The trial of Brian Thomas Mann, a Hartselle chiropractor accused of attempting to murder his wife through lead poisoning, began with emotional and alarming testimony from the alleged victim herself, Hannah Mann. Brian Mann, 36, was arrested in 2023 and charged with the attempted murder of his 25-year-old wife, whom he married in 2018 when she was just 18. The couple shares two children.
On the first day of the trial, Hannah Mann took the stand as the prosecution’s lead witness. She described her rapid decline in health beginning in August 2021, when she began suffering from severe back and abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, and extreme fatigue. At one point, she was unable to walk and spent three months hospitalized. Doctors initially feared she had stomach cancer.
“I still have a lot of lead in me,” she told the court, adding that she continues to experience pain in her hands and has lost the ability to have children. Hannah testified that during the early stages of her illness, she was taking multi-vitamins given to her by her husband.
Prosecutors allege Brian Mann attempted to kill his wife by poisoning her with lead. They pointed to financial motives, including evidence that Hannah carried more life insurance than Brian, despite not being the family’s primary earner.
WHNT is reporting that the defense, however, argued that no direct evidence links Brian to the poisoning and criticized investigators for failing to explore other potential suspects. “Authorities investigated no one besides him,” the defense said.
The prosecution also called contractor Danny Hill to the stand. Hill testified that he had remodeled Mann’s chiropractic office, including installing lead-lined walls in the X-ray room, and that there had been leftover lead material following the job.
While the prosecution suggested that the leftover lead may have been misused, Hartselle Police Chief Alan McDearmond told the jury that Mann allowed investigators to search his home multiple times. “No lead was found in the home,” McDearmond testified.
Despite the lack of physical evidence found at the Mann residence, the prosecution is relying heavily on circumstantial evidence, including the vitamins Hannah took, her testimony about her symptoms, and the financial motives uncovered during the investigation.
As the trial continues, more witnesses are expected to be called. The case has drawn significant attention due to its disturbing allegations, complex forensic elements, and the tragic toll on a young mother now facing lifelong health challenges.