Bad Dads Strike Again: Father Poisons Kids for Cashby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 23 May 2009 11:51 PM Here's another one for you guys. And by guys I mean gals. And by gals I mean moms. Outraged moms let their fury fly via comments left on my previous blogs detailing the sick, twisted and demented doings of bad dads from coast-to-coast. However, before I share this latest loser with the group I should note that I am by no means a dad basher by trade. It's just that these guys make it so easy. Their reprehensible actions are constantly making headlines, and frankly some of what they do is simply too outrageous not to address. In all fairness, when it comes to bad parenting, moms are not immune. Remember what this mom did to her kid? And this one? And this one? And, of course, who could ever forget the ultimate malicious mother: Susan Smith. Need I say more? Still, this dad is right there with the worst of the worst. Here's why: When William Cunningham was looking for ways to make more money, he didn't consider finding a second job, donating plasma or selling stuff on eBay. Rather, the father of two from Georgia decided to cook up a plot to milk money from the Campbell's Soup Company, and used his own children as bait. According to police, in 2006 Cunningham repeatedly fed his then 18-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son soup that he tainted with prescription drugs and lighter fluid. Court records show that on at least one occasion the deranged dad used the prescription drugs Prozac and Amitriptyline (both of which are used to treat depression) to poison his own flesh and blood. Once he sickened his kids, Cunningham called some big wig at Campbell's and claimed that the company's soup was contaminated. He then threatened to sue Campbell's for millions of dollars. Cunningham pleaded guilty in 2007 to a federal charge of making false claims against the company. At the time he was also charged with five counts of cruelty to children and two counts of aggravated assault. Fast forward to last week. A judge finally sentenced Cunningham to 100 years in prison for poisoning his two children to extort money from Campbell's. The money hungry former truck driver is behind bars. Meanwhile, his children, who somehow survived their father's murderous plot, are said to be suffering from respiratory problems that will likely plague them for the rest of their lives. By the way, the children's mother, filed for divorce shortly after Cunningham was arrested. Here's hoping the prison Cunningham is currently being housed in serves him soup everyday for the next 100 years. Related Articles: Bad Dad: Sick, Stupid or Just a Jerk Parents in the News: They Did What? "Slumdog" Star's Crazy Father Beats Him Worst Father of the Year Award: And the Winner is... Alec Baldwin? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments trainingupchildren (5) 24 May 2009 08:23 PMFirst of all, I would like to say that there are a few of us dads out there that are good at what we do. However, I think good fathers are an endangered species. As a teacher, 80% of my students did not live with their biological father. On the other side of the coin, many of the mothers had four or five kids by four or five different guys. This is a very dangerous trend in our country and it is getting worse. www.trainingupchildren.com  Michele Cheplic (37339) 25 May 2009 02:39 AMTrainingupchildren, hats off to all the good dads out there, you are indeed a dying breed. It's too bad the losers get all the attention. I'll be sure to note the good ones in a future blog! Thanks for the comment!! Michele Cheplic (37339) 26 May 2009 03:47 AMUpdate: I read that the court ordered the dad to have no contact with the kids via phone or mail while he is behind bars. I doubt they will be missing much. Discuss this article
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