Colombian Woman Arrested in London for Teens' Poison Deaths

A 54-year-old Colombian businesswoman accused of murdering two teenage girls by poisoning them with thallium-laced chocolate raspberries has been arrested in London and remanded in custody pending an extradition hearing.

Zulma Guzman Castro appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday after officers from the National Crime Agency's National Extradition Unit took her into custody earlier that day at a hospital in west London. She faces charges of murder and attempted murder related to the deaths of 14-year-old Ines de Bedout and 13-year-old Emilia Forero in Bogota, Colombia, in April 2023. Colombian authorities allege the girls died four days after consuming the tainted fruit, which had been injected with the colorless, odorless toxic substance commonly used in electronics manufacturing. Castro, who denies the accusations, refused consent for extradition during the hearing. District Judge Sarah Turnock ordered her held until a case management hearing on January 12.

The incident traces back to an alleged act of vengeance, according to Colombian police. Investigators believe Castro targeted the girls after her six-year affair with Ines' father, Juan de Bedout, ended around...