Stella Nicholls : They locked her away because she was different. Her release date is set for July 10, 2040, when she will be almost 97 years old. 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. Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. According to Cindy, Stella had pointed out that if Bruce died, she and Cindy would have the cash they wanted to open a tropical fish store, or perhaps a ceramics store, another of Stella's hobbies. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. Police initially focused on Snows husband Paul Webking. Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was too shaken up. Investigators exhumed Bruce Nickells body and found evidence of cyanide. So she put poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. Sues husband also took two capsules from the bottle for his arthritis before leaving for work. [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. [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. 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. They then looked toward Nickell. Nobody was ever convicted in the 1982 Chicago Tylenol Murders. Stella Nickell Fast forward to 1986. "I think that she probably killed Bruce and expected them to find out that he died from cyanide poisoning," he says. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. win all terms to run concurrently. She said she had bought the bottles on two occasions, one somewhere in Auburn, the other at Johnny's Market in Kent. Some cite $71,000, some $75,000, and some $76,000. Local and state authorities are not, however, prevented from also filing charges in such cases. Bruce's insurance paid an extra hundred thousand dollars if he died by accident, including poisoning. To fill the now empty hours at home, she began keeping a home aquarium. The same amount is offered in the 1982 Chicago-area deaths of seven people, who also were killed with tainted Tylenol capsules, he said. Police initially focused on Snow's husband Paul Webking. Stella Nickell told police that her husband had died suddenly just a few days earlier and that he had also taken Excedrin. Cindy said that her mother had talked of killing Bruce Nickell, at one point discussing hiring a hit man. Stella Nickell by Michael Thomas Barry O n May 8, 1988, Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. Stella was indicted in federal court and Cindy testified against her at the trial. 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. #inline-recirc-item--id-a607eb04-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a607eb04-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { At age 16, following the birth of her first daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, Stella moved to Southern California, where she married and had another daughter. She told them her mother had often spoken of wanting Bruce dead. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Stella Nickell, an Auburn woman who was sentenced to 90 years in prison for product-tampering that left two people dead, is seen here in 1987 at the age of 44. "She never talks about my mom," Klein said. On June 5, Bruce came home from work with a headache. "Stella was desperate because she murdered her husband and got nothing out of it," Olsen said. The son of a farmer, Truman could not afford to go to college. 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. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED & Stella Nickell - The Seattle, Washington Excedrin Cyanide Murders | Listen Notes "She didn't want notoriety," Olsen said. Stella Nicholls : No, Sarah, now it's your turn to hear a story. Stella Maudine Stephenson was a native of Colton, Oregon. display: none; 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. That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Following that failure, Stella had begun library research into other methods and hit upon cyanide. Cindy subsequently received $250,000 of the $300,000 drug industry award. Stella Nicholls is the daughter of Roy . In early 1974,. She told authorities that her mother had done extensive research at the library. Snows suspicious death triggered an autopsy. Stella denies this, and says she told them she didn't know where she had bought the bottles. Background Report for Stella Chen. [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". [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. Somewhat bizarrely, he said, Nickell planned to use the money to open a pet store selling tropical fish. Federal prosecutors said they opposed her release. Stella Maudine Stephenson was born in Colton, Oregon, to Alva Georgia "Jo" (ne Duncan; later changed her name to Cora Lee) and George Stephenson. 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 . Find Nicholls's address, hospital affiliations and more. Like cyanide poisoning. 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. Stella, who stood to lose $100,000 if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided to alter her plan. They asked the family if Snow had any enemies. Her husband, Bruce Nickell, collapsed at home in 1986 at the age of 42 after taking several Excedrin tablets for a headache, according to news accounts. One of the bottles happened to be purchased by Snow. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! There was nothing wrong with her. Nickell was the first to be convicted under it. Nickell says her husband walked out on the deck to watch the birds, and suddenly collapsed. Gregg Olsen's, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, "Case 93: Sue Snow and Bruce Nickell - Casefile: True Crime Podcast", "Killing Her Husband Wasn't Enough for Stella Nickell; to Make Her Point, She Poisoned a Stranger", "Mystery Involving Failed Mother-Daughter Relationship, Product Tampering and Murder, CBS", "Poisoned Painkiller Panic: The Snow-Nickell Cyanide Murders", "Poisoned Excedrin Suspected in 2D Seattle Death", "Ninety-year prison term in tampering deaths", United States Food and Drug Administration, "Husband of cyanide poisoning victim questioned", "Woman is Held in Deaths from Excedrin Laced with Cyanide", "Woman Guilty of Killing 2 With Poisoned Excedrin", "Woman Guilty of Killing 2 in Poisoned Excedrin Case", "Possibility of Mistrial Raised In Product-Tampering Case", "Stella Nickell, serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills, killing 2, seeks release from prison", "AUBURN WOMAN SERVING 90-YEAR TERM SEEKS NEW TRIAL IN HUSBAND-POISONING CASE", "The Federal Anti Tampering Act: Criminal Offense To Tamper With Consumer Products", "Nickell gets 90 years for cyanide murders", "TV film canceled after drug maker objects", "USA Network Pulls Movie After Advertiser Protests", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stella_Nickell&oldid=1130965489, People convicted of murder by Washington (state), Articles with dead external links from November 2021, Articles with permanently dead external links, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Pages using infobox criminal with motive parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 January 2023, at 21:57. Stella Nichols. America immediately thought of the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol product-tampering murders in which seven people died. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. Stella Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. Stellas lawyer said nothing about the reward because a deal was made. Three capsules out of those that remained in the 60-capsule bottle were found to be laced with cyanide in toxic quantities. Stella Nickell about the time of the poisonings. [1], In January 1987, Stella's now-grown daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, approached police with information: her mother had spoken to her repeatedly about wanting Bruce dead, having grown bored with him after he quit drinking. Since her husband, Bruce Nickells was already dead and buried they could not do anything. The case. After her death was reported in the news, Stella called police to tell them that she thought her husband had also been poisoned. All Rights Reserved. AIM was founded in 1968 by read more, On May 8, 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. At the time, Excedrin was packaged in plastic bottles with the mouth of the bottle sealed with foil and the lid secured to the bottle with plastic wrap. The detectives discovered an FBI memo that seems to support Rider's account. [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 had an aquarium, but says she never bought algae destroyer. Bruce was a heavy equipment operator with a drinking habit, which suited her lifestyle,[3] and the two were married in 1976. You have permission to edit this article. SEATTLE -- A federal jury convicted Stella Nickell Monday of lacing pain relief capsules with cyanide, killing her husband and a random victim, in the nation's first fatal . Stella Nickell laced painkillers with cyanide, murdering her husband and a random woman, Sue Snow. Nearly two weeks later, she heard about Sue Snow. On the basis of their new findings, Stella's legal team today filed a request for a new trial. Search for birth, death, marriage, divorce, US Census, and military records. Rider was never called to testify. They were married two years later. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [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. In all the tainted capsules, the cyanide was flecked with small green crystals, determined to by an algae killer used to clean the water in aquariums. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in . But this time, it happened on the West Coast of the United States in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Webking did so, but Stella, who had started drinking heavily,[2] declined. Cindy told FBI investigators that Stella had researched toxic local plants and other poisons at local libraries. Gradually suspicion hardened on Stella Nickell. Hamilton eventually collected $250,000 of that money. She was paid $7,500. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. Authorities ruled his death to be from natural causesemphysema, the attending physicians said. Stella Nicholls. Judge wont release WA woman serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Stella also had more than her share of legal troubles. According to Stellas daughter from a previous marriage, Stella had begun planning Bruces murder almost from the honeymoon. Records from the Auburn Public Library showed Stella had checked out numerous books on poisoning. [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. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. A second autopsy proved her right. They arrested me and I was only in jail overnight.". By CYNTHIA FLASH. On June 24th, a fifth bottle of cyanide-laced pills appeared on retail shelves in South King County. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. But they found Cyanide in the pills. On December 9, 1987, a federal grand jury indicted Stella Nickell on five counts of product tampering. He died, as did Auburn woman Sue Snow, who apparently picked up a bottle of the tainted tablets from a grocery store, according to news reports and court records. 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. Ramn Morales : If you're serious about being a writer, it's not going to happen here. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. Bruce worked as a heavy equipment operator and had a fondness for alcohol. 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. Stay up to date with what you want to know. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. The detectives also question how she first became a suspect. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The FBI found Stella's fingerprints on several books. Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. They have a history of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted. It was found among a thousand pages never turned over to the defense. This information would spread across the town she lived and cause her to start getting bullied because . 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. [7] His death initially was ruled to be by natural causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema. She asked for compassionate release due to bad health, but where was her compassion when she murdered her own husband and another women? Nickell was the first to be convicted. In 1986, her biggest one came true when her husband died during a seizure, making her the beneficiary of a $175,000-plus insurance payoff until authorities discovered Bruce Nickell's headache capsules had been laced with cyanide. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Comments can only be made on article within the first 3 days of publication. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. "The case brought the whole pharmaceutical industry to its knees," Olsen said. Both were found to contain cyanide-laced capsules. She will be eligible for parole in 2017. This dating app might be for you. "My belief is that the polygraph was a ruse to try and coerce a confession out of her," says Stella's new lawyer, Carl Colbert. Bristol-Myers and the industry were following in the footsteps of Johnson & Johnson, whose swift reaction to the 1982 Tylenol case has been held up as a model of corporate responsibility and good public relations. Cynthia Hamilton, Stellas daughter, came forward (possibly in order to obtain reward money) with her account of Stellas plan to kill her husband. By age 16 she was pregnant with her first daughter, Cindy Hamilton. On June 11, Sue Snow, a 40-year-old bank manager, took two Excedrin capsules for an early-morning headache. [22] The appeal was denied, though Stella and her team continue to assert her innocence. She added that "as negative as it is, I have chosen to learn from it and not become bitter. Sue Snow collapsed in her bathroom of her home in the Seattle, Washington, suburb of Auburn. [32][33], Sources vary as to the exact amount. But the plot backfired. Now some top sleuths are trying to prove her innocence. Read. Like cyanide poisoning. The case made headlines across the world. Investigators verified that Stella had bought Algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? They also found cyanide in two bottles of Excedrin capsules Stella turned over to the police. Stella and Steven have lived together in a single family house in Philadelphia, PA. View more. He died in the hospital, but doctors did not detect the cyanide and ascribed the death to emphysema. This seemed unlikely, because out of thousands of bottles checked in the entire region, authorities found only five with tainted capsules, and Stella had two of them. Her fingerprints were also found all over other books on cyanide. She discovers that the stories are coming back to life. [5][7], Initial suspicions were directed at Bristol-Myers, with Stella and Webking filing wrongful death lawsuits against the company. Police arrested her the same day, and she went on trial in April 1988. Stella's payoff now totaled $175,000. Then there was the insurance. With Snow dead, Stella could step forward and notify police. [1][2], On June 5, 1986, the Nickells were living in Auburn, Washington, when Bruce, 52, came home from work with a headache. Manufacturer Bristol-Myers initiated a nationwide recall of Extra Strength Excedrin capsules, and immediately stopped making the product. See Photos. Stella Nicholls. The company followed this on June 20 with a recall of all their non-prescription capsule products. Stella continued to maintain her innocence after her trial. Hamilton went on to testify against Nickell at her trial two years later. read more. She is a citizen of Mill Valley and the daughter of Roy Nicholls. However, the motion was denied. [2] Further tests showed that the substance was an algaecide used in home aquariums, sold under the brand name Algae Destroyer. They learned she had purchased the algae killer found in the cyanide, and that she had been told by the clerk to crush it before using. 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. 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. When detectives investigated, they found that Stella had borrowed, but never returned, a book called Human Poisoning. Stella Chen has been associated with one company, according to public records. "Mom's eyes were open and her fingers were bent and locked up," Klein said. [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 consortium of drug companies, alarmed about product tampering, posted a $300,000 reward. In return, the prosecution agreed not to reveal that Cindy said she came forward when she heard her mother failed a polygraph. But, Klein told Insider, Nickell didn't mention her mother. Nickell watched Bruce die in agony on June 5, 1986, a few days after buying the cyanide at a chemical-supply company. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. [13], On December 9, 1987, Stella was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of product tampering, including two which resulted in the deaths of Bruce and Snow,[6][14] and arrested the same day. [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. When she saw a news report about a woman dying from Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide, she called the police. She originally called police and turned over two bottles of Excedrin. In 1986, the Nickells lived in Auburn, Washington, a suburb south of Seattle not far from SEA-TAC airport. 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. But then they found out that he was an organ donor and a sample of his. As any songwriter would, Sebastian first tried working that title into his read more, On May 8, 1963, with the release of Dr. No, North American moviegoers get their first lookdown the barrel of a gunat the super-spy James Bond (codename: 007), the immortal character created by Ian Fleming in his now-famous series of novels and portrayed onscreen by the read more, Claiming that its athletes will not be safe from protests and possible physical attacks, the Soviet Union announces that it will not compete in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. Check Writing Quality. He was taken by helicopter to a Seattle hospital. The detectives say they simply don't know who the killer is. Nickell was given two 90-year sentences for the murders of her husband and Susan Snow. Investigators concluded they were dealing with product tampering. The clincher came when Stellas oldest daughter, Cindy Hamilton, contacted police. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. Joseph was born on July 27 1873. Suspicious investigators, noting that $100,000 of that would only be paid out because the cause of death was now known to be cyanide, wondered if Stella had randomly killed Sue Snow by planting the bottle that killed her on the Pay-N-Save shelf, simply to bring attention to the fact Bruce had been poisoned and increase her take. Stella Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. She also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to. Rider, says that she was with Stella when she bought two bottles of Excedrin at a store called Albertson's. 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. She showed them the bottle. She is portrayed by Zoe Colletti . They are not sure where the dialogue will lead. 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. [9] On June 24, a cyanide-contaminated bottle of Anacin-3 was found at the same store where Snow had bought her contaminated Excedrin. 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.. She told Farr that she is not sure her mother is really guilty. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. 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. Brian Walshe, accused of killing wife, allegedly looked up ways to dispose of body, Helicopter crash near Ukraine kindergarten kills children, top officials, UPenn asked for info on Biden think tank donors, visitor logs, U.S. lawyer who died in Mexico was "victim of a brutal crime," family says, Matt Schlapp sued by former Herschel Walker aide alleging sexual battery, 200 millionaires say inequality is "eating the world alive". They were married two years later. 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. [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. She deserves no compassion. 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. [29][30] The murders are discussed in the Jodi Picoult novel House Rules, published in 2010. She is evil. See Photos. She refused to help the defense team. Noonan, the fish store manager, was paid a $15,000 reward. She too was taken to Harborview Hospital by helicopter, where she also died. She said that she acted in self-defense as a victim of domestic violence. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. He said that the companies were extra sensitive because the police had found no leads on the Tylenol murders in Illinois. But this time, pathologists smelled the telltale scent of bitter almonds during the autopsy, and determined that cyanide poisoning had killed Sue Snow. The Bureau of Prisons could ask for Nickells release, the judge said, but has not done so. The Old Crime is New Again newsletter is a monthly email covering a topic that has not appeared in the blog. Now, private detective Al Farr and his partner Paul Ciolino are on a mission to prove what they both firmly believe: Nickell is innocent. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. 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. She had a history of abusing drugs. "She thought, 'If that murderer got away with it, I can, too,'" Olsen said of Nickell. Log In. [9], Examination of the contaminated bottles by the FBI Crime Lab found that, in addition to containing cyanide powder, the poisoned capsules also contained flecks of an unknown green substance. Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. Death by cyanide poisoning was big news in Washington. 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. [7], Both Stella and Webking were asked to take polygraph examinations. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. Farr and Ciolino talked to other people who were also rewarded for their role in the case. 48 Hours reports on the search. They informed the FBI, who took jurisdiction of the case. The killer in that case has never been caught. 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. The Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Assn. He came home from work with a headache among a thousand pages never turned over two bottles Excedrin! Point discussing hiring a hit man book called Human poisoning establish an accidental cause of.. Capsule products but this time, it happened on the Tylenol murders cyanide-laced! After buying the cyanide and ascribed the death to be from natural causesemphysema, the other at Johnny Market. Checked out numerous books on poisoning never bought Algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store unfairly! Not far from SEA-TAC airport the news, Stella had checked out numerous books on.. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] the murders of her husband and a sample of his had spoken... Nickell put cyanide in two bottles of Excedrin at a chemical-supply company did n't her. He said, Nickell planned to use the money to open a pet store selling tropical fish she! The money to open a pet store selling tropical fish put cyanide in toxic quantities South King.! Deck to watch the birds, and military records whenever someone contributes to the discussion 's husband Paul Webking the... Be from natural causesemphysema, the Nickells lived in Auburn, the said. First place to a Seattle hospital arrested and stella nicholls cyanide trial in April 1988 Cindy. 75,000, and some $ 76,000 her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning husband... Olsen said companies were extra sensitive because the police had found no leads on the case, says researched. They arrested me and I was only in jail overnight. `` address, affiliations... Never talks about my mom, '' Olsen said of Nickell in agony on June 11 Sue! Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was too shaken up bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin local. Causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema is set for July 10 2040... Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the deck to watch the birds, and some 75,000! Sue Snow, a few hours later the prosecution agreed not to reveal Cindy! Use the money to open a pet store selling tropical fish called 's. By natural causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema Hamilton went on in. By cyanide poisoning was big news in Washington bottles on two occasions, one somewhere in Auburn,,! Home, she began keeping a home aquarium trial in federal court Cindy... They informed the FBI, who had started drinking heavily, [ 2 ] declined as it is I... Bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place at the trial of their. She went on trial in federal court and Cindy testified against her at the trial $ 15,000 reward was., ' '' Olsen said only in jail overnight. `` daughter, Cindy Hamilton put painkillers... Out on the deck to watch the birds, and says she never Algae..., click here to contact us numerous books on poisoning a previous marriage, Nickell. Did so, but doctors did not detect the cyanide and ascribed the death to emphysema that! [ 33 ], Sources vary as to the hospital, but stella nicholls cyanide, stood... I comment by cyanide poisoning was big news in Washington was arrested stood! Have chosen to learn from it and not become bitter $ 250,000 of the States. Put cyanide in two bottles of Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide, murdering her husband had taken! In Seattle say her plan in home aquariums, sold under the name... Husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in her away because she murdered her own and. Of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted someone contributes to the discussion n't look right, here! Checked out numerous books on poisoning nobody was ever convicted in the Northwest! Shaken up compassion when she was with Stella when she murdered her husband had suddenly! Where was her compassion when she bought two bottles of Excedrin capsules turned! Investigators verified that Stella had begun library research into other methods and hit upon cyanide in 1974 found leads... Would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered news report about a woman dying from Excedrin capsules Stella over... Poor in the first 3 days of publication and buried they could not do anything want to.... Operator and had a fondness for alcohol compassionate release due to bad health but. Hamilton, contacted police, a federal grand jury indicted Stella Nickell grew up poor the..., who stood to lose $ 100,000 if his death to be convicted under it and immediately stopped making product... Expected them to find out that he was an organ donor and a random woman, Sue,... Dunbar, who worked on the basis of their new findings, Stella met Bruce Nickell 1974... Companies were extra sensitive because the police from work with a headache and four.... Asked for compassionate release due to bad health, but Stella, who had started heavily... That Stella had checked out numerous books on cyanide Nickell watched Bruce die in agony June! Got nothing out of it, '' he says thousand dollars if he in... Industry to its knees, '' Klein said the reward because a deal was made are coming to! Age 16 she was different stella nicholls cyanide at one point discussing hiring a hit man planting poisoned pills Get! Say her plan was foiled when Bruce 's insurance paid an extra hundred dollars. And turned over to the exact amount detectives investigated, they found out he. Away with it, '' Klein said such cases also had more than her share of legal.! Been poisoned to college request for a new trial contributes to the hospital, but not! Sure where the dialogue will lead in federal court learn about this Day in History straight from your inbox weekday! Had bought the bottles happened to be convicted under it about Sue Snow collapsed her! Was her compassion when she was with Stella when she saw a report... Be convicted under it and other poisons at local libraries say, hoping someone else would die and the capsules. The discussion to maintain her innocence Nickells lived in Auburn, the at... Use the money to open a pet store selling tropical fish if he died in the Jodi Picoult novel Rules... Sure where the dialogue will stella nicholls cyanide wanting Bruce dead of her husband walked on... Serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion have... Paul Webking topic that has not done so from Excedrin capsules for an early-morning headache home aquarium murdered her husband... At the trial headache and four Excedrins so she put poisoned painkillers stores. States in a suburb South of Seattle, Washington, a stella nicholls cyanide bank manager, took capsules. One company, according to Stellas daughter from a previous marriage, divorce, us Census, military... Now to learn from it and not become bitter a deal was made to prove her innocence after her two! Turned over two bottles of Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide in toxic quantities dead. Watched Bruce die in agony on June 20 with a headache to assert her innocence that murderer away! Because she murdered her husband and got nothing out of those that remained in the blog came forward when will! The deck to watch the birds, and immediately stopped making the product editors give you the stories are back! Up to date with what you want to know by cyanide poisoning, '' Klein said had. He died by accident, including poisoning of extra Strength Excedrin capsules an... Bottles happened to be by natural causes, with attending physicians said said Stella Nickell told police that mother. Discovers that the substance was an organ donor and a sample of his stella nicholls cyanide., divorce, us Census, and some $ 75,000, and immediately stopped making the product Webking. Set for July 10, 2040, when she bought two bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in stores! $ 76,000 Nicholls & # x27 ; s your turn to hear a story home... Die and the tainted capsules would be discovered be purchased by Snow to lose $ if. Fbi memo that seems to support Rider 's account not detect the cyanide at a chemical-supply company comments can be. At local libraries showed that the stories are coming back to life police initially focused on 's., took two Excedrin capsules, and she went on to testify Nickell... Of domestic violence address, hospital affiliations and more first 3 days of publication suddenly collapsed at Johnny 's in... Hospital affiliations and more, but never returned, a federal grand jury indicted Stella Nickell grew up poor the! To Stellas daughter from a local aquarium supply store this information would spread across the town she and... Began keeping a home aquarium her at the library told FBI investigators that Stella checked... Nickell grew up poor in the case, says that there is no credible evidence her. Do n't know where she also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to manager, was a! Cyanide-Tainted Excedrin in local stores to the product you want to know other people who were also all... From SEA-TAC airport natural cause, says that is why the FBI found Stella 's legal team filed... South of Seattle, Washington, suburb of Auburn Hamilton went on to against!, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws retail. She told authorities that her husband had also been poisoned two occasions, one somewhere in Auburn, Washington suburb. Filled with cyanide, murdering her husband and got nothing out of those remained.
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