Shark Tank Star POISONED Teens–REVENGE Plot

Green poison bottle with cork on wooden surface.

A former Shark Tank Colombia contestant stands accused of poisoning two teenage girls to death with thallium-laced chocolate raspberries in a revenge plot gone horribly wrong, raising alarm about the depths of evil that can lurk behind successful business facades.

Story Snapshot

Zulma Guzman Castro, 54, allegedly poisoned chocolate raspberries intended for her ex-lover, killing his 14-year-old daughter and her 13-year-old friend instead
Toxicology confirmed thallium—a colorless, odorless, tasteless poison—in the victims’ bodies, suggesting premeditated murder
Castro fled Colombia after the April 2025 deaths, attempted suicide in London’s River Thames, and was arrested in January 2026 pending extradition
Colombian investigators now probing possible prior thallium poisonings in the ex-lover’s family, including his late wife’s death previously attributed to cancer

Television Fame Turned Deadly Infamy

Zulma Guzman Castro appeared on Shark Tank Colombia in 2021, pitching her business to investors and establishing herself as a public entrepreneur. Behind this successful facade, she maintained a years-long secret affair with Juan de Bedout that ended shortly before April 2025. Colombian prosecutors allege Castro then orchestrated a revenge plot using thallium, a highly toxic metal favored by poisoners for being virtually undetectable in food. The choice of such a rare, deadly substance demonstrates calculated malice rather than impulsive anger—the hallmark of someone willing to destroy innocent lives for personal vengeance.

Killer ‘Shark Tank’ Contestant Allegedly Murders Teen Daughter of Ex: Revenge! https://t.co/wKabB64CRq via @crimeonlinenews #bodybags

— Crime Online (@crimeonlinenews) February 5, 2026

Innocent Victims of Twisted Revenge

On April 3, 2025, fourteen-year-old Ines de Bedout and her thirteen-year-old friend Emilia Forero ate chocolate-covered raspberries at an apartment in north Bogota. Four days later, both girls died in hospital from thallium poisoning. Another teenage girl suffered life-altering injuries, and a 21-year-old brother of one victim required hospitalization. The poisoned berries were allegedly intended for Juan de Bedout, the girls’ father and Castro’s ex-lover. Instead of punishing her former paramour, Castro’s alleged plot murdered two children who had their whole lives ahead of them—a tragedy that underscores the collateral damage of personal vendettas.

International Flight and Dramatic Capture

Castro fled Colombia on April 13, 2025, less than a week after the deaths, and arrived in the United Kingdom by November 2025. Interpol issued a wanted notice as authorities tracked her movements. On December 16, 2025, Castro jumped from Battersea Bridge into the River Thames in an apparent suicide attempt and was rescued. Following psychiatric treatment, the UK’s National Crime Agency National Extradition Unit arrested her on January 5, 2026, in London’s W10 area. She appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court the next day, facing extradition to Colombia on murder and attempted murder charges. Castro denies the allegations, claiming she’s being framed due to her affair with de Bedout—a defense that rings hollow given the forensic evidence.

Expanding Investigation Uncovers Disturbing Pattern

Colombian authorities confirmed thallium in the victims’ blood and the poisoned fruit through toxicology testing. Investigators also detected thallium traces in Juan de Bedout and his son, prompting a broader investigation into the family’s history. Medical records reveal thallium presence in de Bedout’s late wife, whose death was previously attributed to cancer. The family has requested re-examination of her case and other potential historical exposures, raising the chilling possibility that Castro’s alleged poisoning campaign may extend further back than initially believed. This pattern suggests a level of premeditation and ruthlessness that should horrify any decent person who values the sanctity of human life and family bonds.

Heartbroken Families Demand Justice

Pedro Forero, father of victim Emilia Forero, posted a heartbreaking tribute in August 2025: “Daughter, you will always be the greatest love… I cry for the stories we won’t be able to live.” These families have been devastated by senseless murders rooted in romantic jealousy and personal revenge. Crime analysts Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack traced Castro’s dramatic fall from Shark Tank success to alleged murderer on the run, describing her trajectory as hitting “the bottom of the truth barrel.” As extradition proceedings continue, the de Bedout and Forero families seek justice for two innocent girls whose only mistake was eating fruit at the wrong time. This case reminds us that evil can wear many masks, and that protecting our children from those who would harm them for selfish motives remains a paramount duty.