[20] Her release date is given as July 10, 2040, when she will be 96 years old. Klein laments the fact that her mother missed every milestone in her life, like her wedding and the birth of her son, over the past 36 years. Stella, who stood to lose $100,000 if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided to alter her plan. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. [6] Further FBI investigation showed that Bruce's purported signatures on at least two of the insurance policies in his name had been forged. display: block; Then there was the insurance. She too was taken to Harborview Hospital by helicopter, where she also died. Authorities ruled his death to be from natural causesemphysema, the attending physicians said. The other victim was Susan Katherine Snow, 40, also of Auburn, who authorities said had bought the poisoned capsules. She grew up in a poor family. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. Nickell was the first to be convicted. 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. Stella handed two bottles of Excedrin over to police -- supposedly bought at two different times from two different stores. A year later, Stella put cyanide in an Excedrin capsule that Bruce later took for a headache. But by the time of the trial, Rider says, the FBI had convinced her that her friend was the killer. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. Other evidence pointed to Stella. But in 1986, when two Seattle-area people died after ingesting Excedrin laced with cyanide, Stella Nickell was nabbed for the. Stella denies abusing her children: "(Hamilton) wasn't feeling good. The company followed this on June 20 with a recall of all their non-prescription capsule products. Stella and Bruce Nickell married in 1976, shortly after seven people were killed in Chicago, Illinois, from poisoned Tylenol pills. Stella Nickell was convicted two years later. "It was a means to an end," the author said. Cindy Hamilton was paid a $250,000 reward for her help in the case against her mother. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. She originally called police and turned over two bottles of Excedrin. 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. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. Noonan claimed she bought so much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. The Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Assn. You have permission to edit this article. "I couldn't take it in," she said. They then looked toward Nickell. Joanna R Nicholls. Stella had an aquarium, but says she never bought algae destroyer. She is played by Zoe Colletti. [12] The FBI identified her fingerprints on cyanide-related pages of a number of the works she had checked out during this period. Stella Nicholl. Now some top sleuths are trying to prove her innocence. [5] On June 27, Washington State put into effect a 90-day ban on the sale of non-prescription medication in capsules. She found none, something the jury never heard. Instead of partying with Stella, long a regular fixture on the Auburn-Kent tavern circuit, he chose to stay home watching television or talking CB lingo on his citizen's band radio. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first . "I think that she probably killed Bruce and expected them to find out that he died from cyanide poisoning," he says. Hayley Klein was transfixed by the woman who fatally poisoned her mother, Sue Snow. The doctors said it was emphysema, but Stella says that never made sense, because he didnt have that disease. The bottle had the same lot number as the bottle in Sue Snows home. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. Stella claimed that her daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, lied about her involvement in the case in order to reap the $300,000 of reward money being offered. In a panic, Stella Nickell, 43, called police and said that her husband, Bruce, 52, had died on June 5, soon after taking an Excedrin capsule from the same lot as the ones that killed Snow.. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Stella Nicholls : No, Sarah, now it's your turn to hear a story. [7], A murder by cyanide was sensational news in Washington State. [1][2], On June 5, 1986, the Nickells were living in Auburn, Washington, when Bruce, 52, came home from work with a headache. Investigators verified that Stella had bought Algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store. 44 year old Stella Nickell, of Auburn, Washington, had been absolutely miserable with her life. Another $300,000 was shared by nine people who helped police arrest a Florida man in 1986. Are you a "motivated dater"? Bruce was a heavy equipment operator with a drinking habit, which suited her lifestyle,[3] and the two were married in 1976. This time it was a bottle of Maximum Strength Anacin-3 at the Pay 'n Save store where Sue Snow was thought to have bought her fatal Excedrin. [6] Concrete evidence proving that she had ever purchased or used cyanide was lacking, and despite their relative certainty that she had orchestrated the poisonings as either an elaborate cover-up for an insurance-motivated murder of her husband or a desperate attempt to force her husband's death to be ruled an accident to increase her insurance payout, they were unable to build a strong case supporting arrest. A few years later, though, she had a change of heart. America immediately thought of the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol product-tampering murders in which seven people died. Klein told them that her mom, who was a bank manager in Auburn, Washington, was "popular and had a big personality.". [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. Two more insurance policies on Bruce's life now came to light. [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. But they found Cyanide in the pills. Other occupants: Joanna R Nicholls. Stella is not perfect: She once served four months in jail for check fraud. Required fields are marked *. Comments can only be made on article within the first 3 days of publication. They had thought it was drug overdose, but she was not a known user, and had taken only a couple of Extra - Strength Excedrin. [3] The FDA inspected the Morrisville, North Carolina, plant where the tainted lot had been packaged, but found no traces of cyanide to explain its presence in the Washington bottles. Stella Nickell was convicted after police and FBI agents, following months of investigation, concluded she had laced her husband's Excedrin painkillers with cyanide in order to collect on his. For 19 months, Farr and Ciolino have been traveling the country without pay, interviewing witnesses and friends, talking to anyone who may help them re-open this case. One of the bottles happened to be purchased by Snow. Later, however, he entered rehab and gave up the bottle. Examination showed that Bruces signatures on at least two of the policies in his name were forgeries. Nickell is the subject of a new book, "American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood and the Cyanide Murders That Shook the World." Olsen says Hamilton and her mother had a combative relationship. The reward is the second paid by the pharmaceutical group. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. Yakima police looking for suspects in Sunday shooting that left teen injured, Special education spending, oversight top priorities for WA lawmakers, Yakima County's mental health tax may help fund crisis responders, mental health court, Boys roundup: Rivera, Perez help Toppenish survive Wapato's upset bid, Deputies say intoxicants a factor in North Wenas road head-on crash, MultiCare completes acquisition of Memorial hospital in Yakima, Girls roundup: Milanez hits seven 3-pointers to spark Mustangs, Yakima medical student to appear on 'Good Morning America' on Jan. 20. Rewards authorized for two other drug-tampering cases remain unpaid. The killer in that case has never been caught. The odds of her selecting two contaminated bottles by random chance were astronomical. [7] His death initially was ruled to be by natural causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema. She lived with the Nickells months before Bruce died. [9] On June 24, a cyanide-contaminated bottle of Anacin-3 was found at the same store where Snow had bought her contaminated Excedrin. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. Since her husband, Bruce Nickells was already dead and buried they could not do anything. She bought nine more bottles of Excedrin and cut through the protective film with a razor blade. "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. Stella's friend A.J. After the war, he opened a haberdashery in Kansas City. Webking did so, but Stella, who had started drinking heavily,[2] declined. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. She said she had bought the bottles on two occasions, one somewhere in Auburn, the other at Johnny's Market in Kent. ", Klein has watched all three of Nickell's parole hearings, where she's petitioned for release on "compassionate grounds." Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. A more recent but undated photo of Stella Nickell. There was nothing wrong with her. Nixon reaffirmed his promise to withdraw 150,000 read more, On May 8, 1884, Harry S. Truman is born in Lamar, Missouri. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. When another bottle of contaminated Excedrin turned up at a grocery store in Kent, the manufacturer, Bristol-Myers launched an immediate recall of all Excedrin in the Seattle area. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. [29][30] The murders are discussed in the Jodi Picoult novel House Rules, published in 2010. [5], During an autopsy on Snow, Assistant Medical Examiner Janet Miller detected the scent of bitter almonds, an odor distinctive to cyanide. It was found among a thousand pages never turned over to the defense. Your email address will not be published. In June 1986, two Auburn residents were killed by painkillers laced with cyanide. Milford Haven, Dyfed, SA73. Her fate was sealed when Hamilton told the FBI that her mother had repeatedly talked about killing Bruce in different ways. 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. Background Report for Stella Chen. Stella's neighbor, Sandy Scott, became a spy for the FBI. Stella's payoff now totaled $175,000. Stellas lawyer said nothing about the reward because a deal was made. The detectives say they simply don't know who the killer is. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Police arrested her the same day, and she went on trial in April 1988. 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. This has led some to speculate that she may have initially conspired with her mother against her stepfather, then testified against her mother for the reward after her mother failed an FBI polygraph. Detectives later found traces of algaecide a chemical used to clean fish tanks in the Excedrin pills. After her death was reported in the news, Stella called police to tell them that she thought her husband had also been poisoned. We offered the rewards as a deterrent because we feel that the best way to deter tampering is to catch the tamperers, said John T. Walden, a senior vice president of the Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Assn. Gregg Olsen, Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders (New York: Warner Books, 1993); "Update 2002" in St. Martin's Press Paperback edition, 2002. 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. "American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood and the Cyanide Murders That Shook the World.". So she put poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. Then there was the insurance. While it was deemed to be a manufacturing error, the defense thought that it involved product tampering and therefore should have been disclosed during jury selection. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. Stella Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. Olsen told Insider that Snow was a random victim who "paid for Stella's greed with her life." The defense agreed not to cross-examine Cindy about the reward. Social Profiles. The film was to have been directed by Jeff Reiner and starring Katey Sagal as Stella Nickell. A second autopsy proved her right. Authorities became suspicious because she told them she had bought two bottles of Excedrin at different times, probably in different places. A federal judge has denied a plea for compassionate release from prison by an Auburn woman whos serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills that killed two and prompted national recalls of over-the-counter painkillers. 2011 Update: New book presents compelling case that the murderous capsules were prepared within the manufacturer's facilities, not at the retail level. 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. Like cyanide poisoning. [2] She was also known to have, even before Snow's death, repeatedly disputed doctors' ruling that her husband had died of natural causes. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. She claimed to have bought the two bottles at different times in different stores. [25], Seattle author Gregg Olsen wrote about the Nickell case in his 1993 book Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters and the Seattle Cyanide Murders. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Despite the Soviet statement, it was obvious that the boycott was a response to the decision of the read more, On May 8, 1792, Congress passes the second portion of the Militia Act, requiring that every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years be enrolled in the militia. display: none; The judge sentenced her to two 90-year terms for tampering with the bottles that caused the deaths of Bruce and Sue Snow. Like last weeks case, this week deals with murder by poison. [5] Investigators were also able to verify that Stella had purchased Algae Destroyer from a local fish store; it was speculated that the algaecide had become mixed with the cyanide when Stella used the same container to crush both substances without washing it in between uses. 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. The son of a farmer, Truman could not afford to go to college. [10], With investigatory focus turned to Stella, detectives uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her as the culprit. [3] At 6:30 am, their 15-year-old daughter Hayley found Snow collapsed on the floor of her bathroom, unresponsive and with a faint pulse. The Chicago Tylenol case had resulted not only in the 1983 Federal Anti-Tampering Law under which she was charged, but FDA requirements that products be packaged with tamper-resistant technology such as blister-packs, bottle mouth seal covers, shrink wrap bottle covers, visible seals that must be broken to open the bottle, and taped box ends. "48 Hours": Brooke Skylar Richardson case Nickell says her husband walked out on the deck to watch the birds, and suddenly collapsed. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. 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. He was able to do this during his time as a hospital orderly.His spree took place between 1970 and 1987. Stella Chen has been associated with one company, according to public records. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. After searching for months, they found her in Southern California. She told Farr that she is not sure her mother is really guilty. Farr and Ciolino talked to other people who were also rewarded for their role in the case. Then Stella Nickell's daughter, Cindy Hamilton, began talking to police. Snow died a few days later, after also taking Excedrin pills laced with cyanide. The Old Crime is New Again newsletter is a monthly email covering a topic that has not appeared in the blog. When her mom's autopsy results showed she had died of cyanide poisoning, Klein struggled to process the news. The FBI began an investigation into possible product tampering having been the source of the poison. Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. See Photos. 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She told authorities that her husband had died suddenly after taking Excedrin. Klein, who lives with her family in New Mexico, said the loss had taught her "a lot about life." To Nickell's frustration, the autopsy failed to pick up on the poison. "I started reaing books to find out what plants I might have on the property that would be a danger to kids and pets," Stella says. Officers broke open the capsules and found the powdered toxin inside. At age 16, following the birth of her first daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, Stella moved to Southern California, where she married and had another daughter. Nickell, who kept tropical fish in a large tank, had crushed the cyanide in the same bowl that she used to turn the algaecide into powder. For one thing, authorities found only five contaminated bottles of painkillers in all of King County. After an autopsy, the cause of death was declared to be emphysema. Nickell watched Bruce die in agony on June 5, 1986, a few days after buying the cyanide at a chemical-supply company. Sign up for the newsletter today. "She didn't want notoriety," Olsen said. Prosecutors: Security video discredits cosplay model's story of self-defense 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. Nickell was given two 90-year sentences for the murders of her husband and Susan Snow. After the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5-6), Ulysses S. Grants Army of the Potomac marched south in the drive to take Richmond. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Rushed to Harborview Medical Center, Bruce did not respond to doctors efforts to revive him. Following that failure, Stella had begun library research into other methods and hit upon cyanide. In return, the prosecution agreed not to reveal that Cindy said she came forward when she heard her mother failed a polygraph. FBI detectives knew that it was an unlikely coincidence that Nickell had purchased two of four known contaminated bottles purely by chance. It was also featured in episode 93 of Casefile True Crime Podcast in August 2018. Hamilton went on to testify against Nickell at her trial two years later. The detectives also question how she first became a suspect. Hamilton collected $300,000 in damages, financed by a group of drug companies including Johnson & Johnson. O n this day, May 9, in 1988, a Seattle woman was found guilty of killing her husband and another person by lacing Excedrin capsules with cyanide. The Chicago Tylenol incident (which was never solved) had a lasting impact on Stella, who decided that cyanide would be a good method of murder. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. "She was having a hard time breathing." 4 Stella J Nicholls. She became eligible for parole in 2018 but remains in prison. (Note: Polygraph tests are not evidence and failing or refusing to take one is not evidence of guilt). READ MORE: How Americans Became Convinced Their Halloween Candy was Poisoned, Woman convicted of killing two in Excedrin tampering, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/woman-convicted-for-tampering-with-excedrin. 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. Snow was airlifted to the hospital, but she was declared brain dead a few hours later. [32][33], Sources vary as to the exact amount. At the end of the movie, she won the prize for the scariest story ever. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater. [7], Both Stella and Webking were asked to take polygraph examinations. 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. Despite a strong circumstantial case, there was no direct proof that Stella Nickell had bought or used cyanide. She added that "as negative as it is, I have chosen to learn from it and not become bitter. View this record View. Another memo mentions that Stella's two Excedrin bottles came from one store, Albertsons. Stella Nickell (born August 7, 1943) is an American woman murdered her husband and another and tried to make it look like the work of a serial killer. Snow's daughter, Hayley Klein, told Insider about her years of heartache following the crime. [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. The case made headlines across the world. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. Tests confirmed that Snow had died from acute cyanide poisoning. Additionally, network executives feared the film would inspire copycat crimes. 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. [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. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". Search for birth, death, marriage, divorce, US Census, and military records. Dont miss out! Cindy told the FBI that her mother had wanted to kill recovering alcoholic Bruce because after he had gone through rehab and sobered up, he had become a bore. Her first lawyer also asked to see it, and never did. [18] She was denied parole in 2017.[19]. Donald Harvey (April 15, 1952 - March 30, 2017) was an American serial killer who claimed to have murdered 87 people, though official estimates are between 37 and 57 victims. Stella and Steven have lived together in a single family house in Philadelphia, PA. View more. But this time, there was a suspect and an arrest. The Seattle cyanide poisonings are the subject of several true-crime television episodes and at least one book Gregg Olsens Bitter Almonds, published in 2013. 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. They were married two years later. In 1988 in Washington state, Stella Nickell was convicted of killing her husband Bruce, and Sue Snow, a bank manager, by putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. Never-before-seen photos and details about accused Idaho killer But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. Police initially focused on Snows husband Paul Webking. When emergency personnel arrived, she told them that Bruce had taken Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. [1][2] Stella soon found herself in various legal issues, including a conviction for fraud in 1968, a charge of spousal abuse for beating Hamilton with a curtain rod in 1969, and a conviction for forgery in 1971. Stella had two of them. [2] The former was marked as overdue in library records, indicating that she had borrowed but never returned it. She failed and investigators narrowed their focus to her even further. Olsen said that Nickell's crimes have been the focus of a number of TV documentaries and books, including his own. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? "Mom's eyes were open and her fingers were bent and locked up," Klein said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? They informed the FBI, who took jurisdiction of the case. Colbert says that he has never seen the polygraph graph, although he has asked to. When she saw a news report about a woman dying from Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide, she called the police. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. Prosecutors said that Nickell had tampered with medication in several stores to cover up her husband's death. [2] When her bar visits were curtailed by Bruce's sobriety,[3] she began requesting evening shifts at her security screener job at SeattleTacoma International Airport and cultivated a home aquarium as a new hobby. Now, private detective Al Farr and his partner Paul Ciolino are on a mission to prove what they both firmly believe: Nickell is innocent. [1] By the summer of 1987, even Stella's attorneys acknowledged that she was the prime suspect in the case. She maintains her innocence, claiming her daughter lied for the reward money. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. 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. Four years later, the scenario seemed to be playing itself out again in King County Washington. The jury convicted Stella on all counts on May 9, after five days of deliberation. Rider was never called to testify. The case.