CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Court TV) — A North Carolina school employee is accused of attempting to murder her husband by poisoning his energy drink.
Cheryl Harris Gates, 42, was arrested Oct. 10 on charges of attempted murder and contaminating food or drink to render one mentally incapacitated or physically helpless. Jail records show she was previously charged with misdemeanor stalking and injury to personal property.
This Oct. 10, 2025 booking photo provided by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office shows Cheryl Gates. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
Gates’ husband alleges he was poisoned on July 12 and August 18. According to an arrest warrant, Gates allegedly poisoned her husband’s Celsius energy drink with “prescription medications with the intention of causing a blackout condition or incapacitation.”
An affidavit alleges Gates used ChatGPT between July and September to search for “lethal and incapacitating drug combinations that could be ingested and injected.”
A news release identified Gates as an employee of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. WBTV reported Gates is a pediatric occupational therapist; however, a webpage on the school’s website has since been taken down.
Gates was reportedly denied bond on Oct. 13 and scheduled to be back in court on Oct. 30.
