A Near East Side woman who was accused of attempting to poison a roommate’s food with insecticide pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a misdemeanor misdemeanor after issues emerged with evidence in the case.
Deidre A. Kelleher, 29, was placed on probation for 13 months by Franklin County Joint Plea Judge Kimberly Cocroft, who followed a sentencing recommendation by prosecution and defense attorneys in connection with a plea agreement.
Originally charged with contaminating a substance intended for human consumption, Kelleher pleaded guilty to possession of criminal tools, a first degree misdemeanor.
Kelleher was charged in April 2019 after the roommate contacted police and said she placed a video recording device in the kitchen of a guesthouse where the two lived in the 2800 block of East Moreland Drive on the east side because she suspected Kelleher of tampering. with his food.
The resulting video appeared to show Kelleher spraying some of the victim’s food with insecticide before returning it to the refrigerator, police said at the time.
Deputy District Attorney Cory Helffrich told the judge the tests failed to detect the poison on the food. The video showed Kelleher with what appeared to be an insecticide spray and his arm moving in what looked like a spray motion, but did not show what was being sprayed, he said.
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