‘Brilliant’ man ID’d in 1982 Idaho cold case had links to Chicago prior to Tylenol murders

ADA COUNTY, Idaho — Authorities in Idaho identified a longtime cold case from 1982 where a man died by suicide via cyanide inside a church. Decades later, it's been discovered he had links to Chicago prior to the Tylenol murders.

The man previously known as "the unknown wanderer" was identified as Dr. Matthew Francis Betkouski. He was was found dead underneath a pew at Sacred Heart Catholic Church after taking cyanide on Dec. 4, 1982.

Police officers with the Ada County Sheriff Office laid out interesting details Wednesday that possibly link Betkouski to the 1982 Tylenol murders, but did not name him as a suspect. The prior day on social media, they said that "the unknown wanderer" had a "possible connection" to the Tylenol murders.

The 1982 Tylenol murders spread fear around the Chicago area after seven people died due to cyanide-laced capsules bought from drug stores. The victims were Mary McFarland, Mary Kellerman, Paula Prince, Mary “Lynn” Reiner and the three members of the Janus family — Stanley, Adam and Terri.

At the beginning of the press conference, police stated that the break in the case was a key, which was one of 30 left in Betkouski's possession, which had an etching on it linking it to a street in Jacksonville, Florida. Detectives were able to get deeds from properties and said "one name stood out."

SEE ALSO |‘There’s no evidence’: Prosecutor doubts Idaho cold case link to Chicago Tylenol murders

A man told police his brother went missing in 1982 and was declared legally dead in 1989. A DNA sample was taken which led to Betkouski getting identified.

The new investigation, which began in 2019, found many details about Betkouski's life.

He came from a prominent Los Angeles family and his grandfather was a former city council member.

"This case involved mental illness and many tried to get him help," police said in the press conference. "He was a PhD holder and a brilliant man."

Betkouski had a documented "fascination" with chemistry and held a PhD. According to police, he suffered a traumatic brain injury in 1974 and his mental health declined afterward.

At two separate jobs, co-workers heard him discuss cyanide. At a job in Florida, they heard him discuss "the perfect crime involving cyanide." He was fired after that.

According to police, he was hired by Lockheed Martin in 1979 and he no longer worked there as of 1982. Before he was terminated, police said he made a comment about how poison can be used in over-the-counter capsules.

Police said he attempted to obtain pills or capsules "for an experiment" and was taking him unauthorized material home from the lab.

His father died in 1982 and his brother died in 2021, according to police. Surviving family members kept a number of Betkouski's personal items and police were able to visit his childhood bedroom — which showed links to Chicago.

Connections to Chicago area

Police said Betkouski had been back at the house in 1979 and the early 80s.

Inside his bedroom, they found a map of Chicago that had been made in the 1970s. A bottle of cyanide was discovered, which featured a different type derived from peach and apricot pits, than the cyanide used in the murders. The bottle contained sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide was used in the murders.

They also found writings from 1980 and 1981 that said he had an interest in visiting the Chicago area.

The investigation uncovered photographs that placed Betkouski in the Chicago area in Dec. 1981, but not in 1982.

Police are not sure if he returned in 1982, when the murders took place in the fall.

They believe he returned to Las Cruces, New Mexico around Oct. 15, 1982 and sold his car. They stated he changed his appearance as he was found dead that December in Boise with dye in his hair, a dark tan and new clothes.

A suicide note and $1,900 were located with the body. The note detailed his wishes for the money he carried to pay for his funeral and cremation. It was signed with the alias name "Wm. L. Toomey."

Idaho authorities said they have sent everything they have to authorities in the Chicago area.

"We sent them everything and what they do with it is what they do," police said.

Only one person, James Lewis, was charged in the case but not for the actual murders. Lewis was accused of extorting Johnson & Johnson and was convicted of federal extortion.

In 1982, Lewis wrote a letter saying "stop the killing" that asked for $1 million to be wired to a bank account in Chicago.

When Lewis was arrested in New York City in Dec. 1982 after a nationwide manhunt, he gave investigators a detailed account of how the killer might have operated.

Lewis later admitted sending the letter and demanding the money, but he said he never intended to collect it. He said he wanted to embarrass his wife’s former employer by having the money sent to the employer’s bank account.

In a 1992 interview with The Associated Press, Lewis explained that the account he gave police was simply his way of explaining the killer’s actions.

“I was doing like I would have done for a corporate client, making a list of possible scenarios,” said Lewis. He called the killer “a heinous, cold-blooded killer, a cruel monster" and denied reasonability all the way to his death in 2023.

Following the death of Lewis, WGN News spoke with two Chicago Tribune reporters, Christy Gutowski and Stacy St. Clair, who have covered the case for years.

According to their reporting, they stated that Chicago area investigators believed as of 2023 that Lewis tampered with the Tylenol in an act of revenge against Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Tylenol.

The Tribune reported that his 5-year-old daughter, Toni, died in 1974 after sutures fixing her heart defect tore. They were made by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.

In 2022 in a conversation with the outlet, he once again denied being the killer and stated he had been treated unfairly.

Chicago police stated to WGN News that detectives have been in contact with the authorities in Idaho and anyone with information can submit an anonymous tip to cpdtip.com.

Arlington Heights police released the following statement.

"There have been repeated claims over the past 44 years about alleged links to the Tylenol Murders which have remained unsubstantiated. Out of respect for the ongoing, legitimate investigation, those impacted by the tragedy, and the law enforcement partners who have provided genuine support since the start, the FBI remains the lead on investigating and releasing credible information to the public once the evidence yields a true case resolution."

Around 15 minutes later, they sent another statement.

"The Arlington Heights Police Department continues to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the 1982 Tylenol murders. We received and reviewed information provided by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. We remain committed to collaborating with our law enforcement partners and pursuing any viable leads as they become available. Because this remains an active investigation, we have no additional information to release at this time."

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