TEXARKANA, Texas–A federal judge in Texarkana has denied early release to a New Boston, Texas, woman who attempted to frame her husband for letters tainted with the poison ricin which she had mailed to President Barack Obama and others.
Shannon Guess Richardson, 48, is not entitled to early release under federal law because of the violent nature of her crimes, U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III said last week in an order.
Judge Schroeder noted in his order that Richardson had admitted that she knew there is no known cure or antidote for ricin poisoning and that exposure to the toxin can be deadly.
“The Court agrees with the government that intentionally sending letters laced with a known
biological toxin through the mail, as Defendant did here, is a violent, physical act,” Judge Schroeder wrote.
Judge Schroeder rejected Richardson’s argument that her criminal activity does not involve violent force capable of causing physical pain or injury.
Richardson had five children from previous relationships and was pregnant with her current husband’s child when she ordered castor beans, lye, syringes, needles and other materials using email, credit card and PayPal accounts she had opened in her husband’s name in mid-2013.
Richardson mailed letters tainted with the poison she concocted in her family’s home in the 100 block of Maple Street in New Boston, Texas, to Obama, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the head of a gun control advocacy group. The letters contained threatening messages along with the ricin and were written as if from a man.
Richardson had taken steps to implicate her husband as the source of the letters by leaving castor beans in the trunk of his car but her ploy did not work. In 2014, she was sentenced to an 18-year term.
While there is no parole from a federal prison term, an offender may earn up to 54 days credit per year toward their sentence for good behavior. The BOP’s website shows that Richardson is currently being held in a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, with an expected release date in December 2028.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Locker represented the government in opposing Richardson’s bid for a reduced sentence in the Eastern District of Texas.
