Mary Lambert, an 87-year-old Caucasian woman, died on August 6, 1980. Her death was first recorded as natural causes, but later testing showed she had been poisoned with arsenic, prompting a renewed investigation that connected her death to those of other family members.

Charles Albanese, a relative, was arrested and charged in Mary Lambert’s killing as part of a broader case that also involved the deaths of his father Michael Albanese and his mother-in-law Marion Mueller. Prosecutors said the motive was financial gain: Albanese sought to inherit money and take control of the family business. Evidence presented included purchases of arsenic and the timing of the deaths.

Albanese was convicted and sentenced to death; he maintained his innocence through his appeals. The family’s story became one of alleged greed and betrayal.