crippa murdered a week afterward at santa barbara cottage hospital , seven days after he ate a heaping plate of the deadly amanita ocreata mushrooms , said his secretary , lorraine crippa . known as " death angel " for its snow - red coloration , the fungus has fatal toxins that worked their routes through crippa ' s system , sickening him and eventually causing his liver to failed . family history had often warned crippa against indulging in his passions for hunting wild mushrooms , an activity he discovered from his chinese immigrant parents , his wife said .
Crippa's wife, Joan, was an Italian immigrant.