‘Mommy put something in Daddy’s drink.’ Antifreeze found in wine bottle, cops say

A Long Island man who detected a chemical taste in his after-work glass of wine in September at first dismissed it as a bottle gone bad, WABC reported.

The next day, his young son told a babysitter that “Mommy put something in Daddy’s drink,” NBC News reported. But a hospital visit found nothing wrong with the man or his two children.

A few days later, the man called police after tasting something strange in a glass of Pepsi, Newsday reported. They advised him to install home surveillance cameras.

Shortly afterward, the cameras captured video of his estranged wife, Renee Burke, 40, pouring antifreeze from baby bottles into a wine bottle in his kitchen, WLNY reported.

Burke had their 8-year-old daughter, who accompanied her into the kitchen, help her remove the cork from the wine bottle, Newsday reported.

The video also showed Burke, who no longer lives with her estranged husband, wiping down the countertops and wine bottle afterward, possibly in an attempt to remove any fingerprints, WABC reported.

Lab tests found antifreeze in various beverages in the man’s home, NBC News reported. Police found online searches for “antifreeze with alcohol,” “what liquids for cars can kill a human,” and “can antifreeze kill (a human)” on Burke’s cell phone, according to NBC News.

Antifreeze also was found in Burke’s kitchen, WLNY reported.

Burke pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges including attempted murder, the station reported. She had told police that she poured fruit juice into her estranged husband’s wine, according to WLNY.

Her attorney, Joel Salinger, said the video didn’t prove Burke had put antifreeze in the wine and suggested her husband still had access to their former home, where the jug of antifreeze had been discovered, Newsday reported.

“This is an extremely troubling case,” said Tim Sini, Suffolk County district attorney, according to WABC. “It’s not only disturbing that the defendant attempted to murder her estranged husband, but that she did so in the presence of children.”

Burke and her husband had been involved in a contentious divorce and custody battle, Newsday reported.

This story was originally published January 3, 2019 at 3:30 PM with the headline "‘Mommy put something in Daddy’s drink.’ Antifreeze found in wine bottle, cops say."