because he suffered severe damage to his kidneys, according to his testimony.
Blumenschein worked at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with the defendant when the two began a sexual relationship in September 2011, KHOU-TV reported. But at the time, he was also living with his girlfriend, Evette Toney, with whom he wanted to start a family.
The affair continued for several years, ultimately culminating in Gonzalez-Angulo poisoning Blumenschein in January 2013, according to his testimony. Blumenschein said he instantly suspected the defendant was responsible when he became sick. Witnesses said the ethylene glycol was available to Gonzalez-Angulo where she worked.
The victim's diminished capacity prompted prosecutors to ask the jury to sentence Gonzalez-Angulo to no less than 30 years, the AP reported.
Defense attorney Derek Hollingsworth urged jurors to take into account all of the good work the researcher has done throughout her career and sentence her to probation. The doctor is already suffering because she can never treat patients again as a result of her conviction, Hollingsworth argued.
But prosecutor Justin Keiter told the jury not to let sympathy for the doctor override what she has done.
"You cannot fix evil, you can't. You can't fix someone who is cold and calculating and manipulative," Keiter said according to the AP.
