George Trepal was found guilty of killing Peggy Carr and given the death penalty in 1991. So is George Trepal still alive? Read to the end to learn more about that.
Early in the 1980s, George Trepal and his wife moved into their house in Alturas, Florida. They lived next to Parealyn Carr’s home. Parealyn Carr and his wife, Peggy Carr lived in their home together with their children.
During their stay there, the Carr family and Trepal got into a lot of fights, including one where Trepal threatened to kill one of the Carr kids. The Carr family also received an anonymous letter threatening their family’s safety if they remained in Florida.
In October 1988, Peggy Carr started experiencing symptoms of an unexplained disease. Late, it was detected that she was suffering from thallium poisoning. In March 1989, Peggy Carr died. Other members of the Carr family also suffered from the poison but they survived it.
In an effort to pinpoint the source of the thallium, authorities gathered samples from the Carr household in November 1989.
George Trepal who once threatened to kill one of Peggy’s kids was suspected to be the mastermind of the poison. He was picked up by the Poice for investigation.
During investigations, it was revealed that Trepal has experience as a chemist in an amphetamine lab. Thallium was a byproduct of the manufacture of amphetamine. Trepal was found guilty of conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine in 1975.
Special Agent Susan Goreck went undercover to look into Trepal more. She participated in the “Mensa Murder Weekend” that Sherry Guinn, Trepal’s wife, arranged. For the weekend, Trepal created a brochure in which he explained how to write a threatening note and then poison the recipient of the note.
Goreck spoke with Trepal throughout the course of this weekend and discovered that he was selling his home in Alturas and either moving to Sebring, Florida, or to Virginia.
After Trepal and his wife relocated, Goreck made plans to rent out their old home. Goreck and a search crew went to the house after paying the rent in money orders.
The detectives discovered a bottle of thallium powder in the garage. Trepal was accused of poisoning seven people when thallium was found. Trepal’s Sebring house was later searched in April 1989, and chemistry books and equipment were discovered there, along with details on poisons.
Advertisement
Officials also discovered the Agatha Christie book Pale Horse, which detailed the poisoning of a home with thallium.
The authorities eventually discovered a bottle-capping machine that could be used to replace the bottle caps of Coca-Cola bottles after the cap was removed to introduce the poison into the drink.
George Trepal was found guilty of killing Peggy Carr and given the death penalty in 1991.
Is George Trepal Still Alive?
George Trepal is alive and still in prison in Polk County, Florida. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of Peggy Carr. He is 73 years old as of 2023.