Hippolyte Visart de Bocarme a Belgian nobleman who was convicted in 1851 by using forensic medicine of the first recorded murder by nicotine poisoning.
Visart married Lydia Fougnies in 1843 although he owned a castle in Bitremont and being part of a noble family he had constant money worries.
Lydia's father left his large estate to her older brother, Gustave. Hippolyte hopped that Gustave would pass quickly to his declining health issues and he and lydia would inherit everything but their hopes were dashed upon hearing that Gustave planned to marry and they realised that the only way they could get their hands on the Fougnies' fortune would be if her brother died before he married.
So on the 20th Nov 1850 they invited Gustave to thier chateau where he later died druinning dinner apparently apoplexy. An examination showed that Gustave was forced to swallow something that was corrosive before dying.
Belgian chemist was asked to consult on the case and for the first time Jean Servais Stas was able to deproteinize organic tissue from Gustave's organs he then identified nicotine thus proving that Hippolyte poisoned his brother in law with nicotine extracted for tobacco leaves.
A method that is still used to this day.
After a three week trial Hippolyte was sentenced to death and was killed by guillotine on 19th July 1851 at Grand-Place in Mons his wife was acquitted.