Student Who Allegedly Produced Ricin Was Inspired By ‘Breaking Bad’

This image released by AMC shows Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, played by Laura Fraser, right, using ricin-laced artificial sweetener in her camomile tea in a scene from the series finale of "Breaking Bad." (AP Photo/AMC, Ursula Coyote)
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Prosecutors said Tuesday that a Georgetown University student who was charged with possession of ricin last week may have been inspired by AMC’s “Breaking Bad” to poison someone with the biological toxin, the Washington Post reported.

Court papers obtained by the Post showed that police were called on March 17 to the building that Daniel Harry Milzman, 19, was living in after he showed a friend the ricin he produced in his dorm room. That friend told investigators that Milzman was “definitely a threat to someone,” according to the court filing.

“Breaking Bad” featured several plot lines involving ricin during its run. Investigators said Milzman first learned about the toxic substance while on his high school quiz bowl team and from the TV show, according to the Post.

Prosecutors also planned to present evidence at Milzman’s Tuesday detention hearing that showed he made “harassing and threatening” comments toward another Georgetown student early this year, according to the newspaper. But the court filing did not name any potential targets, according to the Post, and Milzman had also told investigators after he was arrested that he “did not want anyone else to become ill.”

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