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Teresa Kotomski: ‘Snapped’ — Did Corrections Officer’s Sweet Drink Cause Death?

By Traciy Reyes
Published on: 12:01 PST, Feb 12, 2017

If the name Teresa Kotomski sounds familiar, it is because her case will be featured once again in a documentary crime series. This time, Oxygen’s Snapped is profiling the story. Teresa Kotomski was an Ohio wife who was accused of causing her husband’s death. Eight years ago, Ray Kotomski died from complications of Ethylene Glycol Toxicity. Teresa Kotomski was eventually convicted and sentenced to time in prison for his death. On Snapped’s show, investigators, family members, and friends will round out the events leading up to Ray’s death.

Sixty-five-year-old Ray Kotomski was found unresponsive in his home in August, 2009. His wife, Teresa Kotomski, had contacted authorities after he fell ill. When paramedics arrived, they were unable to figure out what was wrong with the victim. It appeared that he had been vomiting before losing consciousness. Ohio Supreme Court records confirm the following.

“On August 13, 2009, around 9:20 a.m., Teresa Kotomski explained that she needed an ambulance to respond to her home on Hammond Corner. Pierpoint Fire Department EMTs, Chad Carter and Norm Woodard, arrived at the residence. Raymond was ‘gasping for breath, and he had a lot of foam around his mouth.’ Teresa stated that she and Raymond, her husband, ‘had been arguing,’ she left the residence. She also stated that he was an alcoholic.”

Barely clinging to life, he was transported to a local hospital, where doctors tried to save him. Raymond Kotomski eventually died from what the doctors called complications from Ethylene Glycol Toxicity.

But how did Ray fall ill from a substance that is often found in antifreeze? Investigators say they learned that Teresa Kotomski told paramedics that her husband began groaning and complaining after he claimed that he drank something sweet, according to Snapped’s trailer. A court record provides more detail.

“Teresa rode in the ambulance to the hospital. According to Woodard, she was ‘distraught’ and said that she and Raymond had been fighting ‘two days ago’ about his drinking and she left. She expressed a belief that his present condition was from alcohol. Teresa also told Ed Giblin, a Pierpont Fire Department paramedic, that Raymond ‘drank something that was sweet’ which ‘dried his mouth out’ and told her ‘she would be sorry.’ Teresa told Giblin that Raymond ‘went out to the garage’ and took something like kerosene or gasoline.”

It was up to investigators to figure out if his wife had done it. People who knew Ray Kotomski say that he was living in a rural home and enjoying the single life before he met Teresa. The lonely man sought companionship and romance through an online dating website, where he met Teresa. He fell for her right away and was proud to show her off to his friends and family.

But after they married, Ray soon found himself caring for children again and living a stressful and complicated life with his wife.

Soon it was obvious that his plans for a sweet modern romance had turned into a bitter and unbelievable nightmare. In the end, a chance at romance didn’t prove to be worth it for the retired corrections officer. The sad part is that it cost him his life.

https://www.facebook.com/CrimeTimeOnOxygen/photos/a.398473696849026.109065.193083094054755/1488884607807924/?type=3&permPage=1

According to a Daily Mail article, Teresa Kotomski was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years-to-life in prison. But the ruling was split. She was only found guilty of causing his death, but not poisoning his food or drink with antifreeze.

Many of Teresa Kotomski’s supporters don’t believe she murdered her husband. Teresa says she’s innocent. The case happened in Pierpont, Ohio, a small quaint town that has very little crime.

Snapped airs tonight. Check your local listings for times.

[Featured Image by igorstevanovic/Shutterstock]

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