Girlfriend Blames Doctor's Mistress for Poisoning
Dr. Ana Gonzalez-Angulo is charged with aggravated assault.
— -- The girlfriend of a Texas doctor allegedly poisoned by his lover testified in court that her boyfriend suspected his mistress was responsible but was afraid to contact authorities.
Evette Toney spent much of Tuesday testifying in a Houston courtroom about how she found out her boyfriend, Dr. George Blumenschein, was having an affair with a fellow cancer researcher, Dr. Ana Gonzalez-Angulo, at the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Gonzalez-Angulo is charged with aggravated assault after prosecutors say she spiked Blumenschein's coffee in 2013 with ethylene glycol, a sweet-tasting chemical found in antifreeze. Prosecutors allege that Gonzalez-Angulo poisoned the coffee after Blumenschein picked Toney over her.
Secretly Recorded Phone Calls Played in Doctor's Poisoning Trial
Cancer Doctor Testifies on His Alleged Poisoning in Former Lover's Trial
Houston Oncologist Allegedly Poisoned Boyfriend's Coffee with Antifreeze Chemical
Toney testified that shortly after Blumenschein was hospitalized following his poisoning, he told her that he believed Gonzalez-Angulo had poisoned him. But, Toney said, he told her to not tell anybody of his suspicions because he feared Gonzalez-Angulo might hurt him again or hurt Toney.
"At one point, George said, 'Evette, do not poke the dragon,'" Toney said.
The jury also saw cellphone video of Blumenschein in the hospital waiting room as the poison in his body started to take its toll. The video was shot by Toney, who recounted the agonizing pain Blumenschein was going through.
"I thought he was dying. I actually thought he was dying in front of me," Toney said.
Toney, who had a miscarriage while Blumenschein was carrying on the affair, said she has been his girlfriend for more than a decade.
"I felt betrayed, I felt stupid," Toney testified Tuesday. "It was more than anger. I felt betrayed."
The prosecutor also pressed Toney on the nature of her relationship with Blumenschein and questioned why she was still with him.
"Because I know the affair with the defendant is not the sum of who he really is," Toney responded.
The poisoning left Blumenschein with permanent kidney damage, according to testimony from doctors who treated him. Gonzalez-Angulo has pleaded not guilty, but if convicted on the felony charge of aggravated assault, she could spend the rest of her life in prison.
Testimony was to resume on Wednesday in the trial, which began Sept. 15. Prosecutors expect to rest their case on Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related Stories
ABC News Live