In a bizarre twist of events, a Townsend woman is facing an attempted murder charge after authorities say she tried to poison her husband. Roxanne Doucette, 64, allegedly fell for a scammer impersonating soap opera star Thorsten Kaye and was goaded into eliminating her spouse.
The intricate plot came to light after Doucette's daughter grew suspicious when her father, 73-year-old Paul Doucette, was rushed to the hospital following a cardiac incident. She uncovered incriminating text messages on her mother's phone, some of which suggest a grim intent behind a homemade soup, according to Boston 25 News. The texts included a message from the scammer stating, "You have to get rid of your husband honey. I need you so much," followed by Doucette's reply of making a "Special potion" soup and a potential life insurance collection.
Roxanne Doucette was released on personal recognizance after her arraignment and is prohibited from contacting her husband or daughter, as per court documents cited by Boston 25 News. Townsend Police later arrested her for violating an Abuse Prevention Order, responding to a call triggered by a letter she had written urging her husband to drop the restraining order.
The case took another turn when a limited toxicology test on Paul Doucette came back negative, casting some doubt on the attempted poisoning claim. In a statement obtained by Action News 5, Roxanne Doucette vehemently denied the allegations, saying, "I didn't poison him. I've never, ever tried to poison him in any way whatsoever. I love him very, very much. And I would never try to kill anyone."
Townsend Police Chief James Sartell has asked the public for patience and caution against snap judgments. "I just tell everybody to just kind of take a step back, take a deep breath, think things through before you spread things or before you think you know what's going on. Sometimes it's a little bit more complex than it seems," Sartell told Action News 5. Doucette is also facing charges of resisting arrest and assaulting an officer during the investigation.
