BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — An elderly woman who was charged with manufacturing the deadly toxin ricin in her Vermont retirement community and then testing it on residents is scheduled to be sentenced.
Betty Miller
Betty Miller pleaded guilty in May to possession of ricin. She’s due in federal court Thursday in Burlington.
Miller, who has an extensive mental health history, was arrested last November after telling investigators she made ricin at her home at the Wake Robin community in Shelburne because she wanted to injure herself.
Prosecutors say Miller harvested castor beans from naturally growing plants and made two or three tablespoons of ricin in her kitchen. She exposed residents to the ricin on at least three occasions, but no one became seriously ill.
A plea agreement calls for Miller to be sentenced to time served.
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