WINDHAM, Maine — A Windham man faces life in prison if convicted of selling potassium cyanide to a suicidal man in England who used the chemical to kill himself.
Sidney “Skip” Kilmartin, 52, allegedly advertised the drug online as “a painless and quick way to commit suicide” and offered to sell “industrial grade” potassium cyanide for $250 per gram, according to federal documents unsealed Friday in the U.S. District Court in Bangor.
Kilmartin, who has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 5, 2014, has pleaded not guilty to the federal felonies of mailing injurious articles and mailing injurious articles resulting in death.
Potassium cyanide is a highly toxic chemical asphyxiant that can be rapidly fatal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It typically is used for fumigation, electroplating and extracting gold and silver from ores.
According to a request for a search warrant filed by U.S. Postal Inspector Michael Desrosiers, evidence — including printed emails, Western Union and UPS receipts — indicates Andrew Denton of Hull, England, paid Kilmartin $250 in November 2012 for a gram of cyanide. When the substance he allegedly received failed to kill him, in December 2012 Kilmartin allegedly mailed Denton the potassium cyanide that was found in his blood when his body was found later that month.
Denton’s body was found in his home, along with notes he posted warning he had taken the cyanide.
According to documents, prosecutors allege that in September 2012, Kilmartin purchased 100 grams of the poisonous substance from a company in Camarillo, California. Denton allegedly sent $250 to Kilmartin via Western Union on Nov. 11, 2012, and on Nov. 16, Kilmartin allegedly mailed to Denton an envelope that U.S. Customs forms show Kilmartin marked as “cosmetics and jewelry.”
On Dec. 6, 2012, Denton checked into a hotel and ingested the substance he allegedly received from Kilmartin, attempting suicide, but he did not die, according to documents. Denton then allegedly mailed Kilmartin complaining that the potassium cyanide did not work.
The next day, according to prosecutors, Denton submitted a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, stating he purchased potassium cyanide from Kilmartin for $250 but that it was not potassium cyanide because it did not successfully kill him. He sought reimbursement, according to documents.
Subsequent emails show Kilmartin allegedly offered, then sent Denton approximately 3 to 4 grams of potassium cyanide, advising, “you definitely want to take it on an empty stomach with as much acidity as possible.”
Prosecutors say Denton’s niece called Denton and heard a recorded voicemail warning to “expect the worst,” then she found him dead. Tests allegedly showed his blood contained 17 mg per liter of cyanide, which investigators ruled as the cause of death.
Kilmartin’s case is set for jury selection on April 7. Although the charge of mailing injurious articles resulting in death could carry the death penalty, the attorney general has not opted to seek that, according to documents.