Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders - True Story Behind Netflix Documentary
- In 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide.
- These poisonings caused a nationwide panic and led Johnson & Johnson to recall all Tylenol products and prompted investigations, including of suspect James Lewis.
- Lewis was arrested after sending a letter to Johnson & Johnson in which he claimed responsibility for the Tylenol murders and requested $1 million to halt the killings; although he was never charged with the murders themselves, he was convicted of attempted extortion and served 10 years in prison.
- Shortly before his death in 2023, Lewis gave a detailed jailhouse interview featured in the 2025 Netflix documentary Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders.
- No one has been convicted of the poisonings, but the events led to federal anti-tampering laws and tamper-proof packaging for over-the-counter medications.
31 Articles
31 Articles
‘Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders’ Makes the Case for Federal Regulations
I was seven years old in 1982 when seven people in the Chicagoland area died of cyanide poisoning from tainted Extra Strength Tylenol capsules. My family was in New York, but the news and panic quickly spread across the country....
The True Story Behind Netflix's 'Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders': What Happened?
Netflix’s new three-part docuseries , Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders , revisits one of the most significant criminal investigations in U.S. history. In 1982, 17 people — including seven in Chicago — died after taking cyanide-laced Extra Strength Tylenol capsules. The case remained unsolved for 40 years, but filmmakers now believe they’ve found a possible suspect willing to share his story.
#1 on Netflix: Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders revisits a shocking crime that changed America
There’s a reason everyone in America now checks for a safety seal before opening a bottle of pills. And it all goes back to the fall of 1982, when a string of sudden, unexplained deaths around Chicago sent the country into a panic. The victims had one thing in common: Each had taken Tylenol capsules that turned out to be laced with cyanide. Netflix’s new true crime docuseries Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders has rocketed to #1 in the US, and it’s …


What to Know About Robert Richardson and the 1982 Chicago Tylenol Murders
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors The latest of Netflix‘s “Cold Case” docuseries, “Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders”, dives into the killings of seven people in Chicago who were poisoned by cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The star witness of the docuseries is James Lewis – formerly Robert Richardson – who at one point was the FBI‘s chief suspect for the murders. While Lewis spent over a decade in prison for exto…
Last Interview of James Lewis Unravels More Mysteries of the '82 Tylenol Poisonings - Real News Now
James Lewis, the individual connected to the infamous 1982 Tylenol poisonings, granted a last interview with an aim to exonerate himself. Doubts about his involvement in the horrifying incidents that led to nationwide horror and prompted major changes in public safety measures still linger. It was during the end of September 1982 that seven unsuspecting individuals, including a young girl of 12, lost their lives after consuming Tylenol capsules …
Netflix’s ‘Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders’ Investigates Who Was Responsible for Seven Deaths: A Psychopath or a Drug Company?
Netflix's 'Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders' investigates who was responsible for at least seven deaths: a psychopath or a drug company?
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