Shannon Richardson Sent Ricin Letters Because She ‘Wanted Her Face Out There’

Shannon Richardson, The Walking Dead actress who sent ricin-laced letters to President Obama and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, did it because she wanted to be famous, her husband said. A third letter was also sent to the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Retired Army veteran Nathaniel Richardson went on the Today show Thursday morning and revealed that his estranged wife “really wanted to be an actress” and that she “wanted to get her face out there.”

Richardson, who was initially framed for sending the letters, said he doesn’t feel any sympathy for his wife.

“She has done this to herself,” he said. “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.”

Earlier this month, Shannon Richardson — also known as Shannon Rogers Guess — directed the blame for the ricin letters at her husband, telling police that she found a Tupperware container full of castor beans — which are used to make the poison — in their refrigerator. She also claimed that she found Internet searches related to the president and Mayor Bloomberg, as well as instructions for making ricin.

Nathaniel Richardson said that he was not involved in sending the letters and had no idea what the poison was called.

“I was calling it licin,” he said.

After several rounds of questioning, police determined that Shannon Richardson, who is currently pregnant with her sixth child, was the one responsible for sending the letters. The letters were all sent from Shreveport, Louisiana, on May 20. Each contained ricin, which has no antidote and can kill a person in 36 hours.

Richardson was arrested on June 7 in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted.

You can watch Nathaniel Richardson’s Today interview below.