Salisbury woman found guilty of murdering boyfriend with antifreeze

A Salisbury woman has been found guilty of murdering her boyfriend in 2022 by poisoning his Powerade with ethylene glycol, a toxic chemical found in antifreeze. 

Jurors convicted 67-year-old Judy Church of first-degree murder Monday in the death of 55-year-old Leroy Fowler, siding with prosecutors who alleged Church’s jealousy over Fowler’s longtime affair drove her to kill. 

Prosecutor Andrew Camelio told jurors the couple was locked in a “toxic and dysfunctional relationship,” as Fowler was openly seeing another woman at the same time. Church raged about the arrangement in profanity-laden notes read aloud in court, also calling the other woman names and keeping a voodoo doll to stick with pins. 

Church repeatedly made off-color jokes about poisoning Fowler, according to prosecutors, even telling a family friend, “If he (Fowler) ever cheats on me, I’ll poison him.”

“Leroy Fowler was not always a good man,” Camelio acknowledged in his closing argument last week. “But he did not deserve to die the slow, horrible, painful death that Judy Church inflicted on him.”

Church called 911 on Nov. 11, 2022, to report that her boyfriend was ill and “must have ingested something,” according to Camelio. First responders arrived to find Fowler unable to stand, and doctors later determined he had antifreeze in his system. 

Fowler died two days later, and a search of the house he shared with Church revealed an empty Powerade bottle with remnants of a suspiciously colored liquid inside. According to prosecutors, investigators concluded the residue contained antifreeze.

Camelio further alleged Church was the only person who had access to Fowler “during the timeframe that that ethylene glycol would take effect on the body.”

But in his own closing argument, defense attorney Stanley Norkunas maintained Church’s innocence and described her as “a mother, a sister, a homemaker, an educator” who taught fourth grade in Middleton for years.

He said Church had financial security and was “healthy, vibrant, and smart” when the relationship began, whereas Fowler had a number of physical and mental ailments, struggled with substance abuse, and “had no financial independence.” 

Norkunas also cast doubt on prosecutors’ version of events. 

“It’s impossible to think that Leroy Fowler wouldn’t have noticed the color — it’s bright orange,” he argued. “If Judy put antifreeze in the Powerade, why would you leave that in your house? She’s a smart lady.” 

Church is expected to face life in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for Thursday morning.

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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