HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A Thanksgiving dinner at a Henderson County home in late 2025 became the focus of a homicide investigation after two guests fell ill, one woman was found dead and authorities later alleged the wine served that night was intentionally poisoned, investigators said.
Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, of Hendersonville, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the death of Leela Livis and the poisoning of Richard Pegg and Mia Lacey, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators also said evidence uncovered during the probe connects Casper-Leinenkugel to the 2007 death of Michael Schmidt, which occurred in Henderson County…