An Alabama chiropractor, Brian Mann, has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of attempted murder for poisoning his wife with lead he obtained while his office was under construction.
Mann, 36, was found guilty by a jury in June after his estranged wife, 25-year-old Hannah Pettey, testified against him in a case that revealed a disturbing plot involving life insurance fraud, medical deception, and physical suffering, according to Law&Crime.
Pettey testified that starting in 2021, she began suffering from excruciating abdominal and back pain, dizziness, nausea, and extreme weight loss—dropping around 40 pounds. She said her husband regularly gave her “multivitamins” from his chiropractic office — which she later discovered were laced with lead.
Pettey revealed that Mann had taken out “a lot” of life insurance policies on her from multiple companies, and actively discouraged her from seeking medical help. She told the court that Mann begged her to stop the investigation once doctors diagnosed her with lead toxicity.
Police executed a search warrant in May 2023 at Mann’s home and office, eventually discovering the source of the lead at his office during its renovation.
Mann went so far as to try and stage his own lead poisoning, telling a nurse practitioner that he and his children were also experiencing symptoms. But when pressed to undergo further X-rays, Mann became “visibly nervous.” The test results showed that the lead in his body had only recently entered his system, undermining his story.
One of the most chilling details came when it was revealed that Mann had forced Pettey to wear ankle weights during doctor visits to disguise her drastic weight loss — attempting to avoid suspicion during life insurance evaluations.
During the trial, an insurance agent testified about Mann’s suspicious efforts to take out multiple policies, noting that such behavior typically triggers red flags. “If someone is going to go around and get a whole bunch of policies at different companies, it’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall,” the agent told the court.
Had his plan succeeded, Mann stood to collect over $1 million from the various life insurance payouts.
Pettey also testified that she continues to suffer from permanent physical damage, including pain in her hands and the inability to have more children as a result of the poisoning.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before delivering a guilty verdict, and on Wednesday, Mann was officially sentenced to life in prison.
