Wife drowns in toilet, murder or suicide?
Patty
By Heather Schaefer
The Rhinelander Daily News (Wisconsin)
12/7/02
A Vilas County man accused of killing his wife offered testimony in
his trial Friday without taking the witness stand.
Doug Plude, 35, of Land O'Lakes, accused of killing his wife, Genell
Johnson Plude, 28, by drowning her in a toilet, did not leave his seat
at the defense table Friday. But, for the first time, the Shawano
County jury which will decide his fate, heard his account of what
happened the day his wife died.
Testimony he gave under oath during a coroner's inquest in December of
2000 was read into the record by Brad Lila, a lieutenant in the Vilas
County Sheriff's Department.
Through the testimony Lila read, the jury learned how the Pludes met
and why they eventually decided to attempt to have an open marriage.
"We were going to do whatever it took (including partner swapping) to
stay together," Plude said.
Pludes' inquest account also informed the jury he studied police
science in community college, has training as an EMT, and that he
controlled the couple's finances.
Also in the transcript of his inquest testimony, Plude revealed he
learned five days before his wife died that she was not bisexual but
"full gay".
As for October 22, 1999, the day his wife died, he said he awoke
around 5:30 a.m. and after noticing she was no longer in bed with him,
went looking for Genell. He claims he found her dead by her own hand,
body leaning against a toilet bowl. At first, he said, he thought she
was only sleeping.
She sometimes fell asleep in that position when she was ill, he said.
Then he noticed her skin didn't appear normal.
"Her hands were blue and her face was in the water, I screamed her
name and then I screamed for my mother," he said.
Other than occasional facial twitches, Plude had no reaction to the
recitation of his account of his wife's death.
Also on the witness stand Friday was the Texas woman the defense
claims Genell Plude fantasized about creating a new life with.
Testifying for the defense, Tanda Wall said she never expected Genell
Plude to move in with her and that their relationship was mostly
one-sided. She said she tried to let Plude know she wasn't looking for
a serious relationship by "pulling back" and limiting their
communication. She never said whether Genell Plude ever got that
message.
The defense claims the victim did know Wall wasn't interested in her
romantically and killed herself because her dream relationship was
never going to happen and she couldn't bear to stay with her husband
or move back to Minnesota and tell her parents she's homosexual.
Under cross-examination, Wall also said Plude never talked about
killing herself and in fact had strong feelings against suicide. "She
thought it was selfish and just not an option," Wall said.
Also testifying Friday morning was toxicologist Casey Collins, who
told the jury Genell Plude could have still been alive even after
large amounts of Fioracet with codeine entered her system. "People are
different in what they can survive," he said.
He did note that her ability to fend off an attack would have been
greatly impaired by the high concentration of drugs in her system.
Forensic Chemist Joseph Wermling informed the jury which chemical
substances he found on the victim's clothes and noted that the hockey
jersey the defendant wore that night was completely free of any
residue. It had been washed, he said.
In the afternoon session, latent print expert, Jerry Kotajarvi, used a
scale model of the toilet to show the jury were he found handprints of
Genell and Doug Plude. Doug Plude's handprint was found on the vanity
in the bathroom and in the waste basket and Genell's were found on the
right and left sides of the toilet.
The trial will resume with the state calling its next witness Monday
morning at 10 a.m. The jury has been advised in order to complete the
trial within a two week timeframe they may hear testimony during night
sessions this week.
Patty
December 06, 2002
Forensic pathologist testifies in Plude trial
By Heather Schaefer
The Rhinelander Daily News
Experts on forensic pathology took center stage Thursday in the Vilas County homicide
trial of Douglas Plude.
Plude, 35, of Land O'Lakes is accused of murdering his wife, Genell, 28, by forcing her
head in a toilet bowl until she drowned. Plude's defense team claims Genell killed herself
by taking lethal levels of the prescription drug Fioracet rather than end her marriage or
tell her family she was a homosexual.
Testifying to forensic issues in the case Thursday was Dr. Mitra Kalelkar, a defense
witness called out of order, and Dr. Robert Huntington, a renowned pathologist who
performed Plude's autopsy, on behalf of the state.
Kalelkar, a deputy medical examiner in Cook County, Illinois, told the jury Genell Plude
died from drug intoxication rather than drowning or trauma. She said the high
concentration of codeine in the Fioracet (20 times the lethal level) would have killed the
victim before she could drown. She also said there was no indication the fluid found in
Plude's lungs came from the toilet. The excess fluid was most likely caused by her body's
reaction to the irritation of swallowed vomit prior to her death.
Kalelkar also said it would be a challenge for anyone to force another person to swallow
drugs against their will.
"It's extremely difficult for someone to push something down someone's throat unless they
are being held down or a tube is being pushed down the throat to push the drugs in," she
said, noting there is no evidence the victim was restrained.
See Trial, Page 3
Also, if as the state claims, Doug Plude forced his wife's head in the toilet bowl she
should have had bruising on the back of her neck and severe injuries to her throat area,
Kalelkar said.
Under cross-examination by Vilas County District Attorney Al Moustakis, Kalelkar admitted
much of her work revolves around the deaths of children and not suicides. She also
admitted the Genell Plude case was probably the only case she ever studied that involved a
twenty-something woman found with her head in the toilet.
Moustakis and Kalelkar spent most of the morning session locked in verbal combat, with the
prosecutor suggesting a number of hypothetical situations similar to the manner Genell
Plude may have died and the witness either claiming the scenarios were implausible or
unlikely.
The afternoon session began with testimony from an imaging specialist, David Cadle of the
Wisconsin State Crime Lab, who testified a necklace the victim often wore could have
caused some of the markings found on her neck. Using a photo overlay to illustrate his
point, Cadle said four small red marks found on the victim's neck are consistent with
links on a chain Genell Plude was known to wear regularly. He also said force would have
been necessary to make the indentations in her neck.
The final expert of the day was Dr. Robert Huntington, the pathologist who performed
Plude's autopsy. Known for his flair for the dramatic and tendency to inject humor into
his testimony, Huntington had the jury's rapt attention as he described his findings. He
said he found "deep impact" wounds on the victim's neck that had to have been caused while
she was still alive as well as a considerable amount of blood in her lungs. He also said
he didn't believe the codeine immediately killed Plude but ultimately could not say
whether her death was a suicide or a homicide.
"That's up to the beleaguered ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he said.
The final two witnesses of the day were two women who met the Pludes over the Internet.
Stacy Hargrove testified Genell Plude told her she was afraid and was hiding her husband's
guns in anticipation of leaving him. She also said Doug Plude told her he wanted to grow
old with his wife and have children with her. Finally, Wendy Staub told the jury Doug
Plude knew his in-laws were planning to come pick up Genell and take her to Minnesota and
that his wife was hiding money from him.
"He was very upset," she said, "He said he couldn't bear her leaving and talked about
getting a gun and shooting himself."
The trial continues today with more witnesses for the state.
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Michael Lonergan
"Patty" <la...@bug.com> wrote in message news:3df3...@post.newsfeed.com...
> *** post for FREE via your newsreader at post.newsfeed.com ***
>
> December 06, 2002
> Forensic pathologist testifies in Plude trial
> By Heather Schaefer
> The Rhinelander Daily News
>
> Experts on forensic pathology took center stage Thursday in the Vilas
County homicide
> trial of Douglas Plude.
Okay, I've read both news reports. If the coroner couldn't make any type of
decision on suicide or death at someone else's hand, I'll have to take the
suicide route on this one. IMO if he tried to drown her in the toilet, she
would have put up some type of huge struggle, unless completely under by the
drugs. Very strange case and very interesting.
Michael
Chocolic
"Michael Lonergan" <fur...@claqueNOT.net> wrote in message
news:JFNI9.2318$zS2.2...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
I agree with you on this one. If he murdered her by drowning her, and
wanted to make it look like a suicide, it would have been more
believable to drown her in a bathtub full of water. Or he's awful
stoopid. Since he did study police science I'm assuming he would have
been smart enough to think of that.
Chocolic
Patty
First I think it's suicide, but after reading this account, I think it's murder. The
"drowning"
happened at his mother's house.
December 04, 2002
Mothers testify in Plude trial By Heather Schaefer
The Rhinelander Daily News
The Vilas County murder trial of Douglas Plude began with a dramatic flourish Tuesday as
the prosecution and defense outlined starkly different explanations of what caused Genell
Johnson Plude's death on October 22, 1999.
Vilas County District Attorney Al Moustakis painted a picture of the victim as a woman
struggling with her sexuality who had finally come to the realization that she had to
leave her husband once and for all, and the defendant as a man who simply would not allow
that to happen. The defendant, he indicated, killed his wife by forcing her head into a
toilet bowl until she drowned and later told her lifeless body:
"I told you not to leave me."
In contrast, the defense intimated Genell's plan to leave her husband was a "fantasy" that
the victim didn't have the strength to turn into a reality.
Defense Counsel Ann Munninghoff insisted the victim had fallen in love, via the Internet,
with a Texas woman she wanted to eventually live with. But, before that could happen, the
woman broke off the relationship, leaving the victim deeply saddened and paralyzed by
fear. Munninghoff said Genell Plude committed suicide because she realized her dream
relationship was never going to happen and she didn't have the strength to leave her
husband or tell her family she was a homosexual.
Genell Johnson Plude was found dead, her head in a toilet bowl, in the home of her
mother-in-law on October 22, 1999. Significant amounts of drugs were found in her system
and unusual bruising marks were found on her body.
Now, more than three years after her mysterious death, Plude's husband, Doug, 35, of Land
O'Lakes, is on trial for her murder.
Six women and six men from Shawano County will decide his fate after hearing from a number
of family members, law enforcement officers, medical personnel, and a spate of experts on
everything from suicide to toilet bowls.
First to testify Tuesday was Eagle River Memorial Hospital Emergency Room Nurse Linda
Healy. Healy testified she heard Plude angrily tell his dead wife that he had warned her
not to leave their marriage. Healy said the statement made her blood run cold and the hair
on the back of her neck stand up.
"It's something I'll never forget," she said.
Healy also indicated it's possible Plude thought he was alone with his wife's body in the
trauma room when he made the comment because her desk was obstructed from view.
Under cross-examination, Healy admitted she didn't tell anyone about the comment until
over a year after Genell Plude's death and noted that in her experience individuals
confront grief in a variety of ways.
Two other witnesses, Dr. Kenneth Sullivan and Emergency Medical Technician Cigna Bocke,
described the efforts they made to save Plude's life and the condition of her body when
they first saw it. Both medical workers also described Doug Plude's demeanor while the
life-saving measures were taking place and after he was told his wife had died.
Sullivan testified he noticed the bruising and heard "crackles" in Plude's lungs that
suggested those organs were filled with fluid. He declined to speculate as to whether the
fluid was from the toilet bowl (as the state contends) or caused by the shutdown of organs
(as the defense argued).
The doctor also said people who have just lost a loved one typically respond to the news
with disbelief followed by tears. Plude, he said, had a "dramatic type" reaction to the
death.
"He just began wailing and sobbing," Sullivan said.
Former Vilas County Sheriff's Deputy Jenny Kroshell also testified to Plude's demeanor
following his wife's death. She described him as "very nervous and panicky" and noted that
he kept moving throughout the home as she tried to take his statement. She also said she
witnessed an argument between Plude and his mother, Mary Ellen, regarding the exact time
Plude found his wife's body in the bathroom. Plude originally said it was approximately 5
a.m. but his mother corrected him and said it was closer to 5:45 a.m.
On the stand during the afternoon session Tuesday, Mary Ellen Plude took the jury on a
virtual tour of her home via a videotape and explained what she saw and heard the day her
daughter-in-law died.
A hostile witness for the state, Plude essentially backed up the defense's theory of her
daughter-in-law's death. She told the jury she went to the bathroom after hearing her son
scream for her and later was a witness when her son found a number of unused pills (the
same variety found in Genell's system) in her medicine cabinet. Plude, who has previously
testified during a preliminary hearing in this case and at a coroner's inquest, also
changed her story in one key way. She said she heard what sounded like a cough around 5
a.m. and now thinks it could have been her daughter-in-law vomiting. She said she never
mentioned the coughing incident before because she wasn't sure if she had dreamt it or if
it had actually happened. She also said after she was kept from her home overnight,
separated from her son, and forced to answer what she deemed to be stupid questions while
she was trying to grieve for a dead family member, she came to no longer trust the Vilas
County officers investigating the case.
"They lied to me, I no longer had any faith in them," she said.
When asked if she would lie to protect her son she said: "I'm an honest person I don't
make stuff up."
The last witness of the day was the victim's mother, Lillian Johnson.
Johnson described her daughter as "gentle soul" who was adventurous and loved the
outdoors. She testified she was in close contact with her oldest child in the days and
weeks preceding her death and that her daughter told her she planned to start a new life
in Texas as a drug counselor. To that end, she testified she and Genell went shopping for
household items such as a coffee pot and a can opener during the weekend before her death.
She also said she was aware her daughter was at least bisexual and had noticed no outward
signs of depression prior to her death.
She said she and her husband were almost ready to leave their home in Minnesota and travel
to Vilas County to bring Genell home when the phone rang and Doug Plude informed her that
her daughter was dead.
He said, "Mama, Mama, ooh, ooh," and "Genny drowned in the toilet," she said.
She said Plude had never called her "Mama" before that day.
The trial resumed today with Johnson's cross-examination. Plude is living with his mother
under house arrest during the trial.
JC
"Chocolic" <chatt...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:rTNI9.43977$vM1.3...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Same here, husb not guilty. (And I thought from the subject line this one'd
be a slam dunk guilty-murder.)
JC
Bo Raxo
"JC" <jonesi...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3df3c193$0$18874$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
Well, I don't think there's enough to convict, but he might have done it.
Don't underestimate the stoopid factor. A couple of years ago a well-to-do
couple in California's wine country had a mishap - the husband claimed his
wife managed to accidentally drown in a bucket of water. The jury didn't buy
it, and he went off to the big house.
Patty
of testimony from a deceased expert on toilet bowl related deaths.
Plus they get to visit the bathroom.
November 23, 2002
Shawano County jury to decide whether
Genell Plude's death was suicide or murder
By Heather Schaefer
The Rhinelander Daily News
Suicide or homicide?
That's the question a Shawano County jury will answer after it hears
testimony in the murder trial of Douglas Plude.
Plude, 35, of Land O'Lakes, has been charged with first degree
intentional homicide in connection with the death of his wife, Genell.
Genell Johnson Plude was found dead, her head in a toilet bowl, in the
home of her mother-in-law on October 22, 1999. Significant amounts of
drugs were found in her system and unusual bruising marks were found
on her body.
More than three years later, Vilas County authorities are going over
last minute evidentiary issues related to the case in anticipation of
a December 2 trial date.
During a lengthy motion hearing in Vilas County Court Friday, Judge
James B. Mohr began to delineate the parameters of the trial as he
deciphered what evidence may be presented at trial.
Among the more pivotal decisions Mohr made was to allow statements
Genell Plude made regarding her mental and emotional statement of mind
including her desire for a divorce and plan to move back to Minnesota.
Statements indicating Johnson Plude was afraid in the days leading up
to her death will also be admitted.
Mohr decided to bar testimony regarding some of the more lurid aspects
of the Pludes' life. Johnson Plude's statements regarding infidelity
on the part of either spouse, the use of pornography, and an incident
where the defendant allegedly engaged in phone sex, will not be
admitted.
The jury will however be allowed to hear that one of the reasons
Johnson Plude allegedly wanted to leave her husband was because she
realized she was a lesbian.
Also Friday, Mohr agreed to allow a reputed "suicidologist" to testify
for the state. Vilas County District Attorney Al Moustakis told the
court, Dr. Ronald Maris will testify Genell Plude did not fit the
profile of a person prone to suicide.
The defense was adamantly opposed to Maris's testimony, calling it
"junk science," but Moustakis argued cross-examination would expose
any holes in the doctor's testimony.
"They should be able to make him look like the duck they think he is,"
Moustakis said.
The judge also decided to:
¥ Allow the victim's parents to be present in the courtroom except
when one or the other is testifying.
¥ Allow the state to treat the defendant's mother, Mary Ellen Plude,
as a hostile witness.
¥ Allow the jury to visit the bathroom were Plude died.
¥ Allow the state to present a scale model of the bathroom
¥ Allow the state to present a transcript of testimony from a deceased
expert on toilet bowl related deaths.
¥ Bar the admission of a photo of Genell Plude wearing a necklace that
could have caused the indentations found on her neck after her death.
Vilas County officials will travel to Shawano Monday, Dec. 2 to select
a jury from 91 candidates. Opening statements in this matter are
scheduled to begin the next day at 8:30 a.m. in Eagle River.
Plude is currently living in his mother's house on house arrest.
JC
"Patty" <eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:f0e77308.02120...@posting.google.com...
Hope we learn if she was in the habit of taking painkillers in big doses, or
otherwise self-medicated. In any case, if the coroner can't say which killed
her, drowning or drugs, how can there can be a conviction for murder? Maybe
the husb doesn't even know himself if he is solely responsible or not. How
can anybody know?
JC
DedNdogYrs
heard of it happening to an adult.
Dogs & children first.
crosem
of the toilet upon beginning to drown???
unless the drugs prevented that?
"DedNdogYrs" <dednd...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021209071204...@mb-mn.aol.com...