Bio

Cynthia Galens was born on February 7, 1958. She lived in Farmington, New York.

She worked for about 30 years at the VA Medical Center in Canandaigua. Her jobs there included housekeeper, mural artist, and clerical aide.

Galens had two children from two dissolved marriages. Her son, Matthew Barber, died in 2005 at age 19 after taking a combination of drugs. Relatives said his death sent her into a severe emotional tailspin.

She met Thomas Stack at a Veterans Affairs hospital in 2007. They moved in together and their relationship lasted about two years. Stack had a history of alcohol problems and hospital admissions.

Relatives said the hospital discovered she was dating a patient, and that cost her her job. Galens kept a weekly ritual of visiting her son’s grave.

Murder Story

Cynthia Galens was born on February 7, 1958. She was involved in the death of Thomas K. Stack, age 48, in Farmington, Ontario County, New York on October 3, 2009.

Galens admitted that she put antifreeze into a store-bought margarita mix. She said she poured a shot glass of ethylene glycol into the mix and put it in the refrigerator.

On October 3, 2009, emergency responders removed Stack from the home after he was found unresponsive. He later died from ethylene glycol poisoning.

A medical examiner estimated that Mr. Stack consumed between six and twelve ounces of ethylene glycol. Friends and acquaintances later told police that Galens had confessed to putting antifreeze in the drinks while she was in Florida.

Galens waited before calling 911. She called an ex-husband and a friend first. Her daughter testified that Galens had asked for help disposing of Mr. Stack’s body.

Authorities arrested Cynthia Galens on January 6, 2010. A jury convicted her in September 2010 of first-degree manslaughter. She was sentenced on November 10, 2010 to 23 years in prison.

The case record lists one victim, Thomas K. Stack. The method was poisoning with antifreeze mixed into margaritas. The location was Farmington, Ontario County, New York.