BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A Baton Rouge woman who was convicted of her boyfriend’s poisoning death in 2015 was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday morning.
On Friday, Dec. 16, Meshell Hale was found guilty of second-degree murder despite defense attorneys saying that there was not enough evidence to place the poison in her hands.
Hale’s boyfriend in 2015, Damian Skipper, died after consuming barium acetate — a poison Hale was found to have bought online. Investigators said they believe that Hale was behind the death of her husband, Arthur Noflin, with the same substance, however, the coroner couldn’t prove it because his body was found burned.
She was set to be released on a $300,000 bond, pending an appeal. However, the district attorney’s office was granted a stay that will keep her behind bars.
Hale’s next court date is set for Feb. 22, 2023.