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CNN Sunday Morning
New Sweden, Maine Shocked Over Arsenic Poisoning
Aired May 04, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: A small northern Maine community expresses shock over that mysterious arsenic poisoning a week ago today. Police in New Sweden say that an apparent suicide may be linked to poisonings at a local church. CNN's Jason Carroll is outside of New Sweden's Lutheran Church bringing us up to date on the investigation -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good afternoon to you, Robin. Services now are just about to get under way at the Gustaf Adolph Evangelical (sic) Church. Most of the parishioners are inside. It will be a private ceremony. No cameras allowed. Surely there will be a number of prayers for the victims who were poisoned at this church last Sunday. Also there is sure to be plenty of talk about one of the former parishioners, Daniel Bondeson. Police at this point do say that Bondeson is the focus of their investigation. He was 53 years old. He died this past Friday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police now say that they have gathered enough information from Bondeson's farm to link into the arsenic poisoning at the church. They took pictures at his farm all day yesterday. They also took samples of materials that they found out there at his home. They also say that they may know the reason why Bondeson allegedly put coffee -- put arsenic into the coffee that was served to parishioners here last Sunday.
Yesterday we had an opportunity to speak with one of Bondeson's friends and he is having a hard time coming to terms with the possibility that his friend may have been responsible for what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN URQUHART, NEIGHBOR OF BONDESON: It's unimaginable. It's hard for me to accept. My neighbor, someone I knew as a friend and to have to accept that he was responsible for this is very, very difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Bondeson's friends describe him as a gentle man, a man who cared about people, a man who was obviously in a lot of pain. According to the person you just heard there, he said, quote, "He was also a man who obviously caused a lot of pain" -- Robin.
MEADE: Jason, thank you so much for an update on that investigation there in New Sweden, Maine.
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Aired May 4, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: A small northern Maine community expresses shock over that mysterious arsenic poisoning a week ago today. Police in New Sweden say that an apparent suicide may be linked to poisonings at a local church. CNN's Jason Carroll is outside of New Sweden's Lutheran Church bringing us up to date on the investigation -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good afternoon to you, Robin. Services now are just about to get under way at the Gustaf Adolph Evangelical (sic) Church. Most of the parishioners are inside. It will be a private ceremony. No cameras allowed. Surely there will be a number of prayers for the victims who were poisoned at this church last Sunday. Also there is sure to be plenty of talk about one of the former parishioners, Daniel Bondeson. Police at this point do say that Bondeson is the focus of their investigation. He was 53 years old. He died this past Friday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police now say that they have gathered enough information from Bondeson's farm to link into the arsenic poisoning at the church. They took pictures at his farm all day yesterday. They also took samples of materials that they found out there at his home. They also say that they may know the reason why Bondeson allegedly put coffee -- put arsenic into the coffee that was served to parishioners here last Sunday.
Yesterday we had an opportunity to speak with one of Bondeson's friends and he is having a hard time coming to terms with the possibility that his friend may have been responsible for what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN URQUHART, NEIGHBOR OF BONDESON: It's unimaginable. It's hard for me to accept. My neighbor, someone I knew as a friend and to have to accept that he was responsible for this is very, very difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Bondeson's friends describe him as a gentle man, a man who cared about people, a man who was obviously in a lot of pain. According to the person you just heard there, he said, quote, "He was also a man who obviously caused a lot of pain" -- Robin.
MEADE: Jason, thank you so much for an update on that investigation there in New Sweden, Maine.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
