‘Spray Tan Defense’ Used in Miami Murder Case

By Emily Gyben 05/07/12 at 02:00 PM

We’ve heard of the Twinkie defense, but the spray tan defense? There’s a new one to note, for you legal buffs.

A Miami man who’s accused of strangling his wife to death in 2007 now claims that, though his wife indeed died from asphyxiation, the cause of death was related to an reaction from a spray tan.

“We know she collapsed, we know she asphyxiated, but we don’t know why any of that happened, and certainly that could have been caused by this exposure to the tanner,” said a member of Adam Kaufman’s defense team, according to ABC News.

While spray tan ingredients have been known to cause allergic reactions, side effects typically include rashes or skin dryness—not asphyxiation. But Kaufman’s defense team will argue that his wife may have had a pre-existing condition that was set off by chemicals in the spray tan.

Adam Kaufman is currently on trial for second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Between New Jersey’s now-famous tanning mom and this, bronzing’s been getting a pretty bad rap lately. Fair skin never looked so good...