tv Dateline NBC NBC May 25, 2015 2:58am-4:01am PDT
2:58 am
and we see the big fire we built and the smoke coming up. we all talk about richard. now. i'm lester holt. thank you for joining us. >> nothing in this case makes sense. >> they say doctors make the worst patients. no matter how sick. >> high blood pressure a heart attack. >> this doctor wasn't just sick. he was dying. >> no one knew exactly what it was. >> then they found the crystals. >> a poisoning case very rare. >> solving the medical mystery didn't solve the main mystery. who poisoned him? >> he took a drink of it and said there is something wrong with this. >> was money the motive? or was there another reason? >> everything abut thisout this case is nuts. sex, lies and audio tape. >> turned out the busy doctor
2:59 am
had a busy love life at home and at work. >> she loved. >> i think she loved the doctor. >> i said why? he said it was just sex yvette. >> who wanted the doctor dead? >> who has the motive? it's the person who isn't getting what they want. >> i'm lester hold. this is dateline. here is andrea canning with "fatal attraction." >> there is a place in houston, textas texas, mecca of medicine. >> their goal is making cancer history. the best and brightest work there. >> reporter: a hive of top tier physicians researching. sail lives. >> i was never a number. never just a patient. i was a human being. >> but what happened when one of their own became dangerously ill. >> i was shocked. it was crazy things happening. >> i never imagined that would happen to an one i knew. >> not with cancer but still
3:00 am
something lethal and bizarre. >> it was the worst kept secret at md anderson. >> hollywood couldn't write this script. it is unbelievable. and that's why it is true. it was around midnight. january 27 a 48-year-old man wobbled through the doors of md anderson slurring his words. disoriented. >> keep in mind he didn't go to the emergency room at a standard hospital. ryan corsguard is a reporter with kprc-tven houston. >> he want to a cancer hospital. >> perhaps where he felt safe? >> perhaps. and his office was also there. >> reporter: maybe he felt safe there because the sec manick man was george bloomenshine jr., specializing in head neck and lung cancer at md anderson. like many peers, dedicated to researching and curing cancer
3:01 am
dr. bloomenshine's life seemed to revolve around his work. >> he revealed little about his personal life. didn't talk about any one he was dating anything along those lines. >> reporter: now this very private man was at m.d. anderson not to be examined but to research his own symptoms. friend at the hospital urged him to go straight to the e.r. >> sounded like it was tough even to coax him into the emergency room. >> george's girlfriend a scientist, shot the video on the cell phone as they sat outside the e.r. she wanted to show george he wasn't acting normally and convince him to check himself in. the video would later be crucial to solving a mystery. >> i've been progressively disoriented. discoordinated. >> to see the usually articulate doctor like this a strange
3:02 am
sight. cindy molina a friend and former assistant of george's. >> what's george like? >> very charming. he is a great guy. >> she says george was professional friendly and always had a good bedside manner. just wait he greeted you? >> the way he greeted you. i thought he was very respectful caring patients did call me and make comments about him that he he is a great doctor. and we're so glad he is their doctor. >> reporter: but now the doctor was the one in need of care. george's research partner, a dr. named anna maria gonzalez was with him outside the e.r. anna had seen him at the office that day and later at a business dinner. that cell phone, documents her describing his symptoms. >> a little slurred. for people that knows him. he is slurred. >> finally, george agreed to be examined. and in the small world of m.d. anderson. word spread fast that one of
3:03 am
their esteemed doctors had checked into the er. >> what's your gut telling you when you are thinking what he could be sequester withick with? >> high blood pressure. having a heart attack. what is it? is he stressed? >> doctors suspected george might have suffered a stroke. but his mri was clear. whatever was wrong, it was getting worse. >> he is deteriorating quickly. his health is going downhill. >> reporter: a few hours after arriving at the e.r., the doctor was unconscious. his organs failing. he was rushed to the icu. >> there seemed to be concern he might not make it. >> through the night, george lay near death as his loved ones stood vigil outside the room. inside the medical staff wondered. exactly how had their colleague ended up here. it wasn't long before police were wondering the same thing. >> when we come back as doctors work to save one of their own,
3:04 am
3:08 am
>> reporter: in the early morning hours after he was admitted to the e.r. dr. george bloomenshine lay unconscious. he was in critical condition in the i.c.u. of the very hospital where he practiced medicine. >> i was worried about him. >> reporter: were you just really praying he would come through this? >> oh of course. he was a great person. >> reporter: no one was sure why this perfectly healthy man in his 40s was working one day and on the brink of death the next. >> it was a race against time. no one knew exactly what it was. they knew there was kidney failure. >> reporter: they did start running a battery of tests? >> theytests when they found crystals. >> crystals in his system could be a sign of dehydration to kidney stones. looking at the crystals under a
3:09 am
microscope. one of george's doctors made a startling discovery, an unusual chemical formation, a deadly one. it was ethylene glycol most commonly known as the toxic ingredient in antiantifreeze damages the heart, attacks the kidneys. and half a cup can kill you. >> this must be a shock to everyone when they realize this topnotch doctor has taken ethylene glycol? >> absolutely. you are a doctor. you know everything that goes into your body. how was this introduced? >> reporter: george was in and out of con sthussciousness and kept alive on dialysis. now that doctors knew what was making him sick. they called in investigators to figure out how it happened. >> a poisoning case which are rare. we don't see those often. >> reporter: assistant district attorney has a background in science and medical crimes he
3:10 am
and his past nerrtner had to kid every possible wait could get into george's cyst themsystem. >> he would have preferred that than to have known some one did this to him. >> reporter: accidental poisoning was not so far-fetched far-fetched. ethylene glycol is used in labs all over m.d. anderson. colorless, odorless and has a sweet taste. after checking out the accident theory it seemed unlikely. george hadn't been in a lab recently. >> we couldn't establish that he had access to ethylene glycol at all. >> reporter: lieutenant max sosa university of texas police officer and part of the investigative team. the former houston homicide detective took his job at the medical center as a quiet retirement gig. >> reporter: you would deal with things like stolen lunches from the communal fridge? missing dolly? not exactly houston homicide. >> they have their own forms of crimes. but, nothing on on the same
3:11 am
scale as municipal law enforcement. >> reporter: lieutenant sosa looked at jrnlggeorge's case and found it puzzling. if this wasn't an accident there were possibilities. suicide cam toe to mind. did you ask the doctor did you try to take your own life? >> i asked him. there was no history of any mental health issues or conditions. >> he said no i take it. >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: satisfied this was neither suicide nor accident. there was only one conclusion left. some one tried to kill george. it is starting to look like a prominent doctor was poisoned. what's your gut telling you? >> at first the only thing we can do is try to narrow down who was around the doctor. >> the first person they wanted to talk to of course was george's live-in girlfriend. yvette tony. >> wt manthe woman in charge of the emergency room that night had concerns about yvette tony she
3:12 am
told you that. >> she indicated we needed to look at yvette. she shared food with him. she shared wine with him. the night before. >> yvette told lieutenant sosa she didn't have a clue why some one would want to hurt george. she suggested maybe it was a random act. >> she was throwing out all kind of hypothesis and hypotheticals. she tells detective sosa well i don't know maybe he was an unintended victim. and he was the vick tell oftim of a psycho waiter that wanted to hurt a lot of people. there wasn't a psycho waiter. none of the theories made sense. investigators wanted to know more about yvette and her relationship with george. they found out the couple dated on and off for about a decade. they lived together then broken up. and she had recently moved back in. so dr. bloomenshine is a commit commitment phobe.
3:13 am
>> he didn't want to commit. her remedy was they were going to have a baby. >> reporter: now that they were going to start a family. george the bachelor was talking about marriage. yvette once called herself george's common law wife. investigators wondered if she had anything to gain financially if george was killed? >> how much is he worth? >> several million dollars. and that fact alone, is motive. >> reporter: they pressed that lead. pulled his insurance papers. and requested george's will. >> reporter: would she have been entitled to his money if he died. >> no. this man didn't have a will. and everything was left on the insurance approximately sees s shururesure -- insurance policies to his brother. >> dead end there. he put in a request to have surveillance surveillance. >> did you ask eyvette did you have anything to do with this? >> absolutely not.
3:14 am
she offered her financials. anything under the sun. a polygraph. >> reporter: she even turned over the bottle of wine she and george drang thek the night before he got sick. tests on the bottle cam up clean. the lieutenant decided to call off the surveillance. the cooperative mild-mannered girlfriend hardly seemed look a killer to him. so if not yvette tony, who in the world wanted dr. george bloomenshine dead. >> did you worry there was some body responsible out there? >> yes. if they didn't succeed were they going to try again. >> reporter: that tea exact's what investigators were thinking. they placed a guard at george's door. >> at that point we didn't know if any one attempt to go hin his room and try to dupe it again. >> you were consander but his life. second murd ear tempt. >> yes, ma'am. >> coming up. behind closed doors, at the hospital. >> the plot started to thicken. >> i think people started to
3:19 am
>> reporter: two weeks after he was poisoned dr. george bloomenshine was still suffering. his body ravaged by the toxic chemical ethylene glycol. after digging around in his personal life investigators were no closer to figuring out who wanted george dead. so they turned their attention to his professional life. but to the investigators' surprise many brilliant scientists at md anderson were less than chatty. these doctors you are dealing with are very private people? very intelligent? >> yes. >> reporter: were they eager, willing? witnesses? did they want to be part of this? >> no one want to be part of this case. >> reporter: still one of george's closest colleagues made herself available. dr. anna maria gonzalez. george's research partner, the co-worker by his side as he checked into the e.r. a fellow workaholic anna knew the details of george's life at the hospital. >> how often were they together? working? >> seemed like all the time.
3:20 am
i mean they traveled together. they worked either in his office or her office. they were on the phone. >> reporter: dr. gonzalez born in colombia, a fast rising star in breast cancer medicine. her research garnered international attention. the susan g. koemen foundation. >> i feel she hold the cure for women in the world. >> dr. gonzalez was nothing short of a miracle worker. >> she has this compassionate, understanding abut ing aing about the disease and the women she treats. >> reporter: dr. gonzalez treated treated nadine ikeman. >> did she put you at ease? >> she absolutely did. she is really small of stature. but she is feisty. and she said we are going to go
3:21 am
after this. and i said yep. you and i are going to get along just fine. we have. >> reporter: anna met george years earlier when she referred a patient to him. soon after she invited him to collaborate on a research project. multiple studies followed. they were invited to look churecture and travel the world. after working for george sandy molina took a job assisting anna. >> i know she was trying to get his career going. writing more grants. hope he would get promoted. he wasn't the most organized person. >> reporter: anna really had an impact on george's life? >> yes. >> reporter: was he grateful for that? >> i think he was. >> reporter: how eager were you to talk to dr. gonzalez? >> very eager. she knew his habits and schedule. about the time line i needed information on. >> reporter: anna provided valuable details about the day george got sick. she told the lieutenant she and
3:22 am
george worked in their offices at md anderson. then attend a business dinner together that evening. she witnessed his condition slowly worsen. and even follow george as he drove himself to the hospital around midnight. >> reporter: and every men out you -- minute you can account for helps you put together the crucial time line. >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: what did she tell you? >> i asked her for an account of the week prior to him going into the hospital. >> reporter: anna told hem allim all about george's week. detales of his busy schedule. she was sharing a lot. but as lieutenant sosa listened he had a hunch she might also be leaving something out. so he went back and pressed colleagues for more information. what was up with george and anna? >> sosa starts to find out there might have been something more than a working relationship between drs. bloomenshine and
3:23 am
gonzalez. >> the plot started to thick snen. >> people realized putting pieces together. >> reporter: though the folks at md anderson weren't so keen talking to investigator that didn't keep them from whispering abut george and anna among themselves. >> did anna know people were gossiping? >> i'm sure she did. she and i never really talked about it. >> reporter: lieutenant sosa asked anna point-blank, were she and george having an affair? she denied it. he also asked george the same thing? and george also said no. but the investigator wasn't convinced the question nagged at him. now, weeks since he was poisoned. george was out of the hospital. feeling stronger. and back at work. the investigator decided to invite him out for a drive. away from his girlfriend and colleagues. in the car, george finally confessed. he and anna were partners in more ways than one. >> were these quick trysts that they were having?
3:24 am
or was this a deep emotional connection? >> i never got an indication that it was a deep connection. it was just a fling. >> reporter: george told the lieutenant the affair went on for a year and a half. he said it was a casual thing. but sometimes when they traveled to professional conferences, they would share a room. a sort of co-workers with benefits arrangement. in fact the day he got sick he had stopped at anna's on the way to work. >> they would go upstairs. they would have a sexual liaison. >> he carried her up the stairs. that sound look something kind of romantic? not casual. >> they were having some sort of romantic, casual sexual romantic thing going on. >> split a shot of vodka before they left for md anderson. >> to investigators this hospital was looking more and more like the setting of a soapy daytime drama. drama that changed the shape of the investigation. >> any time you have a love
3:25 am
triangle the different points vertices of the triangle you will look at. yvette maybe mad because she has a cheating boyfriend. maybe wants revenge. you have anna the other woman. >> reporter: poking around george bloomenshine's professional life had led investigators right back to his private life. giving them a dramatic new theory of the crime. >> coming up -- one secret is out. but there are many more. >> who has the the motive? it's the person who isn't getting what they want. who has the to have what they know they can't. as fish oil. but when it comes to omega-3s, it's the epa and dha that really matter for heart health. not all omega-3 supplements are the same. introducing bayer pro ultra omega-3 from the heart health experts at bayer. with two times the concentration of epa and dha as the leading omega-3 supplement. plus, it's the only brand with progel technology proven to reduce fish burps. new bayer pro ultra omega-3.
3:29 am
>> reporter: the first big break in the investigation into who poisoned george bloomenshine came when the doctor finally admitted he was a cheater. he was carrying on an affair with his esteemed research partner anna maria gonzalez while going home to his girlfriend yvette tony. investigators went become to talk to yvette. yvette did have a motive. her guy is having an affair with another doctor. >> the thing about yvette is she didn't know about this affair until after bloomenshine was poisoned. >> yvette tony is so naive and clueless as to what is going on
3:30 am
she says yeah no there is nothing funny going on they're really good friend. i asked him before. he told me no. she doesn't know what's going on. >> reporter: she told investigator that george only fessed up about the affair a few weeks after he was poisoned. so with yvette essentially cleared again, investigators turn to the other sharp point of this love triangle dr. gonzalez. and george had some interesting things to say. as he told it in the weeks before his pi sonoisoning anna e's affection intensified, called texted showered him with gifts and big the same things he owned. >> buying the same type of car he has. big the same team of watch he mentions. she buys herself the same luggage. >> after he was hospital lied. george believed anna may behind the poisoning. george broke off the affair with anna. but never told her why.
3:31 am
instead he decide to secretly record their calls. >> i feel that you know i helped you a lot. and i feel completely betrayed. the fact that you and, you know slept together, it's it's out of the picture. it's, it's the friendship that hurts. because i trusted you. that's what hurts. >> george later gave the recordings to investigators. and in those calls, they heard a woman distraught over the lover she couldn't have. and jealous of the woman who had him. >> it's just not worth it anymore. it's too late you know. as the i say, she won. you know. go have a kid. have a good life. i'll leave. you'll be fine. >> you listen to that. you can hear it in her voice. she says she won. she won. >> it's too late.
3:32 am
she won. >> reporter: she needed dr. bloomenshine to continue her research. they had a special bond. why would he want him dead? >> little did dr. bloomenshine know how special that bond was that she wanted. who has the motive? it's the person who isn't getting what they want. who has the to have what they know they can't. that's her. she wanted more. >> reporter: and it turns out prosecutors thought anna had opportunity too. she had access to ethylene glycol in her lab. she and jrnlggeorge had ben together the whole day he got sick. giving her plenty of chance to slip her the poison. on may 29 2013. police arrested anna on charges of aggravated assault. anna's patients didn't believe it. >> i didn't understand it. that was devastating for me. she was what held me together. >> she is incapable of that. she heals people.
3:33 am
>> reporter: last fall anna's trial began. the courtroom was filled with family and patients there to support her. she is so highly accomplished. she is about 100 pound. she doesn't exactly look like a killer. did you worry that the jury would have a hard time convicting someone look dr. gonzalez? >> worried about it every night and every day. holy smokes this is a doctor. who in their right mind can look at her and think, this is some one that was capable of doing such unimaginable things. >> reporter: prosecutors told the jury how the so-called casual affair with george bloomenshine wasn't so casual to anna. >> it lerd to her absolute obsession. >> reporter: a string of colleagues testified that anna couldn't contain her feelings for george. >> it seemed like anna was very infatuated with dr. bloomenshine. >> whenever we discuss an top tick really within a few
3:34 am
sentences george's name would come up. she loved him. >> i think she loved the doctor. >> reporter: the affair was the worst kept secret at md anderson. according to this doctor. >> were you under the impression that there was more than just a work relationship between the defendant and dr. bloomenshine? >> i heard rumors yes. >> reporter: the doctor also said she and anna weren't even close friends. but that didn't stop anna from volunteering details about the relationship. >> she told me a little bit information about their intimacy. basically she said that they were seeing each other. >> yes. >> another doctor testified about a curious conversation with anna the morning after george was hospital lied. anna told her that george was poisoned. the only problem this was hours before doctors even confirmed it. >> she told me that george was very sec. he was in the icu. and he he had ingested ethylene
3:35 am
glycol. >> she told you that monday morning? >> monday morning. >> and the witness also recalled a conversation with anna that sounded to her like a confession. >> she then told me while quite tearful that she had ethylene glycol in her labs. as did most md anderson. she said i'm going to get in so much trouble for this. >> reporter: knowing the jury would wonder about the other woman in this love triangle, the prs prosecution called yvette tony to the stand. she testified she only found out about the affair after george became sick. >> i felt so stupid. i trusted her. i trusted him. >> reporter: the prosecution asked yvette what everyone in court was thinking. why was she still with george? >> because i know the affair with the defendant is not the sum of who, who he really is. we're still working on our
3:36 am
relationship. it's -- it's a work in progress. >> reporter: then yvette told the jury about what happened when she confronted anna. did she seem to care? >> no. did that hurt worse? >> yes, it did. >> reporter: what did you say? >> i said why? she said it was just sex, yvette. >> reporter: but the prosecution thought it was about much more than that. >> everything about this case its nuts. you couldn't write this script in hollywood. it's sex, lies and audio tape. >> reporter: the jury was about to go on a wild ride. full of wicked plots. and homicidal obsession. >> coming up -- anna is the one on trial. but george is the one in the hot seat. >> i was wring. it i was wrong. it was the wrong thing to do.
3:41 am
>> to the prosecution in the trial of anna maria gonzalez. the defendant was an increasingly unhinged lover. >> she became absolutely and totally obsessed with him and wanting him. >> reporter: they argued that anna the successful doctor had been on a downward spiral. doing crazy things to stir up trouble in george's relationship with yvette. things like sending yvette an unsigned letter declaring anna and george were having a baby. >> at nonmussthe anonymous letter. >> the prosecution said the manipulation didn't end there. anna told george that yvette was behind a series of threatening phone calls she received in her office. according to the prosecutor the phone calls never happened. >> md anderson has an incredibly sophisticated phone system that tracks every single call. we have all those record. there aren't any anonymous phone
3:42 am
calls. >> reporter: strangest of all, a month before the poisoning anna staged an assault on herself. she told any one that was listen that yvette orchestrated the whole thing. >> she said she worked with a private investigator to try to find out who itwas. she said that they traced this person back to louisiana. and he was a relative i believe she said does isn't of yvette tony. >> reporter: investigator sosa told the jury he thought her wound were self-inflicted. >> you felt they were inconsistent with the suppose add take that happen. >> that's correct. >> reporter: the person who had seen anna's apparent obsession up close was the object of it. a reluctant george bloomenshine took the stand. >> are you a private person? >> i would say, yes. >> how private? >> very private. this is not easy. >> prosecution needed george to rehab thereby relationship.
3:43 am
how casual sex turned into something that almost killed something >> it's hard saying no. she doesn't accept no. >> would you often tell her this was a bad idea? >> regularly. >> reporter: george recounted how anna initiated at fair in his office. >> at some point she said shut up. let me sit on your knee. it is not a problem. she started to kiss me on my neck. i remember what she said. she said i am going to eat your ear. >> reporter: but the prosecution didn't pretend their victim was an angel. >> well you didn't stop her. >> i didn't know no. >> you cheated on yvette? >> i did. i cheated on yvette. is was the wrong it was the wrong thing to do. >> reporter: george said he was always clear with anna. he wasn't leaving yvette. but anna was still demanding. >> she accused me of not returning phone calls. >> reporter: anna according to george went over the top with fancy gifts. like gold jewelry from colombia and $5,000 watch. >> she bought herself the lady's
3:44 am
version of it. i can get you the guy's version would you like it. i am like no, i dent want that. it is too expensive. i bought it for you. here it is. >> reporter: and he said she forced him to accept a $1,000 suit. >> anna. i don't want a suit i haven't seen. >> no no you need a suit. i was like fine. if that's what you want to do. do it. i ended up giving it to goodwill. i felt like it was again, pushing a boundary. >> reporter: what findly pushed anna over the edge claimed the prosecutors was when george and yvette started talking babies and marriage. george recalled anna made this bizarre offer. >> she said you know what i would have a kid with you. i said that's kind of you to say. i can have a kid with you. i can move to a europe for a year. i can come back. you can be the uncle. i was like no thank you. that's not what we want to do. >> reporter: the prosecution argued if anna couldn't have george no one could.
3:45 am
>> the defendant had a fatal attraction. >> reporter: is dr. gonzalez close? >> she fits the role without a doubt. >> a bunny boiler. >> reporter: then the prosecution had george tell the jury about the day he almost died. >> the only thing that -- that had been strange was that -- that cup of coffee the coffee i had on sunday. >> reporter: that was the key to the prosecution's case. anna served coffee during their morning rendezvous. it was the only thing he said he drank that day before he felt sick. >> when you started drinking it did you notice anything strange about snilt awe about it. >> incredibly sweet. >> george told the jury that she served the sweet coffee at home and more in travel mugs to the hospital. within hours he was lightheaded
3:46 am
and slurring. >> i couldn't remember who i was talking to or why he was there. >> reporter: and by night he was in the icu. >> what's so hard about reliving this part? >> because i almost died. >> reporter: to button up their case the prosecution called a leading expert in ethylene glycol. >> based on the time frame for when symptoms appear i would -- conclude that he had ingested the ethylene glycol on sunday morning. >> the own thing he drank that morning was the coffee. the coffee that strangely tasted sickeningly sweet. >> according to the prosecution, anna spent the day with the man she was trying to kill watching him deteriorate. and following him as he finally drove himself to the hospital. the prosecution entered that cell phone video into evidence. and told the jury to take a good look. anna was right there, next to
3:47 am
3:49 am
i've been the same shade of red for many years. it's time to change it up! hello, golden blonde. shift a shade with nice'n easy. for natural looking color i don't know if blonde has more fun, but i plan to find out that's it. whoa! what are you guys doing? we're making sure nothing sticks. otherwise we gotta scrub all this stuff off. dish issues? improved cascade platinum... powers through... your toughest, starchy messes... as if your dishes were non-stick. cascade. now that's clean. - good journalism is about telling a story from more than one perspective. embracing diversity can enrich your story by allowing you to see things from more than just one point of view. that's a story worth telling. the more you know.
3:52 am
>> as the case against dr. anna marie gonzalez unfolded she stood stoic in a suit that seemingly overwhelmed her frame. nadine ikeman former patient and friend came to court with anna each day. just held on to her emotions. she didn't want to fall apart in front of her family. but we would get back in the car. we would cry. we would pray. we would -- i would scream. >> reporter: now it was anna's defense team's turn to hit back. derek holingsworth, and her attorneys they called her devious
3:53 am
dangerous. deadly. diabolical fatal attraction. do you think that started to stick with the jury? >> well i mean that was clearly what their goal was. i thought that the prosecutors theory of the case diabolical killer was an everreachoverreach. >> reporter: the defense told the jury that anna cared for george not in the outrageous homicidal way the prosecution claimed. >> this is a consenting consensual relationship between two peer. not a case of fatal attraction. >> reporter: the defense argued anna wasn't obsessed. thee bought george gifts because she was generous. all those alleged plots were just sheer speculation. and under cross-examination, george had positive things to say about anna. >> she was a dear friend. and somebody i cared about. >> reporter: as for anna becoming increasingly unhinged. george told the jury how in the days leading up to his poisoning their casual relationship showed
3:54 am
no scenes of trouble. >> this wasn't a relationship that was in crisis on the week of january 25th was it? >> no. >> in fact nothing had changed in your relationship with dr. gonzalez at this point in time had snilt. >> no. >> reporter: in fact on the morning the prosecution said anna tried to poison george he came on to her. >> you actually carried her up the stairs to the bedroom she has upstairs did you not? >> i did. >> surprise you all have a romantic encounter when you are there, right? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: one that you initiated not one that she initiated that day, right? >> yes, sir. >> in fact everyone everything that happened in your relationship with this woman was consensual consensual wasn't it? >> yes. >> anna's attorneys attacked the investigation, charging that they dismissed the obvious suspect too quickly. >> there could be no doubt. dr. yvette tony would be a natural person of interest.
3:55 am
the fact of the matter is that he was never, ever investigated. >> reporter: the defense wasn't buying yvette's story that she had no clue about at fair. >> you're a smart woman, right? >> thank you for saying that. >> aren't alarm bells going off in your head? >> i asked him the few times i thought man something was going on. he said no. there its nothing i can do if someone is lying. >> did you ever follow him? >> no. i wouldn't do that. >> did you ever think of that? >> no. >> fr cross your mind? >> no. >> then the defense flipped yvette's cell phone on its head. said it made her look suspicious. >> she finally sees the man she is in love with. wants to have children with. and she takes a cell phone video. she is not sitting next to the guy that tha she had been worried about all day with her arms around him. trying to comfort him. and make sure he is okay. sunny is videoing him. it is just weird. >> reporter: when it came to anna's behavior on that tape the defense said she did
3:56 am
something only an innocent person would do. she told the doctors about the coffee. >> have you had anything, for coffee and cheese bread. >> don't people commit crimes run away clam up be quiet. she is on a video talking about what happened that day. >> reporter: but the defense avenue biggest target was the science. or lack there of. they went after the investigation for what they thought was a huge mistake. never testing the coffee cups. >> there is no scientific evidence no scientist who came in 22 witnesses. that's the most. look if they're right. then i gas you would call this the murder weapon right? if they're right, then this is the weapon. the deadly weapon. dr. gonzalez used in this case. and you don't bother to test it? give me a break. so they grilled the expert that testified that george could only
3:57 am
have ingested the poison sunday morning. turns out, george had been drinking wine and vodka in the days before his symptoms surfaced. the defense got the expert to concede a big point. alcohol or in technical terms, ethanol could throw off his findings. >> if it was demonstrated he had ben consuming a large amount of ethanol over a long period of type that would probably change my opinion. >> reporter: in their final word to the jury anna's lawyers drove it home. >> what is the state's case missing? i don't, this is overly simple. but one shred of direct evidence. and there is nothing. this is nothing, nothing. nothing. nothing. nothing. nada. >> reporter: after eight long days of testimony from experts. friends, well respected doctors of md anderson. the case aof anna maria gonzalez were in the hand of the jury.
3:58 am
both side paced. waiting. hopeful. anxious. then after five hours of deliberations. >> mr. foreman, i understand the jury has reached a verdict. >> we the defendant, find the defendant guilty as charged in the indictment. >> she is innocent. she didn't do it. she is a good person. >> in texas, a defendant can ask the jury to determine sentencing. as anna did. >> she was -- >> ann' -- anna's patients. >> she saved my life. i feel look she will save a whole lot of people's lives. >> anna's punishment could have been up to 99 years in prison. the character witnesses had an effect. >> you are sentenced to ten years in the texas department of criminal justice. go with the bailiff. >> anna once among the top breast cancer doctors in the world was just another convict in the texas prison system.
3:59 am
>> the medical commune dehasity has lost a giant. not just us but future generations. one month after she was sentenced. anna's lawyers filed an appeal claiming statements from three women claiming they had affairs with george. statements anna's lawyers said the jury should have heard. >> there could be other suspects out there the police never investigated. >> today, dr. george bloomenshine is back at md anderson. the world class cancer center. treating patients and researching cures for lung cancer. in prison dr. gonzalez is helping cancer patients in a sa support group. she surrendered her medical license after the trial. it is uncertain if she will ever be able to practice medicine in the united states again. >> she took an oath to not hurt anyone to do no harm in the hippocratic oath it actually says you shall not administer poison. she violated that in the worst
4:00 am
possible way. she spun a web of lies, of deceit of manipulation. in this case now she is paying it's memorial day. coming up on "early today," historic and catastrophic flooding hitting parts of texas and oklahoma hard, including one river that rose 30 feet in just three hours. more rain today. a war of words on america's strategy to battle isis with the defense secretary saying the iraqis don't have the will to fight. a warning on some beaches for swimmers on beaches, that great white shark is back in time for summer, plus that annual rolling thunder ride for motorcycles honoring hundreds of soldiers missing in action. "early today" starts right now.
78 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
KNTV (NBC) Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on