Woman Admits Making Antifreeze Smoothie

By EVAN BERLAND
Associated Press Writer

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. ? A woman accused of killing her brother-in-law by spiking his smoothie with antifreeze pleaded not guilty to murder Monday.

A defense attorney for Maryann Neabor, 53, said she admitted putting chemicals in the drink but intended only to make Jonathan Neabor sick enough so she could take control of his money.

"Maryann Neabor is apparently mentally ill," said Craig Mitnick after the hearing. "She's made a horrendous decision. There's no justification or excuse for it."



The above quotes from the defense attorney present some classic double-talk. Even though the defendant admittedly poured a deadly cocktail for her brother-in-law, the attorney feels he must offer up an explanation, and then end the explanation with the denial that it is an explanation.

Breaking it down, he first argues she only intended to make the victim really, really sick. Just how sick is unknown, but sick enough to take over his money. Usually, that sort of sick is dead.

He then argues she must be mentally ill. Not sure there are any signs of that. She picked a poison (the classic attempt to hide the form of death) and delivered it to carry out a profit motive. What part of that is crazy? Wrong, yes. Crazy, no.

Then, he provides the classic conclusion that he is not trying to excuse what she did. Then what, exactly, was the purpose of the two explanations?

Don't you think juries are tired of this sort of double-talk? Don't they yearn for the truth? Would it be so wrong for a defense attorney to (a) acknowledge the obvious or (b) say nothing?

It has everything to do with collecting a fee and putting the best spin on things that he can. He is probably auditioning to become a presidential press secretary.