Woman Murders Husband by Pouring Mixture of Boiling Water and Sugar

A UK woman was found guilty of murder after killing her husband while he was asleep in their home last year by pouring a concoction consisting of boiling water and sugar on him, BBC News reports. 

The Crown Prosecution Service said Corinna Smith, 59, had gotten into a dispute with her 81-year-old husband Michael Baines and another family member earlier in the day. Shortly after midnight, on July 14, 2020, Smith retrieved a bucket from her garden, filled it with a mixture of boiling water and three bags of sugar, and dumped it on Baines. A tearful Corinna ran to her neighbor’s home, telling them, “I’ve hurt him, I’ve hurt him really bad… I think I’ve killed him.” 

Baines was rushed to the hospital with significant burns to his arms and torso. He died one month later on Aug. 18. 

Smith told the Crown Prosecution Service a different story regarding what transpired before admitting to being responsible for his death while claiming it happened when she lost control. She was initially charged with grievous bodily harm, but the charge was elevated to murder following Baines’ death. 

“Smith killed her husband Michael in such a painful and cruel way,” Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes said of the viscous mixture. “To throw boiling water over someone when they are asleep is absolutely horrific. To also mix three bags of sugar with the water showed the determination she had to cause serious harm.”