Halotus served Claudius as a taster and as a chief steward; it was because of his occupation, which entailed close contact with Claudius, that he is and was a suspect in the murder of the latter by poison.
10 Facts About Halotus
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Nero, who acceded to the throne, allowed Halotus to continue as chief steward and taster; Halotus served Nero until the latter's death in 68, and Galba's assumption of the throne.
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Halotus died close to the end of the century, his public reputation somewhat restored after his rise in stature and wealth.
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Whether Halotus was involved in the murder of Claudius and to what extent remains an unresolved point, as do many other aspects related to Claudius' passing.
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Halotus worked as a servant for Claudius and held the position of official taster, an occupation which entailed his tasting of a portion of every meal Claudius ate each day for poison.
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Halotus is a prime suspect because he would have had access to everything eaten by the Emperor on the night of his death.
7.
Much public outrage resulted from the mystery shrouding Claudius' death and the death itself; there was a clear desire among the people of Rome that anyone suspected in Claudius' murder be executed and this included Halotus; he was not killed, and Nero allowed him to retain his position throughout his reign.
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Why Halotus was even spared is unclear, as almost all of Nero's former servants were killed on Galba's assumption of the throne, as Suetonius notes above.
9.
Halotus died sometime in the latter part of the 1st century.
10.
Halotus kept this position despite Galba's unseating very soon after it was bestowed and the political uproars of The Year of the Four Emperors.