The story emerging from western North Carolina is as chilling as it is intimate. Investigators say a former restaurant owner is now accused of turning shared drinks into lethal weapons, allegedly slipping poison into glasses at a family Thanksgiving gathering and in an earlier case nearly two decades ago. The charges reach back across years and relationships, raising hard questions about trust, motive, and how a substance that looks like water could be used to quietly kill.
Authorities allege that what began as a festive holiday meal ended with sudden illness, a death, and a trail that led to a woman who once built a career around serving food and drink. As the case moves through the courts, the portrait of the accused, Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, is shifting from successful restaurateur to suspected serial poisoner, with investigators now reexamining a 2007 death that had long been considered a tragic mystery.
The Former Restaurateur Now Accused Of Murder
At the center of the case is Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, a one-time restaurant owner whose life was rooted in hospitality and service. Reports identify Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel as a 52-year-old from Hendersonville, North Carolina, who previously ran a now-closed restaurant in Asheville. Earlier coverage highlighted how Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel had once been featured for opening six restaurants across the country, a profile that cast her as a driven entrepreneur and a face of regional dining success in North Carolina.
That public image now stands in stark contrast to the allegations she faces. Authorities say the same woman who once curated menus and wine lists is accused of using a clear, colorless solvent with a sweet odor to lace drinks, allegedly targeting people she knew well. According to investigators, Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder tied to separate incidents in which beverages were allegedly contaminated, accusations detailed in a criminal complaint that describes how she is now formally facing those counts.
Thanksgiving Dinner That Turned Into A Crime Scene
The most recent allegations stem from a Thanksgiving gathering that was supposed to be a family celebration. Investigators say that during Thanksgiving in 2025, relatives gathered for dinner when several people suddenly became violently ill after drinking wine. One of those relatives was identified as Livis, who, along with Livis’ half-sister Lacey and another person named Michael Pegg, was allegedly poisoned during the holiday meal in Novem, according to local reporting cited in a detailed account of the Thanksgiving case.
Authorities allege that the wine served at the table had been deliberately tainted. One report describes how a Mom in North Carolina is accused of killing her daughter by poisoning her wine at Thanksgiving, with officials saying the drink was laced with a chemical that later became central to the investigation, a detail laid out in coverage of the Mom accused in the case. Another account notes that the alleged poisonings of Livis, Lacey, and Michael Pegg unfolded during that same holiday dinner in Novem, tying the family gathering directly to the broader pattern of suspected drink tampering described by The Hendersonville Lightning.
A 2007 Death Recast As A Possible Poisoning
As investigators dug into the Thanksgiving incident, they began to see echoes of an older case. A man who died in 2007, initially treated as a cold case, is now at the center of renewed scrutiny, with authorities alleging that his death may also have involved a poisoned drink. Reporting on the current charges notes that the same North Carolina woman now accused in the holiday incident is also linked to the 2007 killing, with prosecutors arguing that the pattern of alleged behavior stretches back nearly two decades and that the earlier death is now being treated as a killing rather than an unexplained tragedy.
Another account describes how the same North Carolina restaurateur was arrested Friday for two counts of murder tied to both the Thanksgiving dinner and the 2007 cold case, with a preliminary hearing already scheduled as the legal process moves forward, a sequence of events outlined in coverage that notes she was taken into custody Friday for those counts. A separate analysis frames the case within a broader look at suspected serial poisoners, describing how the one-time North Carolina restaurant owner is accused of poisoning three people and being tied to an additional homicide 19 years ago, a pattern that has prompted commentators like Lee to ask whether Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel fits the profile of a so-called black widow, as explored in a feature on The coldest killers.
The Alleged Weapon: A Clear, Industrial Chemical
Central to the case is the substance investigators say was used to turn ordinary drinks into deadly cocktails. Authorities have identified the chemical as acetonitrile, a clear, colorless solvent with a sweet-smelling odor that can be difficult to detect in a glass. One detailed report notes that Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel allegedly put this solvent into four people’s drinks, with two of those individuals dying and two surviving, a description that underscores how the same liquid can appear harmless while being lethally toxic, as laid out in an account of how she allegedly poisoned 4 people.
Health agencies have long warned about the dangers of acetonitrile, which is used in a variety of industrial settings and can be deadly if ingested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency describe acetonitrile as a clear, colorless liquid that can be absorbed through the skin or swallowed, with exposure leading to symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and in severe cases respiratory failure, a profile summarized in guidance from Centers for Disease Environmental Protection Agency. Another report notes that acetonitrile, according to the EPA, is a chemical whose presence in food or beverages is tightly restricted because of its toxicity, a point emphasized in coverage that explains how the solvent is regulated and why its use in drinks is strictly prohibited.
Charges, Courtroom Steps, And Community Shock
Legally, the case has moved quickly from suspicion to formal charges. Authorities say Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel is now charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder after allegedly poisoning multiple people with a deadly chemical in their beverages, accusations that have been detailed in a report describing how a woman was charged after three people were exposed to a toxic substance in their drinks, with bond and investigative steps outlined by WKRC. Another account notes that she is facing two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder tied to the Thanksgiving incident and the 2007 death, with prosecutors arguing that the alleged use of acetonitrile in drinks shows a calculated method of attack, a framing echoed in coverage that details how Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel is facing those counts.
The community response has been a mix of disbelief and fear, particularly among those who knew her as a business owner. One report points out that Casper-Leinenkugel, a Hendersonville local, owned and operated a since-shuttered restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, and had once been portrayed as a success story before her arrest, a contrast highlighted in coverage that describes how Casper-Leinenkugel, a Hendersonville local, built her reputation as a Casper restaurateur. Another account notes that a North Carolina woman once featured for opening six restaurants across the country is now accused of killing two people and attempting to kill two others, with one of the alleged homicides occurring 19 years after the earlier death, a timeline that underscores how long the suspicions now reaching court have been quietly building around the former restaurant owner in NC restauranteur coverage.
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