Paul Curry, who once won $27,000 on the quiz show Jeopardy! in the 1980s, was found guilty of killing his successful, non-smoking wife Linda Curry by injecting her with nicotine. Linda’s friend Mary tells 48 Hours that she was suspicious of Paul after he told Linda one month after marrying her that he wanted to take out a $1 million life insurance policy. After less than two years of marriage, Linda died at the age of 50 (she was 15 years Paul’s senior). According to The Orange County Register, the day after Linda’s funeral, Paul applied to receive the insurance payout. He collected $547,000, bought a Cadillac, moved to Kansas and remarried.
Twenty years after Linda Curry’s death, in 2010 Paul Curry was arrested and charged with her murder and insurance fraud. At his trial, his ex-wife Leslie Curry, testified that she too was often sick while married to Curry. She said after her life insurance policy was denied, they separated and Leslie’s health problems subsided. Curry was sentenced to life in prison. 48 Hours airs Saturdays at 10pm on CBS.
