Jason Thomas Harris slipped a lethal dose of heroin into his breastfeeding wife’s cereal the night she died — as officials claim he “was tired of her nagging him.”
A Michigan court upheld their ruling in the death of Christina Ann-Thompson Harris, after her husband — and killer — tried to appeal the 2021 case.
Three years ago, the court’s ruling found Mr. Harris guilty of murdering his wife back in 2014 and convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder, solicitation of murder, and delivery of a controlled substance causing death.
Mr. Harris — dubbed by media as the “cereal killer” — had placed a lethal dose of heroin in his wife’s cereal just weeks after she gave birth to their second child. She was 36 at the time.
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According to court docs, Harris had believed the illegal narcotic was odorless and tasteless and would mix easily into her food. Prosecutors also argued in court he had attempted to hire a hitman to slay his wife, and had plotted to use funds from her life insurance policy to pay for the killing.
Mr. Harris first attempted to appeal his case soon after the conviction, and argued he had ineffective legal representation. However, earlier this month, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld their ruling.
In their response, they asserted: “He was having an affair, thought that she was cheating on him, and was tired of her nagging him.”
“He specifically stated to many people that he did not want a divorce because he did not want to pay child support or lose custody of the children. Before her death, he told a co-worker that he wished Christina were dead. He even solicited a co-worker to murder Christina in exchange for $10,000,” the court continued.
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Law enforcement initially treated Christina’s death as an accidental overdose. However, it soon became a homicide investigation after people surrounding the couple notified police Mr. Harris had been complaining about his wife leading up to her sudden death.
Among the claims made to law enforcement at the time were statements Mr. Harris allegedly uttered, including that he believed his newborn child was not his and indicated he wanted to get “rid” of his spouse.
The prosecutor’s office eventually decided to issue a murder charge after police gathered enough probable cause evidence at the urging of Christina’s family, who refused to believe she accidentally overdosed.
“Post-trial appeals are very common among defendants sentenced to life or very lengthy prison terms and they require an immense amount of time and effort by my appeals division,” Prosecutor David Leyton told WNEM. “I am proud of the work my team of prosecutors, victim advocates, and support staff put forth in this case and very happy that we were once again able to stand up for Christina Harris, her children, her parents, her siblings and all her friends and family to see justice through.”
Mr. Harris continues to serve a life sentence without parole.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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