HARTSELLE, AL — A Morgan County jury has convicted Brian Mann, a 36-year-old chiropractor, of attempted murder after a shocking plot to poison his estranged wife with lead-filled capsules disguised as vitamins. The goal? Collect over $1 million in life insurance payouts.
The verdict was delivered Thursday following roughly three hours of deliberations spread across two days. Mann now awaits sentencing, scheduled for August 27, where he could face decades in prison.
His estranged wife, Hannah Pettey, now 25, testified about her harrowing experience that began in August 2021. She told jurors her health deteriorated rapidly after she began taking what Mann called “immune boosters.” These capsules—provided by Mann from his clinic—were later found to be spiked with toxic levels of lead.
As her condition worsened with severe pain, hallucinations, and dramatic weight loss, Mann was busy securing multiple life insurance policies on her, each offering six-figure death benefits. One insurance agent testified that the volume of applications raised internal red flags.
In a chilling detail, Pettey recounted how Mann encouraged her to wear ankle weights to medical appointments to hide her rapid weight loss—ensuring she would still qualify as “healthy” for the insurance.
When her mother rushed her to the hospital, doctors found her lead levels were eight times the danger threshold. Emergency treatments included flushing her colon and careful movement due to the risk of brain swelling. Although she survived, Pettey now suffers from chronic pain, lead toxicity in her bones, and likely infertility.
In a last-ditch attempt to dodge suspicion, Mann allegedly swallowed lead fragments himself and claimed he, too, had been poisoned—claims that were quickly refuted by medical professionals who believed he staged the symptoms.
Pettey also described years of manipulation and isolation. Mann reportedly deleted her social media, restricted her from working, and limited family contact—classic patterns of coercive control.
Prosecutors painted the act as a calculated and merciless plan, not just to harm but to profit from her death. The jury rejected Mann’s defense, which questioned lab procedures and suggested he was also a victim.
He remains in custody ahead of his sentencing, with the community and legal system bracing for what could be a lengthy prison term in one of Alabama’s most disturbing domestic crime cases in recent memory.
