Ricin Suspect Gives Birth In Jail

The ricin suspect gave birth while in jail. Shannon Guess Richardson is accused of sending letters laced with the deadly poison ricin, to President Obama, Michael Bloomberg, and the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Shannon Richardson became a suspect when she contacted the FBI to report her husband for the crime. Following an investigation, authorities cleared her husband. Richardson was arrested and remains incarcerated on several felony charges.

As reported by NBC News, the ricin suspect gave birth on July 4. Richardson’s son Brody was born four months premature. He is currently hospitalized, as he is suffering complications from the early birth.

Brody is Shannon Richardson’s sixth child. Her other children range in age between 4 and 19.

Richardson has been charged with mailing three letters laced with ricin. All three letters were post marked in Shreveport, Louisiana. They did not contain a return address.

The letters discussed proposed gun control legislation and contained various threats toward the recipients.

Nathaniel Richardson believes his wife was motivated by the attention she would receive, not gun control. He points out that “she really wanted to be an actress… she wanted to get her face out there.”

As reported by UPI, Richardson had minor roles on The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead. However, she was still waiting for her big break.

Nathaniel has filed for divorce from his wife. He was deeply hurt by the situation. However, he is ready to move on:

“She has destroyed my reputation and my life but there’s a way up from this and if I sit here and focus on anger, I can’t focus on getting on with my life.”

The ricin suspect has given birth, and her son is now fighting for his life. Richardson’s attorneys are tasked with fighting for her freedom. She is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

[Image via Flickr]