Betty Miller told an FBI agent she wanted to "injure herself" and was testing the effectiveness of the poison on other residents at the Wake Robin senior living facility, according to a criminal complaint.
Miller, 70, made her first appearance in federal court on Friday. Judge John Conroy noted that she had a "lengthy mental health history" but did not elaborate. She was placed in custody and was scheduled to be in court again on Wednesday. Miller said she was working on getting a lawyer.
Police were called to the senior community in Shelburne on Tuesday after Miller told heathcare providers she had manufactured the ricin and placed it on other residents’ food and beverages, the agent said in the complaint.
The state health department said on Friday it became aware of one person who probably became ill with ricin poisoning but said no one was currently ill.
Miller said she harvested 30 to 40 castor beans from plants growing on Wake Robin’s property and made two to three tablespoons of ricin twice in her kitchen, the complaint said. She exposed other residents to the ricin on at least three occasions, the complaint said.