Selena Irene York and her teenage daughter, after falling on hard times, were taken in by 79-year-old Ed Zurbuchen who let them live in his Vernal, Utah home. On September 29, 2008 Mr. Zurbuchen's 33-year-old house guest gave him a peach smoothie. Shortly after drinking it he was taken to the hospital complaining of dizziness, face numbness and speech difficulties. At first doctors thought he had suffered a stroke. After four days in the hospital Mr. Zurbuchen underwent a series of liver and kidney tests that revealed he had ingested ethylene glycol, the main ingredient in anti-freeze.
Although Selena York had given Mr. Zuburchen the drink that made him sick and herself the beneficiary of his life insurance policy, and had taken control of his bank account, Mr. Zurbuchen didn't want to press charges against her. Without the victim's cooperation and testimony the Uintah County prosecutor didn't have a case. In 2009 the poisoning suspect and her daughter moved to Eugene, Oregon. Although the authorities in Utah believed Selena York had tried to murder Ed Zurbuchen, the investigation went cold.
On April 2011 the poisoning case came back to life when the Uintah County prosecutor received a letter from Joseph Dominic Ferraro, Selena York's former boyfriend and the father of her child. Ferraro, who was in jail for sexual assault, had been living with her and his daughter in Eugene, Oregon. According to Mr. Ferraro, Selena York had bragged to him about poisoning a man in Utah in an effort to kill him so she could take over his estate. Since she had drained his bank account and sold both his cars while he was in jail, Mr. Ferraro believed her story. And so did the authorities in Utah.
In June 2011 police officers arrested Selena York in Eugene on the charge of attempted murder. After being extradited back to Utah, she, in exchange for the reduced charges of aggravated assault and forgery, confessed to poisoning Mr. Zuburchen. She said she had purchased the smoothie at a nearby store, dumped out half of its contents then poured in the antifreeze. After his death she planned to gain power of attorney over his estate. Before she left Utah after the failed homicide she forged a check on the victim's bank account for $10,000.
In December 2011 Selena York was allowed to plead no contest to the reduced charges of aggravated assault and forgery. Two months later the judge sentenced her to three consecutive five-year prison terms. Had Mr. Zubuchen died of poisoning she would have been eligible for the death sentence. Had she not ripped-off Joseph Ferraro (who was convicted of 21 felony sexual abuse counts) she would have gotten away with attempted murder.
Mr. Ferraro, the father of York's child who informed on her was sentenced to ten years in prison on the sexual abuse case. However, he won an appeal that led to the overturning of his conviction. The trial judge improperly denied Mr. Ferraro's motion to postpone his trial in order to acquire more time for his attorney to prepare his defense. The Lane County prosecutor, rather than schedule a second trial, allowed Ferraro to plead guilty to a single count of second-degree sodomy. Sentenced to three years on that charge the sex offender walked free because he had already served four years on the multiple felony conviction.
Although Selena York had given Mr. Zuburchen the drink that made him sick and herself the beneficiary of his life insurance policy, and had taken control of his bank account, Mr. Zurbuchen didn't want to press charges against her. Without the victim's cooperation and testimony the Uintah County prosecutor didn't have a case. In 2009 the poisoning suspect and her daughter moved to Eugene, Oregon. Although the authorities in Utah believed Selena York had tried to murder Ed Zurbuchen, the investigation went cold.
On April 2011 the poisoning case came back to life when the Uintah County prosecutor received a letter from Joseph Dominic Ferraro, Selena York's former boyfriend and the father of her child. Ferraro, who was in jail for sexual assault, had been living with her and his daughter in Eugene, Oregon. According to Mr. Ferraro, Selena York had bragged to him about poisoning a man in Utah in an effort to kill him so she could take over his estate. Since she had drained his bank account and sold both his cars while he was in jail, Mr. Ferraro believed her story. And so did the authorities in Utah.
In June 2011 police officers arrested Selena York in Eugene on the charge of attempted murder. After being extradited back to Utah, she, in exchange for the reduced charges of aggravated assault and forgery, confessed to poisoning Mr. Zuburchen. She said she had purchased the smoothie at a nearby store, dumped out half of its contents then poured in the antifreeze. After his death she planned to gain power of attorney over his estate. Before she left Utah after the failed homicide she forged a check on the victim's bank account for $10,000.
In December 2011 Selena York was allowed to plead no contest to the reduced charges of aggravated assault and forgery. Two months later the judge sentenced her to three consecutive five-year prison terms. Had Mr. Zubuchen died of poisoning she would have been eligible for the death sentence. Had she not ripped-off Joseph Ferraro (who was convicted of 21 felony sexual abuse counts) she would have gotten away with attempted murder.
Mr. Ferraro, the father of York's child who informed on her was sentenced to ten years in prison on the sexual abuse case. However, he won an appeal that led to the overturning of his conviction. The trial judge improperly denied Mr. Ferraro's motion to postpone his trial in order to acquire more time for his attorney to prepare his defense. The Lane County prosecutor, rather than schedule a second trial, allowed Ferraro to plead guilty to a single count of second-degree sodomy. Sentenced to three years on that charge the sex offender walked free because he had already served four years on the multiple felony conviction.
You are sure right and people like Selena should stay in prison. Her actions have not changed to date.. She is very calculating in her. Affairs. She screams victim now and she is very sick in the head I would pay taxes for bigger prisons just to keep people like Selena in prison people would be more safe
ReplyDeleteYou don't even know her, maybe YOU should worry about yourself before you spread lies about something you know nothing about Joan!
Deletei dont know who the hell you are that was not me that did that comment i dont care what she does in life to me selena served her time and i was with her and shared the same bed as her and just cause we dont get along i dont wish bad on her she was good to me so whoever put this can go and just forget my name and putting it out there i will sign my name i am not afraid period selena york is a good person made bad choices she has served her time and is not causing any problems in anyones life so get over yourself dont tell me i wrote somethimg i didnt one its to professional wrote and i dont write like that so leave my name out of it i have nothing bad to say about selena and i have been approached about her from different writes so fuck off
DeleteSelena York has already been released from jail??? Disgusting!
ReplyDelete