Alabama chiropractor Brian Mann charged with trying to kill wife with lead-laced pills

An Alabama chiropractor is accused of trying to kill his estranged wife by poisoning her with lead-tainted vitamins — and was released on bond last week, according to reports.

Brian Mann, 34, was sprung on $500,000 bail Friday on attempted murder charges for allegedly letting his wife, Hannah Pettey, “unwittingly ingest particles of lead,” while the couple were going through a divorce, according to court documents obtained by local network WHNT.

As a result, Pettey, 24, spent two months recovering from lead poisoning at University of Alabama Birmingham hospital. She filed for divorce in March just days after she was discharged, according to the Hartselle Enquirer.

Mann, 34, was arrested in September.

Mann allegedly told his wife that the pills he gave her from late summer 2021 through the winter of 2021-2022 “would strengthen her immune system,” according to filings by Pettey’s lawyer, Jerry Knight.

Mann is also accused of holding five life insurance policies payable on his wife’s death that had collective benefits of $1.3 million, according to the Hartselle Enquirer. He allegedly also applied for two additional insurance policies in December worth $1.5 million payable on her death, which were denied.

On Friday, a judge begrudgingly granted Mann’s release from custody on a highly-restrictive $500,000 bond so he could pay alimony and child support to his estranged wife and daughter.

“So much as a speeding ticket,” and he would be rearrested, Judge Charles Elliott said, according to court documents.

Mann, of Hartselle, was originally released on a $500,000 bond following his September arrest. As part of his bond, he was required to surrender his passport to ensure he would not flee the country. 

When he failed to provide officials with his passport, he was taken back into custody, according to WHNT. The passport still has not been turned over to officials.

Elliot admitted at a hearing Wednesday that he was at a “crossroads” over the disturbing case — the longer Mann remained in jail, the longer his wife and daughter didn’t receive his financial support.

Mann is currently $8,000 behind on his payments. The judge explained that he had to make a balanced decision that considered both the safety risk to the public by releasing Mann, and Mann’s wife and daughter being able to have food on the table, WHNT reported.

The couple’s divorce proceedings have been put on hold until criminal proceedings are complete, according to court documents.

Mann is also a defendant in a Nov. 2020 malpractice lawsuit filed by a patient who claimed the chiropractor injured her during a visit, causing her severe back pain, incontinence and an inability to walk, according to the Hartselle Enquirer. The patient claims she was hospitalized and now has permanent back issues.

Mann will not be permitted to leave his home after 6 p.m. or before 8 a.m., and he will still have to spend every weekend in jail from 4 p.m. Friday afternoon until 8 a.m. Monday morning, per the conditions of his release.

He must also wear an ankle monitor and is barred from speaking to his wife. He also is not permitted to drink alcohol and is subject to random drug screenings.

Mann’s trial is expected to start on Oct. 8.