PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh police were preparing to arrest a University of Pittsburgh researcher in Florida on charges that he fatally poisoned his wife, a neurologist at the university's medical school.
Prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced the arrest warrant that was unsealed Thursday for 64-year-old Dr. Robert Ferrante. He is considered a leading researcher on Lou Gehrig's disease. Authorities wouldn't say why he was in Florida.
Ferrante's wife, Dr. Autumn Klein, died April 20 after suddenly falling ill at home three days earlier.
Ferrante reported that his wife suffered a sudden, unknown medical emergency. The county medical examiner says blood tests revealed a lethal level of cyanide in her system and he ruled her death a homicide Thursday.
Ferrante's attorney has said the doctor denies wrongdoing, but declined to comment except to say he's working with police to arrange Ferrante's arrest.
