Roommate Poisoning Alleged After Dirty Dishes Argument

An alleged case of roommate poisoning in Michigan stemmed from a spat over dishes in the sink, police say, and a woman has been arrested after “verbally” admitting to tainting her housemate’s beverage with bleach.

Emily Joseph, 20, is the alleged victim of roommate poisoning and was sickened after she consumed iced tea believed to have been adulterated by her angry fellow housemate, 19-year-old Kayla Ashlyn Bonkowski. According to an affidavit filed by Michigan State Police, the pair had squabbled over dish duties, leading to the dangerous incident in which Joseph is believed to have imbibed the bleach-tainted drink.

It isn’t clear whether the roommate poisoning victim and alleged assailant, both of whom attend Central Michigan University, are on-campus dorm dwellers or share an abode off-campus. But police say that, when questioned, Bonkowski owned up to the roommate poisoning and admitted that her classmate’s “mean” behavior prompted her to engage in the retaliatory behavior.

The roommate poisoning affidavit also indicates the suspect “knew that spraying the bleach was a serious thing,” suggesting that it was not necessarily a decision made of poor understanding regarding the risks of bleach ingestion.

Steven Smith, a spokesman for the CMU, addressed the roommate poisoning in a statement:

“CMU is aware of the situation and is still awaiting a police report from the Michigan State Police, which is leading the criminal investigation … The university continues to collect information and will follow the provisions of the student code of conduct in addressing this matter.”

Bonkowski faces 15 years in jail if convicted of a felony charge in the roommate poisoning case.