Wis. man sentenced for fatally poisoning mother with carbon monoxide over family farm inheritance

DODGEVILLE, Wis. (TCD) — A 52-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for fatally poisoning his mother with carbon monoxide in 2021 because he was upset she was selling the family farm to her friends.

The Wisconsin Attorney General announced Feb. 6 that a judge sentenced Aric Way to life in prison without the possibility of release on supervision for his role in the death of his mother, identified by Kenosha News as 74-year-old Diana Way. Aric Way and his son and co-defendant, 28-year-old Philip Schmidt-Way, were convicted in December 2023 of first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the case.

Schmidt-Way is scheduled to be sentenced March 5.

According to a criminal complaint posted by the Kenosha News, in the summer of 2021, the victim planned to sell her 72-acre farmstead on Hunter Hollow Road to a married couple she had been friends with for a long time. The closing date on the property was reportedly set for July 30, 2021.

Way became upset over the intended sale and messaged his son on Facebook, the complaint alleges. In their messages, Way reportedly said he wanted to get “legal guardianship of his mother before she sells the family farm for a handful of beans.”

On June 2, 2021, Way filed a petition for permanent guardianship due to incompetency, but it was dismissed at a hearing nearly two weeks later.

According to the complaint, the victim met with her attorney to change her will after the guardianship proceedings and removed Way, making it so Schmidt-Way would inherit what was left of her estate following her death.

On July 19, 2021, a man reportedly went to the victim’s home to buy a book collection and found her unresponsive in her bedroom.

According to the complaint, emergency medical services personnel responded to the home, and a crew member’s carbon monoxide monitor went off. The house was evacuated, and the fire department arrived to assist.

The fire department measured the carbon monoxide levels in the home and discovered they were over 60 parts per million inside the victim’s bedroom, 30 to 40 parts per million outside the bedroom, and 18 parts per million in the basement.

During a search of the home, officials reportedly found no obvious explanation for the high levels of carbon monoxide.

An EMS chief reportedly observed a stain on the carpet near the victim’s bed. A caretaker later told investigators the stain was “unusual” because she vacuumed the floor a few days prior.

The victim was pronounced deceased shortly after 11:30 a.m.

According to the complaint, an autopsy later determined she died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The victim had also sustained recent trauma, including a contusion to her left eye and swelling on her cheek. The victim had suffered a gash on her lower left eyelid, a cut to her chest, and hemorrhaging to her left shoulder, upper chest, and near her clavicle.

According to the complaint, investigators obtained surveillance footage outside the home showing a truck with special rims, bed handrails, and decals on the window driving along the victim’s driveway on the day of her death. However, the footage did not capture the license plates.

On July 20, 2021, Way reportedly spoke with law enforcement officials at the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office and was dropped off by someone driving a truck matching the one captured on surveillance footage.

According to the complaint, Way lied to investigators about being with his son during the interview. Officials later learned the truck was registered to Way’s son, who lived in Colorado.

The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office reportedly confiscated the truck and conducted a search warrant. Inside, the complaint said investigators found a “canister style” half-face respirator and receipts, including one for a carbon monoxide alarm from Home Depot.

According to the complaint, Way Google searched various phrases, including “sulphuric acid home depot,” “sulfuric acid drain cleaner home depot,” and “does carbon monoxide make you hallucinate.”

Way reportedly purchased formic acid strips from Capital Bee Supply, LLC on July 16, 2021, which can be used with sulfuric acid to cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to the complaint, upon further search of Schmidt-Way’s truck, investigators found sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulfate. The substances were also found in the victim’s bedroom. Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, is reportedly used to clean spills of sulfuric acid.

Way and his son were initially charged more than a year after the victim’s death, in November 2022.

In a statement, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said, “This sentence reflects the gravity of the horrible crime committed in this case.”

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