Arizona Woman Charged After Allegedly Trying To Poison Husband's Coffee

Melody Felicano Johnson, a 39-year-old woman from Tucson, Arizona, has been accused of trying to poison her husband by putting bleach in his coffee every day for several months.

Johnson was indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempting to commit first degree murder, domestic violence; attempting to commit aggravated assault-serious physical injury, domestic violence; and adding poison or harmful substance to food or drink.

Melody’s husband, Roby Johnson, went to police after catching her in action by hidden cameras he placed in their Tucson home, reported Newsweek. The couple were getting a divorce but still living in the home together with their child. Roby believed she was trying to kill him for financial reasons since she could collect his death benefits.

Roby is in the U.S. Air Force, and he first noticed something was wrong back in March 2023 when he and his wife were stationed in Germany. It was then that his coffee started tasting bad, according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KVOA.

Growing increasingly suspicious, Roby started using pool testing strips in his coffee two to three weeks after he noticed the foul taste. These tests showed high levels of chlorine present in the coffee pot yet not in the tap water. He then set up hidden cameras around the house, and they captured footage of Melody putting something in his coffee.

Rather than report the situation to German authorities, Roby waited until he returned to the United States on June 28. Meanwhile, he pretended to still drink the coffee but never consumed it again.

Once he was back in the U.S., the Johnsons lived in temporary housing at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. There, Roby once again set up the hidden cameras throughout the house and caught Melody on camera tampering with the coffeemaker, reported Newsweek.

On July 6, 2023, Roby took the footage to the police and filed a report that his wife was trying to poison him by putting bleach in his coffee maker. When officers felt the video footage was inconclusive and unclear, he purchased better video recording equipment. He put cameras in the laundry room where the bleach was stored, right over the coffee maker, and in a spot that showed Melody going from the laundry room to the coffee maker. This time, court documents state the footage showed Melody "take bleach, pour it into a container, and then walk over and pour it into the coffee maker".

With this new evidence on hand, authorities issued a search warrant and investigators observed how the liquids inside the coffee maker smelled like bleach.

Melody was arrested on July 18. Her bond was set at $250,000. According to CNN, prosecutors felt a high bond was needed since she had family and a recently purchased home in the Philippines. She was arraigned on Friday, August 4, and she entered a not guilty plea. She is next expected in court on September 6.