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Time Magazine
26-05-2025
- Time Magazine
Netflix's Tylenol Murders Doc Dives Into a Chilling Unsolved Crime
It's been more than four decades since seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in 1982 in the Chicago area, and still nobody knows who contaminated the pills or how they got contaminated. The poisonings sparked a recall and terrified the nation. How could medicine that was supposed to help people actually be hurting people? James W. Lewis, the main suspect in this case for more than 40 years, explains why he couldn't possibly be the so-called Tylenol murderer in Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, out May 26 on Netflix. The three-part series is a comprehensive overview of the case, featuring interviews with journalists who covered it, former law enforcement officials, and people who knew the victims. Here's what to know about the Tylenol murders, how Lewis has remained the main suspect for so long, and why the case is still cold after four decades. What to know about the Tylenol murders Authorities realized something was amiss when three members of the same family—Stanley Janus (25), Adam Janus (27) and Theresa Janus (20)— died at the same time. 'The only reason why they understood this happened was because three young people from the same family died all together at the same time,' says Yotam Guendelman, co-director of Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. 'In many ways, this is sort of the perfect crime because cyanide is basically untraceable after a few hours.' Other victims included: Mary Kellerman (12); Mary Reiner (27), a mother who had just delivered her fourth child; Paula Prince (35), a United flight attendant; and Mary McFarland (31), a telephone company worker. Filmmakers tracked down the people who could recall the horror of watching the victims' final moments. Reiner's daughter Michelle Rosen recalls being eight-years-old when she saw her mother fall to the floor, wracked with convulsions. Jean Regula Leavengood, who rushed over to the home of her fellow flight attendant Prince because she was having trouble getting in touch with her, recalls authorities telling her that Prince's lips had so much cyanide on them that it would be enough to kill anyone trying to resuscitate her. The incidents sparked a nationwide recall. Volunteers went door to door to warn people about the tainted Tylenol, and police cars drove up and down the streets blaring the warnings from a megaphone. Law enforcement was trying to figure out whether someone tampered with individual bottles and then put them back on drug store shelves. As TIME magazine described the significance of the Tylenol poisonings in the Oct. 18, 1982, issue, 'Suddenly one of the small bonds of unconscious trust that hold society together had snapped.' The victims 'had been murdered by remote control, by a poisoner who had no way of guessing in even the most general sense who his victims might be—men or women, young or old—and could not have cared.' The consequences of the Tylenol murders can literally be felt today in pill bottles with plastic seals that, if broken, indicate that the contents may be contaminated. As TIME previously reported, the fear that trick-or-treaters could bring home tainted candy dates back, in part, to the Tylenol murders, which occurred a month before Halloween. The documentary provides the most comprehensive overview to date of another theory—whether someone at a plant of Tylenol's parent company Johnson & Johnson had come in contact with cyanide and contaminated the pills in the production line. The series points to the presence of cyanide in the facilities where the tainted bottles came from and a woman who died after ingesting a cyanide-laced Tylenol in Yonkers, N.Y. in 1986, when Tylenol bottles had safety seals on them. 'We don't want to blame anyone, not Jim Lewis, and, of course, not Johnson & Johnson,' Ari Pines, co-director of Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, 'But we do believe that in a high profile case such as this, it's very important to examine up close all the potentially involved players, including big companies.' Johnson & Johnson had a leading role in the investigations at the time and has repeatedly denied that the contaminated pills were manufactured in their plants. The company did not grant an interview for Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. A Tylenol murder suspect speaks James W. Lewis, who did accounting work, was the leading suspect in the Tylenol murders because he sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson demanding $1 million or else more people would be killed. It took producer Molly Forster about a year to gain Lewis's trust and land an interview with him. Lewis was initially thought to be capable of the poisonings because he had been arrested before. One of his clients, Ray West, was found dismembered in the attic of his home, and authorities found a forged check that Lewis tried to cash from the client's account. But the charges were dropped because authorities didn't read Lewis his Miranda rights on time. Detective David Barton says in the series that law enforcement officials found drafts of extortion letters in Lewis's house and a book about poisonings. 'I wouldn't hurt anybody,' Lewis says, chuckling, at the end of the first episode. The series ends with him saying, 'You can keep asking me questions forever and ever. If we ever do come up with a…technology which allows you to read my mind, then you won't find anything in there that will be incriminating.' As for the extortion letter, he says it came from a place of extreme grief. Johnson & Johnson manufactured a patch that malfunctioned in his daughter's heart, and he blamed the company for her death. Lewis was convicted of extortion—spending 12 years in prison—but he was never charged with murder because authorities could not prove that he was in the Chicago area at the time of the deaths. In fact, he had left for New York a few weeks prior. 'They never had any forensic evidence to actually pin him to the murders,' Guendelman explains. As former Chicago Police superintendent Richard Brzeczek put it: 'James Lewis was an asshole, but he wasn't the Tylenol killer.' Lewis's interview for the series turned out to be his last interview before his death on July 9, 2023. As to why Lewis participated, Gundelman says, 'He enjoys attention' and got a kick out of being seen as a mastermind of a crime who escaped justice. Pines added: 'He liked to be regarded as the Tylenol man, without having to sit in prison for it.' Why the Tylenol murders case hasn't been solved 'There's probably more victims than the seven we know about,' says Guendelman. For one thing, there is not much evidence to work with. Because so many people were told to get rid of their Tylenol bottles, 'it means that there's so much evidence lost basically in the first week after this case,' Guendelman explains. And given that the leading suspect in the case for four decades is dead, the filmmakers hope that authorities will broaden their search. As Pines puts it, 'Focusing on just one suspect has brought us basically nowhere. Continuing to do the same thing will not produce new results.' The filmmakers hope a documentary series on the case on the world's largest streaming platform might reach someone who knows something that could help investigators or encourage the FBI to unseal any relevant documents. Now the question is whether viewers will be afraid to take medicine in their cabinets after watching Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. Pines warns: 'Even if a bottle seems to be completely sealed, it might still be laced with some sort of poison or other toxic agent, so, yeah. I think this series is gonna scare the sh-t out of people.'
India Today
23-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on why ayurveda needs modern validation
As conversations around integrative healthcare grow louder, spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar opens up about the role of traditional systems in today's healthcare landscape, emphasising the need to keep an open mind and a more holistic view of recalled his early efforts in bringing ancient and modern medicinal systems together."In 1980, I brought ayurvedic and allopathic doctors onto one platform to examine ayurveda through the lens of modern science," said Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in an interview with Sneha He narrated how ayurvedic doctors praised turmeric for its 'vayosthapan' or anti-ageing properties, while their allopathic counterparts dismissed it as mere pigment without nutritional value."Decades later, we know turmeric has anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing benefits, backed by extensive scientific research. This is a clear example of why we shouldn't reject something just because it's old or blindly accept something because it's new," he spiritual leader cited another instance: the demonisation of butter."For years, people believed butter was bad for heart health. An entire generation gave it up, and now TIME magazine says butter is good again. This shows how science evolves. We must not be fanatical. We must keep an open mind," he added that alternative medicine like ayurveda need to modernise, through documentation and medicine needs scientific validation. That's what we're doing in our ashram, conducting research so ayurveda can be presented in a globally acceptable, evidence-based format,' he lauded the Indian government for institutionalising traditional medicine through the Ministry of Ayush.'Ayurveda is now being standardised and appreciated worldwide. It's no longer just ancient wisdom, it's emerging as a recognised system, thanks to proper channels and policy support," Gurudev appealed not to choose one form of medicine over another, but to integrate the best of founder of the Art of Living Foundation said in the midst of a hustle culture, one should understand to enjoy life and spend time in nature."Spend some time gardening, listening to music. People with left-brain-dominant jobs, like accountants, must balance this with right-brain activities. Appreciate flowers. Reflect on your true nature. Who are you?' he said, underlining that wellness is not just physical, it's also emotional and spiritual.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fury over Florida congresswoman's post
By Published: | Updated: Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna has stirred fury from her constituents after flaunting her red bottomed Louboutin heels as complaints flooded in. Luna bragged on social media about some of the bills passed this week, but many users took issue with her flashy post and accused her of focusing on 'useless legislation.' The lawmaker sat in a blazer and black trousers in front of an America flag, smiling while reading TIME magazine. Her staged picture was accompanied by a pair of black Christian Louboutin shoes, which appear to be a pair sold for around $845, showing off the iconic red painted heel. But one Florida constituent took issue with the display as voters feel unfairly treated. 'It's appalling that she isn't actually working for people in her state, instead she poses in obscenely priced Christian Louboutin heels,' the Sunshine State resident told 'It's a smack in the face for hard-working American families.' Luna's post attracted furious responses on social media as other users attacked the lawmaker for her out-of-touch message. 'I'm sorry Anna you are my favorite congresswoman,' one user wrote. 'But those legislation are useless. We need [to] pass meaningful legislation that matters most to voter[s] like tax cut and regulations cut election integrity law.' 'So nothing to help interest rates or like the top 100 issues for Americans?' another asked. One person called out her voting against extending FEMA funding by $20 billion in September before demanding the same FEMA funds later as Hurricane Milton loomed. 'Sure could use some help here in Pinellas with hurricane recovery,' one user wrote. 'Or have you along with the rest of the country forgotten?' Luna's post bragged about passing six bills this week such as the TICKET Act, which requires event ticket sellers to provide transparent information to buyers about prices and fees. Another, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act, was passed to ban hazardous consumer product with a concentration of sodium nitrate of ten percent or greater. Yet, users attacked Luna patting herself on the back and accused her of not focusing on the Trump administration's agenda. 'Defund the federal judges, so President Trump can ramp up deportations ,' one said. 'Soooooo where are the codifying resolutions of EO's and impeaching judges? The rest of this stuff seems arbitrary that could wait a year or so,' another wrote. 'How about doing something we the people and Pres. Trump really want and care about? We supposed to be impressed you can read a magazine?' Other furious responses called for 'the rest of the JFK files' and Epstein files, instead of bills 'no one cares about.' The Florida lawmaker previously came under fire for a measure enforced to allow lawmakers to vote remotely when having children. Luna, who had a child in 2023, rallied alongside Colorado Democrat Brittany Pettersen, who had a child in late January, for the bill allowing lawmakers more time to recover from childbirth. 'Leadership said they will not consider at all allowing female members to vote when recovering from childbirth. Period. Not now. Not ever. This is wrong,' she wrote in April. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been adamantly against Luna's effort, noting how the measure is unconstitutional and distorts the intended functions of Congress. However, the speaker later sought to clear the record by posting on X that he is 'actively working on every possible accommodation to make Congressional service simpler for young mothers.' Bucking the speaker, Luna took the extraordinary method of using a discharge petition to force a vote on her bill. She circumvented Johnson by garnering bipartisan support on a petition that can get voted on, regardless of what the speaker says, if a majority of members sign on. The Speaker did not take kindly to Luna going around him, so he used the House Rules Committee to craft a rule to nix the vote on the Floridian's proxy vote bill. But that maneuver burned him after the vote to crush Luna's legislation went up in flames after the parenting bill gained bipartisan support. The speaker was forced to shelve his planned votes for the remainder of the week as all the remaining work was tied to the voting measure that was defeated. Johnson's legislative package failing meant at the time that bills that could help Trump with his administration's legal cases would have to wait. 'President Trump's agenda is now stalled for the week,' Johnson said at the time. MAGA allies like Marjorie Taylor Greene have skewered Luna's bid for halting a week's worth of work. 'I can't believe that Congress was hijacked this week over Luna's resolution to allow members to skip work and vote from home,' Greene posted on X. 'Votes were cancelled for the rest of the week after Luna and the Dems got their way,' another post from MTG read. 'The American people did not vote for any of this crap,' the Georgia Republican shot off in another post about it. 'I'm purely disgusted at all of this.' Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has opposed most of Johnson's funding efforts even sided with the speaker on the proxy vote dilemma, writing on X 'proxy voting is unconstitutional.' 'It's foolish to delay our agenda for an entire week while we control Congress and the presidency!' Massie added. However, the Floridian says she is with the GOP and Trump. 'I am 100 percent supportive of Trump's agenda,' she posted on X to combat her critics. 'It is disingenuous to lie about me or the others Speaker Johnson.' 'Steve Scalise & Speaker Johnson did not have to send us home,' she said. Luna, in another statement, alleged there is 'widespread misinformation surrounding her discharge petition' and that there are 'political games' being played.'
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fury over Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna's racy IG post as critics spot 'obscene detail'
Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna has stirred fury from her constituents after flaunting her red bottomed Louboutin heels as complaints flooded in. Luna bragged on social media about some of the bills passed this week, but many users took issue with her flashy post and accused her of focusing on 'useless legislation.' The lawmaker sat in a blazer and black trousers in front of an America flag, smiling while reading TIME magazine. Her staged picture was accompanied by a pair of black Christian Louboutin shoes, which appear to be a pair sold for around $845, showing off the iconic red painted heel. But one Florida constituent took issue with the display as voters feel unfairly treated. 'It's appalling that she isn't actually working for people in her state, instead she poses in obscenely priced Christian Louboutin heels,' the Sunshine State resident told 'It's a smack in the face for hard-working American families.' Luna's post attracted furious responses on social media as other users attacked the lawmaker for her out-of-touch message. 'I'm sorry Anna you are my favorite congresswoman,' one user wrote. 'But those legislation are useless. We need [to] pass meaningful legislation that matters most to voter[s] like tax cut and regulations cut election integrity law.' 'So nothing to help interest rates or like the top 100 issues for Americans?' another asked. One person called out her voting against extending FEMA funding by $20 billion in September before demanding the same FEMA funds later as Hurricane Milton loomed. 'Sure could use some help here in Pinellas with hurricane recovery,' one user wrote. 'Or have you along with the rest of the country forgotten?' Luna's post bragged about passing six bills this week such as the TICKET Act, which requires event ticket sellers to provide transparent information to buyers about prices and fees. Another, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act, was passed to ban hazardous consumer product with a concentration of sodium nitrate of ten percent or greater. Yet, users attacked Luna patting herself on the back and accused her of not focusing on the Trump administration's agenda. 'Defund the federal judges, so President Trump can ramp up deportations,' one said. 'Soooooo where are the codifying resolutions of EO's and impeaching judges? The rest of this stuff seems arbitrary that could wait a year or so,' another wrote. 'How about doing something we the people and Pres. Trump really want and care about? We supposed to be impressed you can read a magazine?' Other furious responses called for 'the rest of the JFK files' and Epstein files, instead of bills 'no one cares about.' The Florida lawmaker previously came under fire for a measure enforced to allow lawmakers to vote remotely when having children. Luna, who had a child in 2023, rallied alongside Colorado Democrat Brittany Pettersen, who had a child in late January, for the bill allowing lawmakers more time to recover from childbirth. 'Leadership said they will not consider at all allowing female members to vote when recovering from childbirth. Period. Not now. Not ever. This is wrong,' she wrote in April. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been adamantly against Luna's effort, noting how the measure is unconstitutional and distorts the intended functions of Congress. However, the speaker later sought to clear the record by posting on X that he is 'actively working on every possible accommodation to make Congressional service simpler for young mothers.' Bucking the speaker, Luna took the extraordinary method of using a discharge petition to force a vote on her bill. She circumvented Johnson by garnering bipartisan support on a petition that can get voted on, regardless of what the speaker says, if a majority of members sign on. The Speaker did not take kindly to Luna going around him, so he used the House Rules Committee to craft a rule to nix the vote on the Floridian's proxy vote bill. But that maneuver burned him after the vote to crush Luna's legislation went up in flames after the parenting bill gained bipartisan support. The speaker was forced to shelve his planned votes for the remainder of the week as all the remaining work was tied to the voting measure that was defeated. Johnson's legislative package failing meant at the time that bills that could help Trump with his administration's legal cases would have to wait. 'President Trump's agenda is now stalled for the week,' Johnson said at the time. MAGA allies like Marjorie Taylor Greene have skewered Luna's bid for halting a week's worth of work. 'I can't believe that Congress was hijacked this week over Luna's resolution to allow members to skip work and vote from home,' Greene posted on X. 'Votes were cancelled for the rest of the week after Luna and the Dems got their way,' another post from MTG read. 'The American people did not vote for any of this crap,' the Georgia Republican shot off in another post about it. 'I'm purely disgusted at all of this.' Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has opposed most of Johnson's funding efforts even sided with the speaker on the proxy vote dilemma, writing on X 'proxy voting is unconstitutional.' 'It's foolish to delay our agenda for an entire week while we control Congress and the presidency!' Massie added. However, the Floridian says she is with the GOP and Trump. 'I am 100 percent supportive of Trump's agenda,' she posted on X to combat her critics. 'It is disingenuous to lie about me or the others Speaker Johnson.' 'Steve Scalise & Speaker Johnson did not have to send us home,' she said. Luna, in another statement, alleged there is 'widespread misinformation surrounding her discharge petition' and that there are 'political games' being played.'
Perth Now
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Ed Sheeran's Play is 'direct response' to the 'darkest period' of his life
Ed Sheeran's new album 'Play' was written as a "direct response" to the "darkest period" of his life. The pop star is returning to the charts later this year with the new record - set for release in September - and he's now revealed 'Play' features a "real rollercoaster of emotions" as it was written during a tough time and he just wanted to use music to create "joy". In a post on Instagram, Ed explained: "'Play' was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. "I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life. It's a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father." He added: "Going into this album campaign I said to myself 'I just want everything I do to be fun and playful' - so that's why we are building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open top busses and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars. "The older I get the more I just want to enjoy things, and savour the moments that are mad and chaotic. You can preorder play now, many many more playful things to come before it's out. [New single] 'Old Phone' also out today, go listen." Ed previously admitted he suffered dark times after his pal Jamal Edwards died in 2022 while the singer's wife Cherry was diagnosed with a tumour while pregnant with their second child, and he also missed his grandmother's funeral due to a court hearing over one of the lawsuits he was subjected to after being accused of plagiarism. He told TIME magazine: 'One thing I've learned about depression is you don't take a magic pill and it's suddenly gone. "But you can have periods of your life where you're better, and periods of your life where you're not. It gets less and less painful year on year, but always allow yourself to feel grief. Don't put it in a box and lock it away."
