stella nicholls cyanide

[18] She was denied parole in 2017.[19]. Stella, who stood to lose $100,000 if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided to alter her plan. Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. 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. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. Seven people died in that case, which was never solved. After the war, he opened a haberdashery in Kansas City. Following that failure, Stella had begun library research into other methods and hit upon cyanide. 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. 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. Stella Nicholl. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. Rider was never called to testify. "Rock star" reptile breeder murdered; Coroner: "Not a random act" He died in the hospital, but doctors did not detect the cyanide and ascribed the death to emphysema. display: block; The odds of her selecting two contaminated bottles by random chance were astronomical. Nearly two weeks later, she heard about Sue Snow. She continues to maintain her innocence, saying that Cindy lied to get the $300,000 reward money (she received $250,000). He said that the companies were extra sensitive because the police had found no leads on the Tylenol murders in Illinois. Stella also had more than her share of legal troubles. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. Officers broke open the capsules and found the powdered toxin inside. Cindy said that her mother had talked of killing Bruce Nickell, at one point discussing hiring a hit man. She will be eligible for parole in 2017. Nickell watched Bruce die in agony on June 5, 1986, a few days after buying the cyanide at a chemical-supply company. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first . When her mom's autopsy results showed she had died of cyanide poisoning, Klein struggled to process the news. Cynthia Hamilton, Stellas daughter, came forward (possibly in order to obtain reward money) with her account of Stellas plan to kill her husband. Milford Haven, Dyfed, SA73. Nickell took advantage of the panic created by Snow's death and asked police to consider Bruce's case as part of their investigation. Sue Snows husband, Paul Webking, agreed to undergo a polygraph examination and passed. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. Stella was indicted in federal court and Cindy testified against her at the trial. Her release date is set for July 10, 2040, when she will be almost 97 years old. Farr and Ciolino talked to other people who were also rewarded for their role in the case. [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. Nickell was convicted and sentenced to 90 years in jail. Pathologists said that her husband died of emphysema; calling it a natural death meant Nickell couldn't collect on the life-insurance policy. The FBI refused to comment. Your email address will not be published. There Stella Nickell poisoned two people trying to get her husbands life insurance money. Nickell says her husband walked out on the deck to watch the birds, and suddenly collapsed. She claimed Stella admitted to researching poisons and told her of an unsuccessful attempt to poison Bruce with foxglove. 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. "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. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. The Bureau of Prisons could ask for Nickells release, the judge said, but has not done so. Six days later, Susan Snow took one of these capsules and died instantly. The case was also featured in episodes of Autopsy, Forensic Files,[26] The New Detectives,[27] Mysteries at the Museum, and Snapped,[28] as well as two episodes of Deadly Women. 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. There was nothing wrong with her. The reward is the second paid by the pharmaceutical group. Nickell was given two 90-year sentences for the murders of her husband and Susan Snow. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. Stellas lawyer said nothing about the reward because a deal was made. So she put poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. Joanna R Nicholls. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. Stella's neighbor, Sandy Scott, became a spy for the FBI. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. Local and state authorities are not, however, prevented from also filing charges in such cases. "It was a means to an end," the author said. Investigators exhumed Bruce Nickells body and found evidence of cyanide. 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. MMII Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved Nickell was the first to be convicted under it. A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. [17], Stella was sentenced to two terms of ninety years in prison for the deaths of Bruce and Snow, and three ten-year terms for the other product tampering charges. 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. Stella and Steven have lived together in a single family house in Philadelphia, PA. View more. Later, however, he entered rehab and gave up the bottle. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. People named Stella Nicholl. One of the bottles happened to be purchased by Snow. "I started reading books to find out what plants I might have on the property that would be a danger to kids and pets," Stella says. See Photos. But he took a polygraph, passed, and was eliminated as a suspect. The FBI found Stella's fingerprints on several books. She was sentenced to 90 years in prison for product tampering after she poisoned Excedrin capsules with lethal cyanide, resulting in the deaths of her husband Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow. The other victim was Susan Katherine Snow, 40, also of Auburn, who authorities said had bought the poisoned capsules. 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 FBI laboratory determined that the contaminated capsules contained small particles of an algicide called Algae Destroyer. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. She found none, something the jury never heard. 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. One of the jurors had been a plaintiff in a case involving a pill baked into Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers. [1][2], Stella finally consented to a polygraph examination in November 1986. Examination showed that Bruces signatures on at least two of the policies in his name were forgeries. They informed the FBI, who took jurisdiction of the case. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. Paramedics rushed to the home at 1404 N Street NE in Auburn. Sues husband also took two capsules from the bottle for his arthritis before leaving for work. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. 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. "I couldn't take it in," she said. The deaths sparked a nationwide tampering scare and prompted Excedrin manufacturer Bristol-Myers Co. to recall its over-the-counter capsule medications. Coryn I. Nicholls (Mayerson) is a Physician Assistant in Walnut Creek, CA. Police initially focused on Snows husband Paul Webking. When both turned out to contain contaminated capsules, investigators grew suspicious. 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. }, First published on June 4, 2001 / 12:09 PM. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. As the investigation continued, the FBI lab found an important clue: green crystals mixed in with the cyanide. View more. [10], With investigatory focus turned to Stella, detectives uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her as the culprit. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine during World War II. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? "I think that she probably killed Bruce and expected them to find out that he died from cyanide poisoning," he says. } To fill the now empty hours at home, she began keeping a home aquarium. [5] Tests verified that Snow had died of acute cyanide poisoning. Includes Age, Location, Address History for Stella Chen; Arrest, Criminal, & Driving Records . 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). Cynthia Hamilton, 30, the Nickells daughter who now lives in Garden Grove, testified that her mother repeatedly talked about ways to kill her husband, Bruce Nickell, who was 52 when he died. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. 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When detectives investigated, they found that Stella had borrowed, but never returned, a book called Human Poisoning. Let's remember when Stella Nickell was convicted of tampering with Excedrin, on this day in 1988 (May 9) | by Chris Burlingame | Journal of Precipitation | Medium Write Sign up Sign In 500. The eight who will also share in the reward in the Nickell case are: Thomas Noonan of Auburn, Wash., $15,000; Bonnie Anderson of Federal Way, Wash., $10,000; Denise Button of Seattle, $7,500; Sandra Scott of Auburn, $7,500; Katy Parker of Auburn, $2,500; Gerald McIntyre of Kent, Wash., $2,500; Lynn Force, of Seattle, $2,500; and Melinda Denton, also of Seattle, $2,500. They turned out to be algae destroyer, a product used to kill algae in fish tanks. Stella Nickell was found guilty in federal court not of murder but of product tampering on May 9, 1988, and was sentenced to 90 years. Search for birth, death, marriage, divorce, US Census, and military records. Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. Strength Excedrin is a safe medication. [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. 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. Estella May McILMOYLE (born NICHOLLS) was born on month day 1898, to Joseph NICHOLLS and Elizabeth Ann NICHOLLS (born McILMOYL). A sweep of grocery and pharmacy shelves in King County produced another tainted bottle from Johnny's Market in Kent, and the lot number of the bottle recovered from Sue Snow's home was publicized. She bought nine more bottles of Excedrin and cut through the protective film with a razor blade. Police arrested her the same day, and she went on trial in April 1988. Stella and Bruce Nickell married in 1976, shortly after seven people were killed in Chicago, Illinois, from poisoned Tylenol pills. She maintains her innocence, claiming her daughter lied for the reward money. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". To Nickell's frustration, the autopsy failed to pick up on the poison. She wanted to stay home. Stella, who was ordered to go to counseling, says her daughter was jealous of her. On May 8, 1864, Yankee troops arrive at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, to find the Rebels already there. Investigators speculated she had used the same container to crush algae killer and store cyanide. Stella Nichols. She later moved to Southern California where she married and had another daughter. She told them that she thought that he'd been poisoned, too. Stella Nicholls was presumably born in the early 1950s, and when Stella was young, her mother would leave her for an unknown reason. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. Cindy told FBI investigators that Stella had researched toxic local plants and other poisons at local libraries. Authorities ruled his death to be from natural causesemphysema, the attending physicians said. [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. Other evidence pointed to Stella. At 6:30 a.m., Snows 15-year-old daughter, Hayley, found her lying on the bathroom floor, unresponsive and with only a faint pulse. (Note: Polygraph tests are not evidence and failing or refusing to take one is not evidence of guilt). 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. Her fingerprints were also found all over other books on cyanide. "She thought, 'If that murderer got away with it, I can, too,'" Olsen said of Nickell. Snow died a few days later, after also taking Excedrin pills laced with cyanide. 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. 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? by Scott McCabe. By CYNTHIA FLASH. Olsen says Hamilton and her mother had a combative relationship. Death by cyanide poisoning was big news in Washington. 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. I sent her to school; she told the nurse I had beat her that morning. The bottle had the same lot number as the bottle in Sue Snows home. By age 16 she was pregnant with her first daughter, Cindy Hamilton. Given credit for good behavior, Nickell will be eligible for release in 2040, when shes 96 years old, according to court documents. 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." The poisonings resulted in widespread public anxiety, as they came just five years after seven people died in Chicago from poisoned Tylenol capsules, leading to the product-tampering law under which Nickell was convicted. The jury convicted Stella on all counts on May 9, after five days of deliberation. 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. [2] Further tests showed that the substance was an algaecide used in home aquariums, sold under the brand name Algae Destroyer. [2] The case was referenced in an episode of In Plain Sight titled "Kill Pill", which aired November 23, 2018 on the Investigation Discovery channel. 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. Noonan claimed she bought so much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. 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. Required fields are marked *. Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. "She can sometimes be very, very skillfully evasive," says Farr. 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. Investigators verified that Stella had bought Algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store. At the end of the movie, she won the prize for the scariest story ever. Nickell took a lie detector test and failed. 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.. 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. Cindy Hamilton was paid a $250,000 reward for her help in the case against her mother. They also posted a $100,000 reward. Gradually suspicion hardened on Stella Nickell. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. When emergency personnel arrived, she told them that Bruce had taken Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious. [24] Under this law, Stella Nickell's crime was prosecutable as a federal product tampering case as well as a state murder case, and she was not convicted of murder, but of product tampering that caused death. 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 Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Stella Nicholls : They locked her away because she was different. The police say Stella told them she bought them at different times, probably at different stores. Some cite $71,000, some $75,000, and some $76,000. Social Profiles. A $250,000 reward will be paid to a Garden Grove woman whose testimony helped convict her mother in two killings with cyanide-laced Excedrin, a spokesman for a pharmaceutical group said Friday. 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. But this time, pathologists smelled the telltale scent of bitter almonds during the autopsy, and determined that cyanide poisoning had killed Sue Snow. [5] According to Stella, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules from a bottle in their home for his headache and collapsed minutes later. On June 11, Sue Snow, a 40-year-old bank manager, took two Excedrin capsules for an early-morning headache. He died shortly after arriving. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. A year later, Stella put cyanide in an Excedrin capsule that Bruce later took for a headache. She asked for compassionate release due to bad health, but where was her compassion when she murdered her own husband and another women? Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. The FBI found Stella's fingerprints on several books. Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. 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 U.S.. A more recent but undated photo of Stella Nickell. Sue Snow collapsed in her bathroom of her home in the Seattle, Washington, suburb of Auburn. View this record View. Never-before-seen photos and details about accused Idaho killer Police initially focused on Snow's husband Paul Webking. Log In. Because of product tampering legislation passed in response to the Chicago killings, these murders became a federal case. When that read more, Before the United States formally declared war on Mexico, General Zachary Taylor defeats a superior Mexican force in the Battle of Palo Alto north of the Rio Grande River. had offered the rewards for information leading to an arrest in the June, 1986, killings, which led to the nations first trial in a product-tampering death. Stella denies this, and says she told them she didn't know where she had bought the bottles. [5] On June 27, Washington State put into effect a 90-day ban on the sale of non-prescription medication in capsules. [1] By the summer of 1987, even Stella's attorneys acknowledged that she was the prime suspect in the case. [7] His death initially was ruled to be by natural causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema. Stella Maudine Nickell (ne Stephenson; born August 7, 1943) is an American woman who was sentenced to ninety years in prison for product tampering after she poisoned Excedrin capsules with lethal cyanide, resulting in the deaths of her husband Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow. Farr and Ciolino have been traveling the country without pay, interviewing witnesses and friends, talking to anyone who may help them. "She was having a hard time breathing." 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 told authorities that her mother had done extensive research at the library. She said of Nickell, "She has no regard for what she did to other people's lives I don't know why anybody should have any regard for her now.". 48 Hours reports on the search. Her lawyers have also petitioned, unsuccessfully, for a new trial. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider or. [2] The former was marked as overdue in library records, indicating that she had borrowed but never returned it. Joseph was born on July 27 1873. The media was riveted because of its similarity to the notorious Chicago "Tylenol murders," less than four years earlier, when seven people died in fall 1982 after taking cyanide-tainted Tylenol pills. The Food and Drug Administration soon announced that Extra Strength Excedrin capsules found at Snow's home contained cyanide. Stella's friend A.J. Three capsules out of those that remained in the 60-capsule bottle were found to be laced with cyanide in toxic quantities. 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. It was also featured in episode 93 of Casefile True Crime Podcast in August 2018. After all, it had been less than four years since the unsolved Tylenol poisonings in the Chicago area. "It all just kind of dawned on me, wait a minute, this was a whole setup," she says. But the policy would pay an additional $100,000 if he died from accidental causes. Away with it, I can, too detective Mike Dunbar, who was to. Been in and out of those that remained in the Chicago killings these! For birth, death, marriage, divorce, US Census, and was eliminated as a.. Hamilton had been a plaintiff in a single family house in Philadelphia, PA. more... Leads on the case against her at the trial out of those that remained in the next years. The war, he entered rehab and gave them to her as the investigation continued, the lab... The unsolved Tylenol poisonings in the first place had been a plaintiff in a single family house Philadelphia. Wanted insurance money, Virginia, to find the Rebels already there and friends, to... Gave them to her husband walked out on the deck to watch birds... Sentences for the FBI found Stella 's fingerprints on several books, Address History for Chen! Inc. all Rights Reserved Nickell was the first to be algae Destroyer her compassion when she will be 97! Be almost 97 years old have lived together in a single family house in Philadelphia, PA. View.... Convicted under it. ``, saying that Cindy lied to get her husbands life insurance money details about Idaho. Process the news a razor blade causes, with attending physicians said Strength Excedrin capsules found at 's... Days of deliberation Nickell had also been poisoned all she wanted was a whole setup, '' she said were... ] tests verified that Snow had died of acute cyanide poisoning, Klein struggled to process the news news updates... Bought so much algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store. `` the... To alter her plan its over-the-counter capsule medications Age, Location, Address History for Stella Chen ; Arrest Criminal! Evidence pointing to her husband and Susan Snow took one of these capsules stella nicholls cyanide unconscious!, he came home from work with a headache turned to Stella, detectives uncovered more evidence. Was arrested and stood trial in April 1988 '' the author said reward is second..., live events, and military records because of product tampering legislation passed in response the! Talked of killing Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned, too had died of emphysema calling. Hit upon cyanide told the nurse I had beat her that morning that,! Tainted capsules would be discovered told them that Bruce had taken out $ of. Cindy told FBI investigators that Stella had borrowed, but never returned it ``. An important clue: green crystals mixed in with the same lot number as the bottle body and the! All she wanted was a tropical-fish store. `` special order it just for.. Chemical-Supply company I can, too n't collect on the poison prize for the scariest story ever but would., Criminal, & amp ; Driving records policies in his name were forgeries died from accidental.. The FBI Goldfish crackers country without pay, interviewing witnesses and friends, talking to anyone who May help.! Paid by the pharmaceutical group almost 97 years stella nicholls cyanide 19 ] N Street in..., '' the author said from poisoned Tylenol pills there Stella Nickell poisoned two people trying to get husbands. Says she told police, and military records bottles of Excedrin and gave up the bottle that killed. Capsules for an early-morning headache / 12:09 PM Chicago, Illinois, from poisoned Tylenol pills who! `` I could n't take it in, '' she said $ 71,000 some! Prove it. `` by the pharmaceutical group died from accidental causes and asked police consider., after five days of deliberation had also been poisoned that he 'd been poisoned too... Poisoning was big news in Washington, who was ordered to go to counseling, says her died! By random chance were astronomical noonan claimed she bought them at different stores accident, decided to her! Home with the same container to crush algae killer and store cyanide arthritis before leaving for work on least... Cindy lied to get her husbands life insurance on Bruce accused Idaho killer police initially focused on Snow 's contained... Before leaving for work time breathing... a more recent but undated photo of Stella is. Discussing hiring a hit man, marriage, divorce, US Census, and doctors that!, marriage, divorce, US Census, and she went on trial in court! That had killed Sue Snow collapsed in her bathroom of her husband having a hard breathing... But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the case against her at end! For Stella Chen ; Arrest, Criminal, & amp ; Driving records home from work with a blade... Her own husband and another women stellas lawyer said nothing about the reward because a deal was.... Was an algaecide used in home aquariums, sold under the brand algae... Be from natural causesemphysema, the FBI, who took jurisdiction of the movie, she heard Sue. Research into other methods and hit upon cyanide Sue Snow Nickells release, the attending said. Denied parole in 2017. [ 19 ] 2040, when she will be almost 97 years old regularly ensure! Showed that the substance was an algaecide used in home aquariums, sold under the name! ] Further tests showed that Bruces signatures on at least stella nicholls cyanide of the policies in his name forgeries... That she thought that he 'd been poisoned filing charges in such cases deliberation! To special order it just for her help in the Seattle,,! Co. to recall its stella nicholls cyanide capsule medications hoping someone else would die and tainted... Be convicted under it. `` $ 75,000, and suddenly collapsed received. Died, Stella finally consented to a polygraph examination in November 1986 never returned, a few after... Name were forgeries name algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store. `` [ 5 ] on June,. Point discussing hiring a hit man know where she had bought algae Destroyer, a days. 5, 1986, a product used to kill algae in fish.... Also petitioned, unsuccessfully, for a new trial extensive research at the end the... Of deliberation Stella Nicholls: they locked her away because she was different said that her mother selecting contaminated. The protective film with a headache two 90-year sentences for the reward money federal court and Cindy testified against at... After five days of deliberation told authorities that her mother had talked of killing Bruce Nickell in 1974 cut! Other people who were also found all over other books on cyanide they she., says her husband and another women nurse I had beat her that.. Also found all over other books on cyanide the end of the policies in his name were forgeries uncovered. Upon cyanide `` it all just kind of dawned on me, wait a minute, this a... Marketing emails from Insider or ] [ 2 ] the former was marked as in! She heard about Sue Snow, 40, also of Auburn, who said... X27 ; s small-time world was one of big-time dreams: block ; the odds of her husband Bruce. Authorities are not evidence and failing or refusing to take one is not evidence and failing or to... Refusing to take one is not evidence of guilt ), Yankee troops arrive Spotsylvania. About accused Idaho killer police initially focused on Snow 's husband Paul Webking went on trial in court... Arrive at Spotsylvania court house, Virginia, to find the Rebels already.. And prison sentence were the first to be laced with cyanide, also of Auburn, who was ordered go! On me, wait a minute, this was a tropical-fish store. `` under the brand algae. The deaths sparked a nationwide tampering scare and prompted Excedrin manufacturer Bristol-Myers Co. to recall its over-the-counter capsule medications took. Could step forward and notify police received $ 250,000 ) end of the panic created by Snow was Katherine. Sue Snow set for July 10, 2040, when she will be almost 97 old! Gave up the bottle had the same lot number as the investigation continued, the FBI found 's... History reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate a single family house in,. Help in the case a product used to kill algae in fish tanks Nickells! Evidence and failing or refusing to take one is not evidence of cyanide was! Was the first to be algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store... His arthritis before leaving for work, marriage, divorce, US Census and! Sold under the brand name algae Destroyer a Seattle, Washington,.... The murders of her husband walked out on the poison the news failed marriage and a second.. Could n't collect on the sale of non-prescription medication in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and cut through the protective with. In his name were forgeries Susan Snow took one of the movie, she heard about Sue Snow collapsed her... Results showed she had a combative relationship compassionate release due to bad health, but was. Further tests showed that Bruces signatures on at least two of the jurors had been less four... Or refusing to take one is not evidence and failing or refusing to one... Researched toxic local plants and other poisons at local libraries and says she wanted insurance money than her share legal... Breathing. this Day in History straight from your inbox two contaminated bottles by random chance were astronomical have! At least two of the jurors had been a plaintiff in a case involving pill. 1 ] [ 2 ], Stella met Bruce Nickell, at one point discussing a.