James Lewis, suspected of the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people, gave his final interview for Netflix’s docuseries “Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders.” Despite denying involvement and claiming he was framed, Lewis’s troubling past—including a 12-year prison sentence for extortion—makes him a prime suspect. The poisonings led to new tamper-proof packaging regulations for over-the-counter medications. Documenting the case’s complexities, the series includes interviews with victims’ families and investigators, uncovering sealed evidence and presenting various theories. Lewis died in 2023, leaving many unanswered questions and ongoing concerns about the murders’ true perpetrator.
James Lewis, implicated in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings, gave a final interview in an attempt to exonerate himself. Yet, questions linger about whether he was the orchestrator of the murders that caused national panic.
In just three days starting September 29, 1982, seven individuals — including a 12-year-old girl — fell victim to cyanide-laced Tylenol in the Chicago area, leading to a nationwide recall. The incident prompted the introduction of tamper-proof packaging for over-the-counter drugs.
The unresolved case is now the focus of a new Netflix true crime docuseries titled “Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders,” featuring fresh interviews with victims’ loved ones, investigators, and Lewis, who passed away in 2023 at age 76.
A REVIEW OF THE TYLENOL MURDERS: REMEMBERING THE 1982 DRUG STORE POISONINGS
James Lewis participated in an in-depth interview for Netflix’s “Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders” prior to his death in 2023. Netflix has confirmed to Fox News Digital that this was Lewis’ last known interview regarding the case. (Netflix)
Director Yotam Guendelman shared with Fox News Digital that during the filming, they encountered a side of Lewis that was unsettling.
“The atmosphere in the room was positive for the first two days,” Guendelman recalled. “We posed tough questions, delving into the details. However, as the inquiries became more challenging, we caught him in a few discrepancies, and he momentarily lost his composure.”
This was the last known interview Lewis gave regarding the case, as confirmed by Netflix to Fox News Digital. (Netflix)
“It became genuinely frightening. For the first time, we witnessed someone who, despite his attempts to mitigate his past, became frightening when cornered; then he reverted to his odd, charming self shortly after,” Guendelman noted.
James Lewis is seen here opening a Tylenol bottle during his session with Netflix. (Netflix)
“That was striking,” Guendelman reflected. “It illuminated how he possesses a part of him that seems entirely unpredictable and can emerge without warning… You observe a person with duality… Despite having gentle aspects, he’s also capable of the worst actions.”
The building where James Lewis resided around 2009. (Matthew J. Lee/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Lewis had a history of legal issues but always denied involvement in the Tylenol cases. In 2010, he submitted DNA samples to the FBI and set up a website asserting his innocence. Though he briefly lived in Chicago during the 1980s when the murders occurred, he claimed that he and his wife were in New York City at the time of the poisonings.
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In the Netflix series, Jean Regula Leavengood talked about her friend who was poisoned in 1982. (Netflix)
Director Ari Pines expressed surprise that Lewis agreed to a recorded interview. However, he soon understood why Lewis did so.
James Lewis passed away from natural causes in July 2023 at his Boston area residence. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Primarily, he enjoyed the spotlight,” Pines concluded. “He approached cautiously, yet our producer, Molly Forster, cultivated a relationship with him over nearly a year. She gained his confidence gradually, which proved effective. I believe he also appreciated that we didn’t view him merely as a sensational figure, but as an individual too.”
Guendelman noted it took several months to persuade Lewis to speak out for what ultimately became his final interview.
This case involving the Tylenol murders represented one of the most extensive criminal investigations in U.S. history. (Netflix)
“Molly utilized a gentler approach; she developed trust with him. Even though he knew he would face tough inquiries, he was also given the opportunity to narrate his account comprehensively, from beginning to end,” Guendelman explained.
The 1982 Tylenol poisonings claimed the lives of seven individuals in the Chicago area. (Netflix)
In 1974, Lewis faced personal loss with the untimely death of his only daughter, Toni Ann Lewis, due to heart complications. One theory presented in the documentary speculates that Lewis may have sought revenge against the parent company of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the sutures used to repair Toni’s congenital heart defect failed. These sutures were produced by Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.
Paula Price, 35, was a flight attendant employed by United Airlines. (Netflix)
Reports indicate that the unidentified assailant purchased Extra-Strength Tylenol from six various stores in the Chicago area, filling the capsules with lethal doses of potassium cyanide. The perpetrator then returned the tainted bottles to the shelves.
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Joseph Janus lost three family members due to the poisonings. (Netflix)
Lewis was arrested in New York City in 1982 following a nationwide manhunt. He provided investigators with an extensive explanation of how the murderer behind the Tylenol incidents may have operated. He served over 12 years in prison after sending an extortion letter to Johnson & Johnson, demanding $1 million to “stop the killings.”
While he admitted to sending the letter and requesting the cash, he insisted he never meant to take it. Rather, he sought to embarrass his wife’s previous employer and had the funds directed to the employer’s banking account.
Several victims’ families offered their interpretations regarding the Tylenol murders. (Netflix)
As the investigation progressed, police uncovered Lewis’s obscure history. In 1978, he faced charges in Kansas City, Missouri, for the dismemberment murder of 72-year-old Raymond West, who had hired Lewis for accounting services. The charges were later dropped due to undetermined causes of death and unlawful evidence collection.
Michelle Rosen witnessed her mother succumb to a poisoned Tylenol pill. (Netflix)
Lewis was found guilty of six counts of mail fraud in a Kansas City-based credit card scam. He was accused of using the identity of a former tax client to acquire 13 credit cards.
Law enforcement characterized Lewis as a “chameleon” who lived across multiple states, employed over 20 aliases, and held diverse jobs that included computer technician, tax accountant, importer of Indian textiles, and seller of jewelry, pharmaceutical equipment, and real estate.
Some investigators continue to consider James Lewis a primary suspect in the Tylenol murder case. (Netflix)
In 1983, Lewis was convicted of extortion and served 12 years in federal prison, as reported by The New York Times. After his conviction, he volunteered to aid prosecutors in solving the Tylenol murders and, during his time as a fugitive, penned numerous lengthy letters to the Chicago Tribune disavowing any connections and calling for the death penalty for “whoever poisoned those capsules.”
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FBI agents leave a Cambridge, Massachusetts, apartment building with evidence collected from James Lewis, a suspect in the 1982 Tylenol killings. (Jim Davis/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
After his release, Lewis and his wife relocated to Massachusetts in 1995; however, his legal troubles were far from over.
In 2004, he was charged with rape, abduction, and additional offenses following an alleged assault on a woman in Cambridge. He spent three years in jail awaiting trial, but charges were dropped on the day his trial was set to begin when the victim refused to testify, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.
The absence of accountability in this case has long frustrated the families of the victims. (Netflix)
“I believe the FBI will always consider James Lewis the primary suspect, and I can see why,” Pines remarked. “We’ve managed to unveil a significant amount of evidence and documents that were sealed from the initial investigation, much of which is presented in the series.
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“However, numerous other documents remain sealed, and the public is still unaware of them. We strongly believe it’s time to unseal all documents and reveal everything this investigation uncovered. Perhaps that will bring us closer to unearthing the truth.”
The docuseries posits that while some investigators maintain that Lewis will forever remain a person of interest, others are not so sure. The series also explores alternative theories, supported by some family members.
On Sept. 30, 1982, a New York City drugstore clerk removes Tylenol capsules from the shelves due to tampering reports. (Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images)
Lewis previously conveyed to the Associated Press in 1992 that the narrative he provided to the authorities was merely his way of rationalizing the killer’s actions. He labeled the murderer as “a heinous, cold-blooded killer, a cruel monster.”
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The director Yotam Guendelman expressed his belief that there could be additional victims. (Netflix)
Guendelman suggests that there could be more victims not yet accounted for.
“After discussions with the coroner, FBI agents, and the prosecutors… that’s the theory,” he elaborated. “Cyanide, as illustrated in the series, serves as the perfect murder weapon because it dissolves rapidly. If not for a particular doctor who recognized that these individuals were poisoned and not victims of natural causes, no one would have ever known… I genuinely believe in this theory.”
Diane Elsroth passed away in 1986 at the age of 23. Her death echoed the still-unsolved Tylenol murders from 1982. (Netflix)
“That’s the rationale behind creating this documentary. We are not only advocating for the recognized victims but also for the potential unnamed victims,” Guendelman concluded.
In the wake of the tragedy, Johnson & Johnson reintroduced Tylenol with an enhanced triple-sealed packaging for added protection. (Netflix)
Pines is optimistic that, particularly with renewed attention surrounding the case, he will discover the truth regarding who was definitively accountable for these mass murders during his lifetime.
“Many families here have sought the answers they deserved,” Pines lamented. “The truth exists; there’s someone out there who knows more. I hope that person watches this film, sees the families, and steps forward… Every cold case deserves resolution.”
“Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders” is set to premiere on May 26. The Associated Press contributed to this report.