M.D. Anderson doctor accused of poisoning lover Cancer specialist allegedly laced coffee with toxic chemical, gave colleague 2 cups

Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, a breast cancer oncologist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was charged last week with aggravated assault against Dr. George Blumenschein, a specialist in lung and head and neck cancers at the institution. less Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, a breast cancer oncologist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was charged last week with aggravated assault against Dr. George Blumenschein, a specialist in lung ... more Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close M.D. Anderson doctor accused of poisoning lover 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The doctor liked his coffee black.

So when it was sweet, he asked his lady friend, also a cancer physician and researcher, for another cup. She urged him to drink up anyway.

The coffee tasted sweet because it was laced with a sweet-tasting toxic chemical used in antifreeze and medical research, ethylene glycol, according to a criminal complaint filed with the Harris County District Attorney's Office. The complaint referred to the chemical as "a deadly weapon."

Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, a breast cancer oncologist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was charged last week with aggravated assault against Dr. George Blumenschein, a specialist in lung and head and neck cancers at the institution.

The pair were in "a casual sexual relationship," according to the complaint filed May 29, when Gonzalez-Angulo gave Blumenschein not just one cup of poisoned coffee, but two.

Sixteen hours later, he was taken to an emergency center, where he was found to have central nervous system depression, cardiopulmonary complications and renal failure. He subsequently had to undergo dialysis.

Allegations denied

Lawyers for Gonzalez-Angulo denied the charge.

"Dr. Gonzalez-Angulo is completely innocent," Derek Hollingsworth, a partner in Rusty Hardin & Associates, said in a statement. "She is a distinguished citizen and scientist, and these allegations are totally inconsistent with her personal and professional life."

The statement added that the UT Police Department "jumped the gun in this case and filed charges that should never have been filed."

Hollingsworth's statement said his team has met with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and have been assured they are going to "take a fresh and careful look at this case."

Gonzalez-Angulo was booked May 30 and released on $50,000 bail.

According to court documents, she was ordered to surrender her passport and not to go within 200 feet of Blumenschein's residence or place of employment.

M.D. Anderson officials declined comment except to say Gonzalez-Angulo is on paid administrative leave.

Blumenschein, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the UT Medical School at Houston, joined M.D. Anderson in 2000. He was in the news last year because Aveo Oncology, a company co-founded by M.D. Anderson President Dr. Ronald DePinho, issued a press release claiming he was the principal investigator of a multi-institutional drug trial with one of the company's experimental drugs, a seeming violation of the cancer center's conflict-of-interest policy. M.D. Anderson said that the press release was wrong.

Gonzalez-Angulo, who began medical school in Colombia and finished at UT's Houston medical school, joined M.D. Anderson in 2003.

Coffee tasted sweet

The night in question occurred Jan. 27 at Gonzalez-Angulo's residence in the city of Southside Place, near West University Place.

According to the charges, when Blumenschein complained his coffee tasted sweet, she told him she'd added Splenda and instructed him to finish it, after which she made him another cup. Blumenschein said both tasted sweet.

Within four hours, he began experiencing slurred speech, poor balance and loss of fine motor skills.

A 24-hour urine test found crystals consistent with ethylene glycol poisoning, according to the complaint. It also said a county toxicologist concurred with the assessment, noting that by the time Blumenschein was assessed any ethylene glycol itself would not be present because it would have been metabolized.

A toxicology report by a third expert indicated that Blumenschein's acute severe metabolic acidosis "more likely than not" was due to ethylene glycol poisoning.

Doctor still ailing

The complaint said Blumenschein suffered a protracted loss of use of his kidneys and is still under a doctor's care because of the injury. M.D. Anderson officials would not say whether he is back at work.

Ethylene glycol, a solvent and starting material for the synthesis of more complex molecules, is present in all M.D. Anderson laboratories, a cancer center research administrator says in the complaint. As a result, Gonzalez-Angulo had access to the substance, according to investigators.

In his statement, Hollingsworth said he is "comfortable that ultimately (the District Attorney's Office) will do the right thing."