Man Gets Life Term for 2 Sudafed-Tampering Deaths
Joseph Meling was sentenced to life in prison without parole Tuesday for the Sudafed-tampering deaths of two people and a failed attempt to kill his wife for $700,000 in insurance money. He angrily maintained his innocence.
Prosecutors said that Meling tried to kill his wife, Jennifer, with a cyanide-filled capsule for the insurance and that he put similar capsules in five other Sudafed packages on store shelves to divert suspicion from himself.
Jennifer Meling survived the Feb. 2, 1991, poisoning. Kathleen Daneker, 40, of Tacoma, died Feb. 11, 1991, and Stan McWhorter, 40, of Lacey, died seven days later.
Two cyanide-filled capsules were found in homes, while one was recovered from a store during a $17-million nationwide recall.
Meling was convicted in April of two counts of product tampering causing death. He also was convicted of four additional counts of product tampering, two of perjury and three of insurance fraud.
Meling, a former insurance salesman from Tumwater, also was ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution to Sudafed’s manufacturer and other claimants should he be paid for telling his story.
An appeal is planned.
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