For Immediate Release July 2, 2008                                   
Contact: Corey Welford/Jessica Venezia 781-897-8325

Keown Found Guilty Of First Degree Murder In Connection With Poisoning Death Of His Wife, Julie

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today that a Waltham man has been found guilty of first degree murder in connection with the poisoning death of his wife, Julie Oldag Keown, in September 2004.

James Keown was found guilty of first degree murder by a Middlesex Superior Court jury today.  He was convicted of murder for executing a plan in which he poisoned his wife by placing ethylene glycol into her food and drinks over a period of time. He was sentenced by Middlesex Superior Court Judge Sandra Hamlin to life in prison.

Opening statements occurred on Monday, June 16. The jury began deliberations yesterday, July 1, at 9:30 a.m. They returned the verdict at approximately 1 p.m. today.

“James Keown was a liar and a failure and, because of that, he executed a sadistic plan to poison his wife and obtain her life insurance money,” District Attorney Leone said. “He compounded the pain for Julie’s family by trying to claim that Julie committed suicide – a claim that had no basis in evidence, facts or reality. While this verdict will not bring Julie back, we hope it provides some solace to her family that the man responsible for these cowardly and reprehensible crimes will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

According to authorities, on September 4, 2004, Julie Oldag Keown was admitted to Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) in Newton, MA, with various flu-like and other symptoms of unknown origin.  In the preceding 4 months, she had suffered varying degrees of such symptoms and had been treated by several local physicians. She also had been admitted to NWH on one occasion in August for four days.  On September 5, 2004, medical personnel at NWH determined that Ms. Keown had ethylene glycol, a poisonous substance commonly found in anti-freeze, in her system, and began to administer an antidote. 

On September 7, 2004, relatives of Ms. Keown went to the Waltham Police Department and informed investigators of their suspicion that she had perhaps been poisoned.  The same day, NWH also notified Waltham Police that they were treating Ms. Keown and suspected poisoning.  Waltham Police contacted State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, and together with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, they commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspected poisoning. 

On September 8, 2004, Ms. Keown was pronounced dead at NWH. On September 9, 2004, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (ME) conducted an autopsy on Ms. Keown.  At that time, both the manner and cause of death were not ruled upon, pending further investigation and toxicology testing.

After an exhaustive, year-long, joint investigation into Ms. Keown’s death, it was determined that James Keown poisoned his wife by putting ethylene glycol into her food and drinks over a period of time. 

That investigation revealed that the Keowns were in severe financial distress at the time of Julie’s death, and that James was in charge of the family finances. Numerous credit cards had been charged off against them in amounts of $20,000. A Jaguar had been repossessed, and at the time of Julie’s death the Keowns had a negative balance in all of their bank accounts.  James Keown had also been fired from job. The investigation also revealed that Julie had a life insurance policy in the amount of $250,000.

During the weeks leading up to Julie’s death, she exhibited many symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning. At one point during that period, Julie was on the phone with her friend Heather, and the defendant yelled to Heather “Tell Julie to drink her Gatorade.” Julie complained that everything she ate or drank tasted “over the top sweet.”

The ME ultimately ruled the death a homicide, finding the cause of death to be acute and chronic ethylene glycol poisoning.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a Middlesex Grand Jury.  On Thursday, November 3, 2005, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Mr. Keown with murder in connection with his wife’s death. 

Authorities sought and obtained a capias warrant from the Superior Court for Mr. Keown’s arrest, and the indictment was sealed pending his arrest. Investigators from the State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Waltham Police traveled to Jefferson City, Missouri, where Mr. Keown was believed to be living. He was placed under arrest without incident shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 7, 2005, by Jefferson City Police, with the assistance of U.S. Marshals, at his place of work in Jefferson City. 

Mr. Keown was arraigned as a fugitive from justice in Missouri that afternoon.  He waived rendition, and was transported to Massachusetts in police custody.  He was booked and held overnight at the Waltham Police Department.

Mr. Keown was arraigned on November 10, 2005 in Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge, before Judge Catherine White.  He was ordered held without bail. 

This is the third first degree murder conviction rendered within the last week in cases prosecuted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. On Tuesday, June 24, James Brescia, age 46, of Waltham, was found guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy in connection with the shooting death of Ed Schiller, age 39, at a parking garage in Newton on January 13, 2006. On Wednesday, June 25, Neil Entwistle was found guilty of two counts of first degree murder, one count of illegal possession of a firearm, and one count of illegal possession of ammunition in connection with the shooting death of his wife, Rachel, and 9-month-old daughter, Lillian.

The prosecution team was led by Assistant District Attorney Nat Yeager and included: Assistant District Attorney Steven Hoffman and paralegal Thomas Sullivan, Jr. The victim witness advocates were Susie Marshall and Kara Grant.

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