S9 E27 - Murder in a Teacup - Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids

Murder, poison, and deception inside a quiet Grand Rapids home. In 1916, Stanley Peck nearly died after months of mysterious illnesses. What looked like a simple case of “gastric troubles” soon unraveled into one of Michigan’s most twisted domestic plots. Behind it: a domineering mother, her conflicted daughter, and a smooth-talking fraud who called himself a doctor. In this episode of Malice in the Mitten, we dive deep into the shocking true story of the Peck family poison plot — a scandal involving morphine, atropine, false diagnoses, secret vials, and a slow, methodical attempt to kill a husband from the inside out. Based on historical records and Robin T. Buhk’s Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids, this episode explores how manipulation, obsession, and trust turned deadly in early 20th-century Michigan.