SAN DIEGO — Arsenic did not cause the sudden, mysterious death of Sgt. Todd Sommer, according to a forensic toxicologist who testified Friday at the murder trial of Sommer's widow.

"This isn't consistent with an arsenic death," said defense expert and arsenic specialist Alphonse Poklis, who is the director of toxicology in the department of pathology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Poklis reviewed Todd Sommer's autopsy and medical reports and determined that the levels of alleged arsenic later discovered in Todd's tissues were inconsistent with acute arsenic poisoning — the cause of death on his death certificate.

Cynthia Sommer, 33, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and faces life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors have no evidence linking the mother of four to the lethal poison. They have built a case around Sommer's character, including her promiscuous behavior shortly after Todd's death, her predilection for shopping, and the breast implant surgery she underwent two months after Todd died, which she could not afford before receiving his death benefits.

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Todd Sommer was a healthy 23-year-old when he collapsed on the floor of the couple's bedroom in the early morning hours of Feb. 18, 2002. A medical examiner testified that his autopsy revealed no abnormalities — his heart and other organs appeared structurally normal.

His cause of death was initially ruled cardiac arrhythmia due to unknown etiology. He was cremated, and samples of his liver, kidney, heart and brain tissue were frozen and sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

More than a year later, scientists at AFIP conducted heavy metals tests on Todd's tissues and discovered 1,020 times the acceptable levels of arsenic in his liver and 230 times the normal level in his kidney.

Poklis took issue with those results, stating that while Todd's kidney and liver samples had significantly elevated levels of arsenic, his blood, urine, muscle, brain, bile and stomach contents had normal levels.

With such high levels of arsenic in his kidney and liver, Poklis said, Sommer's other tissues and organs would show elevated levels and his organs at death would have appeared damaged as well.

"You don't take a lethal dose of arsenic and be a little bit sick and die," Poklis said. "It's a violent death. And when they're autopsied, there's [organ] damage, and there's huge amounts of arsenic everywhere."

Poklis, who receives $300 an hour and a $600 retainer, said before he was hired by the defense, he was originally contacted by agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.