Massachusetts Woman Denies Poisoning Her Husband’s Soup Attempting Murder

A 64-year-old woman from Townsend, Massachusetts, named Roxanne Doucette, has been accused of attempting to murder her husband, following instructions from a scammer who pretended to be Thorsten Kaye, a star from The Bold and the Beautiful, according to police.

Following Her Appearance In Court

Besides attempted murder, Doucette is also charged with witness, juror, police or court official intimidation, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest, according to court records.

Following her appearance at the Ayer District Court on December 4, 2023, Doucette was released on personal recognizance. As part of her release conditions, Doucette must stay at least 100 yards away from her husband, cannot make any contact with him or her daughter, must remain at home except for medical appointments, has to undergo a mental health assessment and wear a GPS monitoring device.

Police were informed about the alleged poisoning by Doucette’s daughter at Nashoba Valley Medical Center on December 3, 2023, where she expressed her suspicion to Ayer Police that Doucette had poisoned her father. This information was shared with Townsend Police Officer Michael Marchand, who then visited the hospital to speak with the daughter and Ayer police.

What Did The Daughter Say?

“Roxanne had been messaging someone she believed to be a daytime drama actor, Thorsten Kaye,” Marchand wrote in his report. “This person scammed her into giving them money.”

The daughter was reviewing the scammer's messages in Roxanne's phone, capturing screenshots to share with the police, Marchand explained.

Upon doing so, she discovered messages suggesting that Roxanne might have poisoned her husband, as stated in the police report.

The daughter presented to the police screenshots of text messages exchanged on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, according to court files.

What Did The Texts Say?

One of the texts from Thorsten read 'You have to eliminate your husband darling. I require you a lot,' the police recorded in their report. Roxanne acknowledged that she had some pondering to do.

At 2:34 pm she responds that she is ”Making an amazing soup. Special potion. He will be hungry when he gets back. Just enough for him,” police wrote in their report. At 4:26 pm, Roxanne goes on to say "Hubby got back not feeling well. Maybe I can collect life insurance.” Thorsten responds “Honey when will that be?” Roxanne says “Don’t know.”

Did He Drink The Soup?

On Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, at around 5:11 pm, Roxanne contacted 911 regarding her husband's condition, according to authorities. She reported an unresponsive yet breathing 73-year-old man with a history of heart issues. She informed the emergency services that her husband was extremely dizzy earlier and was currently sitting in a chair, uttering incoherent words. The man was transported to a nearby hospital in an ambulance.

After regaining consciousness, the man's daughter asked him about the incident that happened on Friday. According to the police report, he revealed that Roxanne had made him soup, but it didn't taste good and was bitter.

During her interaction with the police, Doucette admitted that she had previously lied to her husband about going on a retreat. She had been communicating with someone she thought was a celebrity. She admitted to always having the desire to meet a star, said Marchand in his report.

What Did Doucette Say In The Investigation?

The police report stated that Doucette claimed she was frightened of being alone and declared she could never harm her husband, expressing deep love for him. Doucette also mentioned her children, especially expressing hope that her daughter wouldn't assume she was responsible for her husband's hospitalization.

She mentioned to the investigators that her husband had fallen prey to a scam causing a significant loss of $8,000, which resulted in high stress levels. Doucette declined to surrender her tablet and cell phone to the police for the investigation and showed resistance during her arrest. Officer Marchand stated that Doucette attempted to kick him using her booted foot.

Did They Police Ever Search Her Phone?

Eventually, the police managed to seize Doucette’s cell phone and tablet. On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, the Townsend Police apprehended Doucette for a second time on charges of violating an Abuse Prevention Order.

They had been alerted after Doucette’s husband received a handwritten letter from her. This constituted a violation of the court order prohibiting any contact. According to the police, Doucette’s letter was slipped into the family bills, which she asked a neighbor to post to her family. Allegedly, she appealed in the letter, asking them to reconsider lifting the restraining order.

“That’s a long time to have you out of my life,” Doucette is alleged to have written in a letter to her husband, court documents show. “I want my husband back. I miss you so much.”

Attempts to reach Doucette for comment at her home on Monday were unsuccessful.

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