An Alabama chiropractor who attempted to kill his wife by poisoning her with lead discovered during his office renovation has received a life sentence.

In June, a jury found 36-year-old Brian Mann guilty after his wife, 25-year-old Hannah Pettey, provided crucial testimony during the trial. Mann was convicted of attempted murder years after administering lead to poison his wife. Pettey revealed during her testimony that her estranged husband had taken out numerous life insurance policies on her through various companies and had deterred her from getting medical care for her ailments.

At one time, Mann feigned that he and his other children were suffering from lead poisoning, but became “visibly nervous” upon learning he would need to undergo testing.

Law&Crime had previously reported that, starting in 2021, Pettey endured intense pain in her back and abdomen, along with feelings of dizziness and nausea. She struggled to consume solid food and lost approximately 40 pounds. Pettey recounted that Mann would provide her with “multivitamins” he brought from his chiropractic practice.

Eventually, upon reaching the hospital, she was diagnosed with lead poisoning, prompting an investigation. In May 2023, the police executed a search warrant on Mann’s residence and office to trace sources of lead, ultimately locating it in his office during renovations.

Pettey testified that Mann isolated her from her family while she was in the hospital and “begged” her to stop the investigation.

During the trial, an insurance agent who worked with Mann on one of several life insurance policies he sought testified about his customer’s suspicious requests. He told the court that when someone attempts to buy multiple policies on one person, it prompts an investigation. The agent said that Mann had taken out policies at other companies, saying, “If someone is going to go around and get a whole bunch of policies at different companies, it’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall.”

Mann could have been awarded over a million dollars as a payout if Pettey had died. In order to circumvent any questions about her health, Mann made Pettey wear ankle weights at the doctors office to hide the massive weight loss she experienced due to his poisoning.

Mann also attempted to claim that it was not just his then-wife who was the victim of lead poisoning. He told a nurse practitioner that he and the couple’s children could have been poisoned as well. Court documents described the ruse, which entailed Mann claiming that he had performed an X-ray on himself and found an unknown substance. When the nurse practitioner informed him that another X-ray was needed to determine how long the possible lead had been there, Mann became “visibly nervous.”

He ultimately submitted to another X-ray, which revealed that the lead in his system had only been there for a short time.

Pettey testified that the poisoning left her unable to have any more children, and she still feels pain in her hands.

A jury deliberated for less than three hours total before finding Mann guilty of attempted murder. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to life in prison.