Suspect Held in Tampering Case That Killed 2 : Indictment: Olympia, Wash., man laced Sudafed with cyanide to cover up an attempt to murder his wife for insurance money, authorities say.

WASHINGTON — Eighteen months after two Washington state residents died after taking Sudafed 12-hour cold capsules laced with cyanide, federal authorities Monday announced the arrest of a 31-year-old former insurance salesman who they say planted the poisoned medicine to conceal a scheme to murder his wife for insurance money.

A 20-count indictment filed in Seattle charges Joseph Earl Meling of Olympia with product tampering, mail fraud and perjury. Authorities claim that the former Prudential Insurance Co. sales agent inserted sodium cyanide into Sudafed 12-hour capsules and returned the products to store shelves to be purchased by consumers.

Authorities said Meling had hoped to cover up an attempt to murder his wife and collect $700,000 in benefits from a life insurance policy on her obtained from his former company.

Jennifer Sue Meling collapsed after taking the poisoned Sudafed on Feb. 2, 1991, and lapsed into a coma but recovered.

Stanley Frank McWhorter, 44, of Lacey, Wash., and Kathleen Ann Daneker, 40, of Tacoma--neither of whom knew Meling--purchased capsules containing sodium cyanide in local stores and died after taking them.

Meling was arrested Sunday. The arrest was announced in Washington, D.C., and Seattle by the Justice Department and the Food and Drug Administration.

“Just 18 months ago, two people died tragically, in great pain and with no warning, when they innocently took pills . . . to relieve their nasal discomfort,” said U.S. Atty. Mike McKay in Seattle.

“Their families have suffered and lost so much. But they aren’t the only victims. All of us are affected by product tampering. It raises doubts about the safety of goods available to any of us and makes us wonder if it is OK to give our children the gentlest home remedy.”

FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler said the episode “makes it clear that federal authorities will relentlessly pursue tampering suspects. We will pursue every lead. We will bring them to justice.”

The tampering counts against Meling include the two deaths and his wife’s poisoning. If convicted, he could face life in prison. Meling pleaded not guilty.

His attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., said: “These are very serious charges and the case will go to trial. The trial has been set for November, so the ball has already started moving.”

After the poisoning, Jennifer Meling moved to her parents’ home in Vancouver and filed for divorce. Last fall, she dropped her divorce petition and moved back with her husband, Vance said, adding that she does not believe her husband tried to murder her.

The case was one of several highly publicized instances of product tampering, the most deadly of which occurred in 1982, when seven people in the Chicago area died after taking cyanide-laced extra-strength Tylenol capsules. That case--which resulted in a nationwide recall and the introduction of tamper-proof packaging--has not been solved.

The Washington state case also resulted in a nationwide recall on March 3, 1991, by the drug’s manufacturer, Burroughs Wellcome Co. At least three packages containing cyanide-tainted capsules were found in the following week in the Olympia and Tacoma areas. Two packages already had been purchased.

In addition to felony charges of product tampering, Meling also is accused of mail fraud in connection with his alleged attempt to collect life insurance on his wife--an effort that he abandoned after she survived her nearly fatal poisoning, authorities said.

The indictment also accuses Meling of perjury based on testimony he gave under oath to the Daneker and McWhorter families in connection with their suit against Burroughs Wellcome. The indictment said that Meling denied in depositions that he had ever possessed or used cyanide.

The indictment alleges that in January, 1991, a few weeks before his wife took a poisoned capsule, Meling purchased cyanide at a chemical company formerly located in Kent, Wash.

It would be up to state courts to file murder charges against Meling.