Alabama Chiropractor Sentenced to Life for Attempting to Poison Wife with Lead

POLICY WIRE — Decatur, USA — A former Alabama chiropractor has been sentenced to life in prison after a harrowing legal battle revealed he systematically poisoned his wife with lead to collect millions in insurance payouts.

Brian Mann was found guilty of attempted murder in June 2025 following a trial that detailed a calculated effort to kill his spouse, Hannah Pettey.

The ordeal began in January 2022, when Pettey became so debilitated by mysterious illness that she was confined to her bed for a week and unable to attend her daughter Gracie’s second birthday party.

Pettey described her condition as unbearable, noting she was so weak she had to use an office chair to move around her home.

On January 18, 2022, Pettey’s mother, Nicole Pettey, rushed her daughter to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) hospital after Hannah gasped for help over the phone.

Upon arrival, medical staff discovered Pettey was starving and suffered a severe seizure that left her unconscious.

Doctors eventually discovered an astronomical level of lead in Pettey’s system, noting that her colon was nearly 100% lead, leaving no room for food in her stomach.

Medical professionals informed Nicole Pettey that the poisoning was deliberate and constituted an attempted murder.

The hospital reported the case to the Department of Human Resources, and both Brian Mann and Nicole Pettey were initially treated as suspects and barred from visiting Hannah.

Brian Mann attempted to shift blame onto his mother-in-law, claiming Nicole was a cruel person who resented their marriage.

However, investigators soon learned that Hannah had been taking nightly supplement capsules provided by Brian, a chiropractor who had access to various health products.

Lt. Alan McDearmond of the Hartselle Police Department noted that while initial home searches were negative, a critical break came from a contractor named Danny Hill.

Hill revealed that he had lined an X-ray room in Mann’s office with soft lead sheets and that Mann had insisted on keeping the leftover lead scraps himself.

Investigators demonstrated that this specific lead could be easily shaved into particles and stuffed into empty pill capsules.

Further evidence emerged showing that Mann had taken out life insurance policies on Hannah while they were dating and attempted to secure more while she was fighting for her life in the hospital.

Had the policies been approved and Hannah died, Mann would have collected over $5 million.

Despite a period of confusion and a brief attempt to drop the charges—which Lt. McDearmond attributed to typical domestic violence cycles—Hannah eventually cooperated with the prosecution.

During the trial, Hannah testified that Mann had pressured her to take the vitamins even when she was too nauseous to keep food down.

The defense, led by attorney Chad Morgan, argued there was no direct evidence of lead capsules and suggested Nicole Pettey had poisoned her daughter via milkshakes.

Prosecutors countered that Hannah did not even like milkshakes and that Mann was the only person with consistent access to her.

The jury returned a guilty verdict, and Mann was sentenced to life in prison in August 2025.

The poisoning left Hannah with permanent damage, including the inability to have more children.

Despite the trauma, Hannah recovered enough to graduate from college with a teaching degree and has since moved back into her former home with her children.

Hannah and Brian remain legally married, with divorce proceedings scheduled for December 2026.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)