DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — The trial of a Decatur chiropractor accused of trying to kill his wife by poisoning her is set to begin Monday at the Morgan County Courthouse.
36-year-old Brian Mann, of Hartselle, was charged with the attempted murder of his wife in September 2022. He is accused of trying to poison her with lead from a construction project.
According to court documents, Mann and his wife were in the middle of a divorce when he “intentionally caused her to unwittingly ingest particles of lead.” Court records show Mann’s wife spent nearly two months in the hospital because of it.
The Hartselle Police Department said they were contacted by the Morgan County Department of Human Resources, who notified them that Mann’s wife was at UAB Hospital and was unresponsive. Officials also asked the department to test any substances at the home the couple shared for the presence of lead.
HPD provided the court with enough probable cause in May 2023 to be granted a search warrant for Brian Mann’s business and former home. Through HPD’s investigation, they attempted to find the source of the lead allegedly used to poison Mann’s wife.
An affidavit states that investigators had no idea what the substance would look like. It goes on to state that Mann led them throughout the house and helped them search, showing them what vitamins and prescriptions his wife took. However, the search left them empty-handed.
A few days later, HPD met up with the Alabama Department of Public Health to search the home again. While multiple samples were taken, they were all negative for lead, court documents stated.
When investigators asked Mann if he or the kids had been tested for lead, he said the kids had been tested, but stated that he was “still trying” to find somewhere to get tested himself.
Court documents say police were later contacted by a nurse practitioner at Decatur General Hospital, who said Brian Mann told them he X-rayed himself and observed a substance in his gut, which he believed to be lead.
When the nurse practitioner told Mann another X-ray would be needed, the affidavit says he asked why and became visibly nervous. According to the hospital, the X-ray showed a substance that didn’t appear to have been there for long.
That’s when, according to the affidavit, a gentleman reached out to the department to provide a tip.
The man told police that he had installed lead in the walls of an X-ray room in 2021, but explained that some lead was left over from the project, which was left in the hands of Mann. After thinking about the possibility of that lead being used to poison his wife, the man said he wanted to report it to police.
Police were granted a search warrant for Mann’s chiropractic business, where they collected a sample of lead from a wall in the X-ray room. Mann’s lawyers have questioned the validity of key evidence in the case.
The start of his trial comes after numerous delays. It was originally scheduled for Aug. 14, 2023, but has been pushed back several times.
Veteran attorney Chad Morgan represents Mann, who has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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