The Pennsylvania Superior Court on Friday again affirmed the murder conviction of a former University of Pittsburgh neuroresearcher imprisoned for fatally poisoning his wife, a renowned neurologist.
Robert Ferrante, 75, is being held in the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale, where he is serving a mandatory life sentence for the first-degree murder of Dr. Autumn Klein.
Ferrante was found guilty by a jury in November 2014 after a 10-day trial.
Police said he ordered potassium cyanide to his lab at Pitt and put it in Klein’s drink when she returned home from work April 17, 2013.
She collapsed, and Ferrante called 911. Klein’s colleagues at UPMC Presbyterian attempted to save her, but she died three days later. She was 41.
An autopsy revealed Klein died from cyanide poisoning.
Ferrante has appealed his conviction repeatedly, being struck down at each turn.
In the current challenge, Ferrante argued ineffective assistance of counsel at both his trial and in his subsequent appeals.
Ferrante claimed trial attorneys William Difenderfer and Wendy Williams should not have waived his right to an out-of-town jury because of pretrial publicity, and that they failed to properly question prospective jurors.
He also claimed his attorneys did not understand the scientific and medical evidence presented during trial and failed to properly explore additional witnesses.
Ferrante argued that his appellate attorney, Chris Rand Eyster, failed to properly represent him.
The state Superior Court disagreed with Ferrante on all of his claims.
