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Lab tech: Dead doctor's blood had 'lethal' poison

Posted October 29, 2014 1:01 am

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - A lab technician testifying in the trial of a University of Pittsburgh medical researcher charged with poisoning his wife says a blood test showed the woman had a "very, very high" level of cyanide.

The technician, Sonia Obcemea, says it was the first cyanide test she'd ever done that had a "lethal" level - out of more than 1,000 such tests in her 37-year career.

Obcemea is a technician at a Quest Diagnostics' lab. She testified Wednesday in the fifth day of the trial of Dr. Robert Ferrante.

The 66-year-old researcher is charged with criminal homicide for allegedly lacing an energy drink to poison 41-year-old Dr. Autumn Klein last year.

Ferrante has denied killing his wife and plans to call medical experts to dispute that she was even poisoned.

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