Burlington - A federal grand jury has issued an indictment against a 70-year-old woman charged with manufacturing the deadly toxin ricin at a Vermont retirement community.
The one-count indictment issued on Thursday charges that Betty Miller "knowingly possessed an unregistered select agent, namely ricin".
Miller was arrested last month after telling investigators she made the ricin at her home at the Wake Robin community in Shelburne because she wanted to "injure herself". She said she tested the poison's effectiveness by putting it in residents' food or beverages. No one became seriously ill.
Miller, who has an extensive mental health history, is alleged to have made the ricin from castor beans.
Miller is being held in a Vermont jail. Her lawyer has said he's looking for a more appropriate placement for her.
