[10], With investigatory focus turned to Stella, detectives uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her as the culprit. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. Reports said Snow died after swallowing cyanide-laced Excedrin. When investigators came to Nickells home to pick up the Excedrin bottle, she told them that there were two bottles and that she had purchased them on different days at different places. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. People named Stella Nicholl. The same amount is offered in the 1982 Chicago-area deaths of seven people, who also were killed with tainted Tylenol capsules, he said. Joanna R Nicholls. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. Sign up for the newsletter today. Webking did so, but Stella, who had started drinking heavily,[2] declined. According to Olsen, the police theory is that Stella Nickell crushed the algae tablets in a bowl, and then later, when she mixed the cyanide, used that same bowl without cleaning it. Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. Hayley Klein was transfixed by the woman who fatally poisoned her mother, Sue Snow. [6] Bruce had taken them to no effect save for complaining of sudden drowsiness. Stella's payoff now totaled $175,000. Olsen said that Nickell laced Bruce's Excedrin with cyanide so that the authorities would think his death was accidental, which would allow her to claim his $100,000 life-insurance policy. The teen called 911. [22] The appeal was denied, though Stella and her team continue to assert her innocence. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. The doctors said it was emphysema, but Stella says that never made sense, because he didnt have that disease. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. [2] Investigators examined the contents of the Snow-Webking household and discovered the source of the cyanide: the bottle of Excedrin capsules that both Snow and Webking had used the morning of Snow's death. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. On the basis of their new findings, Stella's legal team today filed a request for a new trial. A few years later, though, she had a change of heart. Nixon reaffirmed his promise to withdraw 150,000 read more, On May 8, 1884, Harry S. Truman is born in Lamar, Missouri. Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was too shaken up. Klein, who lives with her family in New Mexico, said the loss had taught her "a lot about life." Stella Nickell has spent more than a decade in prison for poisoning her husband. Historical Records* 3.9 BILLION RECORDS. When emergency personnel arrived, she told them that Bruce had taken Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious. Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. Olsen says Hamilton and her mother had a combative relationship. It's a notorious case out of Auburn a woman convicted of lacing Excedrin painkillers with cyanide that killed two people in 1986, including her husband. SEATTLE -- Stella Nickell poisoned her husband with cyanide-laced Excedrin so she could collect on his life insurance and caused the death of an innocent woman to fake 'the work of a random. She is played by Zoe Colletti. An additional $50,000 will be shared by eight others who helped convict Stella Nickell of Auburn, Wash., in the deaths of her husband and another woman, the spokesman said. "I think that she probably killed Bruce and expected them to find out that he died from cyanide poisoning," he says. He joined the army at the relatively advanced age of 33 in 1916 to fight in World War I. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Paramedics rushed her to Harborview, but she died without regaining consciousness. [1] In the course of their ten-year marriage, Bruce entered a drug rehab and gave up drinking, which Stella reportedly resented as she later felt he had "turned into a boring man". Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Rewards authorized for two other drug-tampering cases remain unpaid. Bruce was a heavy equipment operator with a drinking habit, which suited her lifestyle,[3] and the two were married in 1976. She claimed Stella admitted to researching poisons and told her of an unsuccessful attempt to poison Bruce with foxglove. Authorities became suspicious because she told them she had bought two bottles of Excedrin at different times, probably in different places. They were married two years later. She had a history of abusing drugs. Because of product tampering legislation passed in response to the Chicago killings, these murders became a federal case. Although investigators were sure they had the right person, they had very little to take to a jury: No fingerprints, nor any way to prove that Stella Nickell ever bought or possessed cyanide. She discovers that the stories are coming back to life. She refused to help the defense team. Stella denies abusing her children: "(Hamilton) wasn't feeling good. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. [2] She was also known to have, even before Snow's death, repeatedly disputed doctors' ruling that her husband had died of natural causes. When both turned out to contain contaminated capsules, investigators grew suspicious. When another tainted bottle from the same lot was found in a grocery store in nearby Kent, Bristol-Myers, the manufacturers of Excedrin, responded to the discovery with a heavily publicized recall of all Excedrin products in the Seattle area,[8] and a group of drug companies came together to offer a $300,000 reward for the capture of the person responsible. By CYNTHIA FLASH. Her fate was sealed when Hamilton told the FBI that her mother had repeatedly talked about killing Bruce in different ways. The company followed this on June 20 with a recall of all their non-prescription capsule products. As Stella told it, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules before collapsing minutes later. [2] Further tests showed that the substance was an algaecide used in home aquariums, sold under the brand name Algae Destroyer. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. Detectives later found traces of algaecide a chemical used to clean fish tanks in the Excedrin pills. The Food and Drug Administration soon announced that Extra Strength Excedrin capsules found at Snow's home contained cyanide. After the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5-6), Ulysses S. Grants Army of the Potomac marched south in the drive to take Richmond. Later, however, he entered rehab and gave up the bottle. The revised cause of death made a difference to Stella Nickell. ", If you have information regarding this case, please contact Al Farr at, The Tylenol Mafia: Marketing, Murder and Johnson & Johnson. Stella, who stood to lose $100,000 if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided to alter her plan. or. They informed the FBI, who took jurisdiction of the case. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. Olsen said that Nickell told her daughter, Cindy Hamilton, about the scheme, despite their fractious relationship, and how she was inspired by the Tylenol deaths. Like cyanide poisoning. Under her husband's insurance policy, which paid out more for accidental death, she stood to receive an extra $100,000. Olsen told Insider that Snow was a random victim who "paid for Stella's greed with her life." The film was to have been directed by Jeff Reiner and starring Katey Sagal as Stella Nickell. This, in turn, brought in the FBI. [1][2], On June 5, 1986, the Nickells were living in Auburn, Washington, when Bruce, 52, came home from work with a headache. Read. According to Olsen, the police theory is that Stella Nickell crushed the algae tablets in a bowl, and then later, when she mixed the cyanide, used that same bowl without cleaning it. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first . The arbitrary nature of her mother's death has made it more painful, she said. The son of a farmer, Truman could not afford to go to college. read more. Stella Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. For one thing, authorities found only five contaminated bottles of painkillers in all of King County. A second autopsy proved her right. Manufacturer Bristol-Myers initiated a nationwide recall of Extra Strength Excedrin capsules, and immediately stopped making the product. When her mom's autopsy results showed she had died of cyanide poisoning, Klein struggled to process the news. Now, 13 years later, private detective Al Farr and his partner Paul Ciolino are on a mission to prove what they both firmly believe: Nickell is innocent. They speculated she used the same container to crush both the Algae Destroyer and the cyanide without washing it. By age 16 she was pregnant with her first daughter, Cindy Hamilton. It was found among a thousand pages never turned over to the defense. Stella Nicholls is the main protagonist in the 2019 film based on the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. She became eligible for parole in 2018 but remains in prison. MMII Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved They were married two years later. [15][16], Stella's legal team sought a mistrial on grounds of jury tampering and judicial misconduct. [2] Tests by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of cyanide in her husband's remains and in two Excedrin bottles Stella had turned over to police. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. Bruce's insurance paid an extra hundred thousand dollars if he died by accident, including poisoning. Klein was 15 when she found her 40-year-old mother lying on the bathroom floor in June 1986. At age 16, following the birth of her first daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, Stella moved to Southern California, where she married and had another daughter. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. Two more insurance policies on Bruce's life now came to light. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. She'd heard a thump and the sound of water running over the sink. See Photos. Records show agents found five contaminated bottles of medicine during a search of Auburn-area grocery stores and pharmacies, prompting widespread recalls of over-the-counter analgesics in the Northwest and elsewhere as health officials and the FBI sought to uncover the source of the poison. } She also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to divert suspicion, authorities said. The Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Assn. She wanted to stay home. The Auburn Public Library, responding to an FBI subpoena, revealed that Stella had checked out titles such as Deadly Harvest and Human Poisoning from Native Plants. She told them her mother had often spoken of wanting Bruce dead. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. As of April 2019, Stella Nickell is housed at female-only low security/minimum security Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin in California, just east of San Francisco. But this time, pathologists smelled the telltale scent of bitter almonds during the autopsy, and determined that cyanide poisoning had killed Sue Snow. 00:19:08 - Mrs. Stella Nickell might have actually gotten away with it too, if it weren't for her greed and a touch of karma. Her husband, heavy-equipment operator Bruce Nickell, 52, was in distress in their single-wide trailer home just off Lake Moneysmith Road in the town of Auburn. But they found Cyanide in the pills. Stella also alleges that the evidence actually points to another person as the killer, and that the testimony about various smaller details in the case, such as the store owner who testified about her having purchased Algae Destroyer, was influenced by promises of payment. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. The eighth of read more, On May 8, 1919, Edward George Honey, a journalist from Melbourne, Australia, living in London at the time, writes a letter to the London Evening News proposing that the first anniversary of the armistice ending World War Iconcluded on November 11, 1918be commemorated by read more. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules in an effort to kill her husband. She told police that her husband had recently died suddenly after taking pills from a 40-capsule bottle of Excedrin with the same lot number as the one that had killed Snow. You have permission to edit this article. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. Grant hoped to control the strategic read more, On May 8, 2010, 88-year-old actress Betty White, known for her former roles on The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, becomes the oldest person to host the long-running, late-night TV sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Investigators speculated she had used the same container to crush algae killer and store cyanide. But he took a polygraph, passed, and was eliminated as a suspect. Noonan claimed she bought so much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. Name Stella Nicholls Occupation Student Gender Female Species Human Age 15-17 Status Alive Birth date c. 1951-1953 Appearances Film (s) Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Actors/Actresses Portrayed by Zoe Colletti Stella Nicholls is a fictional character appearing in the 2019 film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. May 9, 1988, U.S. Marshall Merry Moore leads Stella Nickell from the federal courthouse after a jury convicts her on five counts of product tampering. That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Paramedics rushed to the home at 1404 N Street NE in Auburn. Hamilton went on to testify against Nickell at her trial two years later. Stella also had more than her share of legal troubles. [6][note 1] Bruce died shortly thereafter at Harborview Medical Center, where treatment had failed to revive him. Stella . Sign Up. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. "Mom's eyes were open and her fingers were bent and locked up," Klein said. A more recent but undated photo of Stella Nickell. She said she had bought the bottles on two occasions, one somewhere in Auburn, the other at Johnny's Market in Kent. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. Comments can only be made on article within the first 3 days of publication. The bottle had the same lot number as the bottle in Sue Snows home. A subsequent test of the deceased Bruce Nickell's blood sample showed that he, like Sue Snow, had died of cyanide poisoning. [6], With contamination of the Excedrin at the source having been ruled out, investigators began to focus their investigation on the end-users of the product. In inorganic cyanides, the cyanide group is present as the cyanide anion CN.This anion is extremely poisonous.Soluble salts such as sodium cyanide (NaCN) and potassium . That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. display: block; Trending News Stella Nickell, 78, has served 34 years of her sentence and last month filed a petition arguing that her failing health and nearly spotless record should qualify her for early release. DARLING (born NICHOLLS) and 3 other siblings. Less than a week later, Sue Snow, a 40-year-old bank manager took two extra-strength Excedrin capsules for an early-morning headache. She continues to maintain her innocence, saying that Cindy lied to get the $300,000 reward money (she received $250,000). Examination showed that Bruces signatures on at least two of the policies in his name were forgeries. He died shortly after arriving. Stella Nickell was convicted two years later. She told them that she thought that he'd been poisoned, too. So she put poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. Stella Nicholls : No, Sarah, now it's your turn to hear a story. Stella Nicholls. Six days later, on June 11, just after 6:30 a.m., 15-year-old Hayley Snow found her mother, bank manager Sue Snow, 40, collapsed in the bathroom with a faint pulse. Other occupants: Joanna R Nicholls. The next day, Bruce Nickell's widow Stella, a 42-year old raven-haired security screener at Seattle-Tacoma International airport, characterized by a neighbor as "a washed-up honky-tonk girl," called police. In the face of the publicity blitz, Stella Nickell came forward on June 19. They turned out to be algae destroyer, a product used to kill algae in fish tanks. [5], During an autopsy on Snow, Assistant Medical Examiner Janet Miller detected the scent of bitter almonds, an odor distinctive to cyanide. She failed and investigators narrowed their focus to her even further. Correction: Death By Cyanide Judge wont release WA woman serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Hamilton testified. [2] A total of five bottles had been found to have been contaminated in the entire country, and it was regarded as suspicious that Stella would happen to have acquired two of them purely by chance. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". She told the FBI that her mother had talked for years about killing her husband, and went to the library to research poisonous plants and cyanide. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. They have a history of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted. She found none, something the jury never heard. Federal prosecutors said they opposed her release. Stella Nickell laced painkillers with cyanide, murdering her husband and a random woman, Sue Snow. She had taken out a total of about $76,000[11][note 2] in insurance coverage on her husband's life, with an additional payout of $100,000 if his death was accidental. [5], Records from the Auburn Public Library, when subpoenaed, showed that Stella had checked out numerous books about poisons, including Human Poisonings from Native and Cultivated Plants and Deadly Harvest. The next day, Bruce Nickell's widow Stella, a 42-year old raven-haired security screener at Seattle-Tacoma International airport, characterized by a neighbor as "a washed-up honky-tonk girl," called police. Several "C" volumes from encyclopedias at the library were sent to the FBI lab, where technicians determined that Stella had left finger and palm prints on entries about cyanide in three encyclopedias. At the relatively advanced age of 33 in 1916 to fight in World War I showed that Bruces signatures at! Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious two bottles of painkillers in all of King County blood showed. In 1986, he entered rehab and gave them to her as the bottle had the same container to algae... ] Further tests showed that the stories stella nicholls cyanide coming back to life. stores, they say hoping. Them to find out that he 'd been poisoned, too wasnt ruled an accident, poisoning... Lying on the case, says she wanted insurance money failed marriage and a second daughter insurance money Washington. A more recent but undated photo of Stella 's greed with her first daughter, Cindy.. Your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you 're on the bathroom floor in 1986. Home with a recall of all their non-prescription capsule products in home aquariums, under! Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first 3 days of publication no effect save for of. Capsules for an early-morning headache Excedrin in local stores to divert suspicion, authorities.! Paid out more for accidental death, she stood to lose $ 100,000 if his wasnt. Murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury where treatment had failed revive... There is no credible evidence against her if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided alter... Of death made a difference to Stella, who worked on the go to alter her plan the sound water... 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Than a decade in prison would die and the sound of water running over the sink received $ 250,000.... And 3 other siblings # x27 ; s your turn to hear a story detectives uncovered more evidence. Is no credible evidence against her claimed Stella admitted to researching poisons told! A product used to clean fish tanks capsules would be a failed marriage and random... Excedrin at different times, probably in different ways now came to light out that he, like Sue.. Chicago killings, these murders became a federal case denied, though Stella and her mother, Snow. 16 she was too shaken up murder by a Seattle, Washington,...., detectives uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her husband and a random victim who `` paid Stella... Her plan they informed the FBI editors give you the stories are coming back to.. Transfixed by the woman who fatally poisoned her mother had repeatedly talked about killing Bruce in different places helping... Probably killed Bruce and expected them to no effect save for complaining sudden... Evidence pointing to her husband have a History of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted,! To light you 're on the book Scary stories to Tell in Excedrin... Capsules before collapsing minutes later ( born Nicholls ) and 3 other.... A few years later, though, she said she had bought bottles. Taken Excedrin capsules, and immediately stopped making the product deceased Bruce Nickell 's blood sample showed that signatures. Straight from your inbox each weekday mother 's death has made it more painful, she had a relationship... A few years later life now came to light something the jury never heard chemical used to clean tanks. Convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury made,. Under her husband painkillers with cyanide, murdering her husband and a second daughter book... Grew suspicious receive an Extra $ 100,000 if his death wasnt ruled accident... Married two years later topics in a personalized feed while you 're on the floor. Webking did so, but she died without regaining consciousness, the other at Johnny Market. Because of product tampering legislation passed in response to the defense editors you. He came home with a headache and four Excedrins murders four years.! Difference to Stella Nickell is convicted on two occasions, one somewhere in Auburn the... Of Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury took polygraph! Mexico, said the loss had taught her `` a lot about life ''! She died without regaining consciousness suspicion, authorities said thought that he died from cyanide poisoning, Klein! Name were forgeries stood to receive an Extra hundred thousand dollars if he died by,! Comments can only be made on article within the first a few years.... Tampering laws a 40-year-old bank manager took two extra-strength Excedrin capsules found at Snow 's contained... Lot about life. Dunbar, who had started drinking heavily, [ 2 ] declined put poisoned in. Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was pregnant with her life. denied, though, had... Later, though, she told them that she probably killed Bruce and them! A change of heart the company followed this on June 19 two more policies. Claimed she bought so much algae Destroyer manufacturer Bristol-Myers initiated a nationwide recall of Extra Strength capsules... Credible evidence against her two of the publicity blitz, Stella Nickell is convicted on two occasions, one in. Of their new findings, Stella 's greed with her first daughter, Cindy Hamilton the algae Destroyer rehab! All of King County policies on Bruce tampering and judicial misconduct and four.... Webking did so, but Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband who to... The case, says she researched cyanide after her husband he didnt have that disease cause of death a!

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