Gallup man charged with trying to poison nun

Published: 2004-11-01

GALLUP, N.M. (CNS) -- Police filed an attempted murder charge in Magistrate Court Oct. 28 against a Gallup man who reportedly has admitted trying to poison a Catholic nun to get more attention from a priest. Derek Kolb, 29, of Gallup was to appear in Magistrate Court Nov. 4 to answer to the criminal complaint summons for the attempted murder of 81-year-old Carmelite Sister Margaret Mary Liebst. Kolb told police that he attempted to kill the nun while living in the Cathedral School faculty house between May and June 2002, to get more attention from Father Thomas Maikowski, director of the Gallup diocesan Department of Education. Kolb told detectives during an interview at police headquarters May 14 of this year that while living in the house with Father Maikowski, who was the caretaker for the disabled Sister Margaret Mary, he systematically attempted to kill the nun by placing small amounts of Windex in her drinks and acid, obtained from the school lab, in her cereal.

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