At a Glance
- Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, 52, charged with fatally poisoning her daughter last November
- Also linked to 2007 cold case murder of Michael Schmidt who died in a fire
- Faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, and three counts of distributing prohibited food or beverage
- Why it matters: A single arrest has closed two murder investigations spanning nearly two decades
A Henderson County mother stands accused of poisoning her own daughter in 2025, a crime that ultimately led investigators to charge her with a separate killing that had gone unsolved since 2007.
The 2025 Poisoning
Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel, 52, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Leela Livis, according to an arrest warrant.
Authorities believe the poisoning occurred last November, just before Livis died.
“It is believed the poisoning took place last November just before the death of the female victim,” Chad Flowers, spokesperson for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement to Cameron R. Hayes on Wednesday. “The female victim is the daughter.”
Casper-Leinenkugel also faces two counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill Richard Pegg and Mia Lacey, the warrant shows.
The Cold Case Connection
While investigating the poisoning, detectives linked Casper-Leinenkugel to a 17-year-old unsolved killing.
Michael Schmidt died in an October 2007 fire in Hendersonville. County and state authorities declined to explain how they connected the suspect to Schmidt’s death.
The breakthrough came after what investigators described as an “extensive and comprehensive investigation” by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crime Unit.
Charges and Legal Status
Casper-Leinenkugel faces a total of:
- Two counts of first-degree murder (Livis and Schmidt)
- Two counts of attempted murder (Pegg and Lacey)
- Three counts of distribution of prohibited food or beverage
She was being held Wednesday in Henderson County Jail. It wasn’t immediately clear if she had been assigned a lawyer or hired one to speak on her behalf.
Community Impact
Hendersonville, a western North Carolina town of just under 16,000 residents, sits just south of Asheville. The arrest has shaken the small community where two major crimes have now been tied to one local resident.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation confirmed the charges in a statement Wednesday, marking the end of a case that spanned multiple generations of local law enforcement.
Key Takeaways
- A single investigation into a 2025 poisoning uncovered evidence solving a 2007 cold case
- The suspect is the mother of the poisoning victim
- Authorities have not disclosed what evidence linked the two crimes
- The case highlights how modern forensic techniques can solve decades-old crimes
