Lima man admits to making poisonous drink in police interview

Yahoo

19-02-2025

Feb. 18—LIMA — In a police interview played for a jury Tuesday, a Lima man admitted to mixing together chemicals in a plot to poison the mother of his cousin's children.
The incident that occurred in March 2024 caused Daniel Elliott, 27, to be charged with a first-degree felony count of attempted murder in the Allen County Common Pleas Court.
In opening statements, Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Carp said the defendant was involved in "taking matters into your own hands, believing that you're above the law" because he didn't believe Gloria Triana was a fit mother to the children of his cousin, Charleston Elliott.
Daniel Elliott's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Stephen Chamberlain, deferred his opening statement, so he could make an opening statement after the prosecution has presented its case.
In an interview with Lima Police Detective Sgt. Steven Stechschulte, the defendant became emotional when he told Stechschulte he believed Triana's two daughters were being physically abused. He said he and his mother, the kids' grandmother, have been taking care of them.
Triana was initially living at 204 S. Roberts Ave. in Lima with Daniel Elliott and his brother but was kicked out while the children stayed at the residence.
"It was a complete difference without her there," Daniel Elliott told Stechschulte, saying the kids behaved while she wasn't there. "They're just young kids that have been through hell."
Regarding the poisoning incident, the defendant's story changed from not being involved, to being a little involved, to being the one to mix chemicals together for Triana to drink, but claiming the whole time that his aunt and Charleston Elliott's mother, Sonya Elliott, was the mastermind behind the plan, and she and her son were trying to force Triana to drink the chemicals.
He said his aunt asked him for rat poison and when he didn't have any she handed him a water bottle and said "Do what you gotta do."
"She said 'I'll take care of Gloria,'" the defendant said about his aunt in the interview. "I just willingly did it because I was intoxicated, I was easy to manipulate, but I was also kind of on board.
"Even if I was the one to make the whole drink, I didn't make her drink it," he said.
He said he poured the original concoction down the drain when the incident was over and the next day he tried to make the mixture again to prove he made it because his brother was trying to convince him he didn't. This new mixture was found by police officers in a cabinet in the bathroom and taken for testing. He said the drink contained floor cleaner, Clorox and bug spray.
"I don't want her dead. I would never try to do that again," Daniel Elliott said.
At the end of the interview, Daniel Elliott was alone in the interview room when he started praying, asking God for forgiveness and to give his family and the kids comfort.
Jadyn Meyer, a former investigator for Allen County Children Services, testified to following up on a report made to the agency that Triana was being physically abusive to her two daughters and was possibly using cocaine and methamphetamine.
Meyer privately interviewed the kids, who were both under 10 years old, about the allegations and asked if they felt safe. She said she didn't notice any visible marks on the kids as the allegations indicated and the girls denied physical abuse but couldn't articulate if they felt safe or not. She noted one of the girls looked like she had pink eye and was sent home from school because of it.
Meyer said Daniel Elliott and his mother told Triana through texts that she couldn't take her daughter to the doctor while she was sitting in the children's services office. Meyer didn't feel there was an immediate safety threat to take custody from Triana. She also said Triana was willing to take a drug test while at the office.
The defendant and his mom came to the children's services office and Meyer said the defendant was aggravated and "very diligent in making sure I was failing as a case worker" due to not acting on the allegations.
She said she was never shown pictures of the abuse from the Elliott family but she took pictures of possible drug residue.
Daniel Elliott has been in the Allen County Jail since March 20, 2024, with a $500,000 bond but he was permitted to wear civilian clothing throughout the trial.
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
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