Amazing Race producer poisoned in Uganda

[Jim3k]

Amazing Race producer Jeff Rice found dead in his hotel room in Kampala, Uganda. His assistant Catherine Fuller was unconscious and is in the hospital. Rice's wife says they were poisoned and the Ugandan police are investigating.

Well--if, as it seems, foul play is involved, I wouldn't have much confidence in the Ugandan police. They have a bad reputation as corrupt.

[Lord Ash]

Wow! WTF? Why would someone poison a TV producer? Very strange.

[Indoor66]

Amazing Race producer Jeff Rice found dead in his hotel room in Kampala, Uganda. His assistant Catherine Fuller was unconscious and is in the hospital. Rice's wife says they were poisoned and the Ugandan police are investigating.

Well--if, as it seems, foul play is involved, I wouldn't have much confidence in the Ugandan police. They have a bad reputation as corrupt.

Where was his assistant located when she was found unconscious? Maybe it was Rice's wife?

[JasonEvans]

Where was his assistant located when she was found unconscious? Maybe it was Rice's wife?

The assistant was in the room with him. Of course, there are lots of reasons they could have been in the room together that are not sinister so we should not assume anything yet.

Police are now saying there was a large amount of cocaine in his body and that it does not appear he was poisoned, though friends of Rice say they doubt it was an overdose and that Rice was working on an investigative documentary and that they fear he may have been targeted by the folks he was investigating. The police say they are waiting for the assistant to recover so they can talk to her about what happened.

-Jason "getting the full story from the Ugandan police would seem to be unlikely" Evans

[Lord Ash]

Hm. Large amounts of cocaine? Sounds like he poisoned himself. Or maybe it was a bad (er... worse?) batch.

[JasonEvans]

Hm. Large amounts of cocaine? Sounds like he poisoned himself. Or maybe it was a bad (er... worse?) batch.

I think the odds that the Ugandan police have any idea what is going on here are darn close to zero.

-Jason

[Jim3k]

No poison. Both OD'ed on adulterated cocaine. The surviving assistant pleads guilty to illegal drug use. The taxi driver who sold it to them is charged with manslaughter.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/248572/

[Blue in the Face]

She was given the choice of either six months in prison or a $420 fine.

Easiest choice ever?

[JasonEvans]

Easiest choice ever?

You could add a zero to that fine and it would still be a ridiculously easy decision... though I am sure the Ugandan prisons are lovely this time of year

-Jason "I imagine $420 means a bit more to a poor Ugandan than it does to a Westerner" Evans

[OldPhiKap]

You could add a zero to that fine and it would still be a ridiculously easy decision... though I am sure the Ugandan prisons are lovely this time of year

-Jason "I imagine $420 means a bit more to a poor Ugandan than it does to a Westerner" Evans

The exchange rate is an absolute beast these days. I remember the good ol' 80's, when you could poison someone with bad drugs in Uganda and only have to pay $350 to avoid jail.

Life is cheap, I guess.

[DukeUsul]

Easiest choice ever?

Well, this woman doesn't have a very good history of making good choices does she?

Buying coke from a taxi driver in Uganda? Really?!? Buying coke in Uganda? Buying coke? Doing coke?