The judge sentenced her to two 90-year terms for tampering with the bottles that caused the deaths of Bruce and Sue Snow. The other victim was Susan Katherine Snow, 40, also of Auburn, who authorities said had bought the poisoned capsules. [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. As the investigation continued, the FBI lab found an important clue: green crystals mixed in with the cyanide. Stay up to date with what you want to know. 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. During the autopsy, an assistant medical examiner noticed the odor of bitter almonds, a tell-tale indicator of cyanide. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. 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. The film was to have been directed by Jeff Reiner and starring Katey Sagal as Stella Nickell. The clincher came when Stellas oldest daughter, Cindy Hamilton, contacted police. The reward is the second paid by the pharmaceutical group. She grew up in a poor family. Stella Nicholas. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. But then they found out that he was an organ donor and a sample of his. Nickell says her husband walked out on the deck to watch the birds, and suddenly collapsed. [23], After the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, new FDA regulations went into effect which made it a federal crimerather than just a state or local crimeto tamper with consumer products. But U.S. District Judge James Robart on Thursday found that Nickell, who has already twice been denied parole, doesnt qualify for compassionate relief. 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. Reports said Snow died after swallowing cyanide-laced Excedrin. [7] On June 18, Bristol-Myers recalled all Excedrin capsules in the United States, pulling them from store shelves and warning consumers to not use any they may already have bought;[7] two days later the company announced a recall of all of their non-prescription capsule products. Estella May McILMOYLE (born NICHOLLS) was born on month day 1898, to Joseph NICHOLLS and Elizabeth Ann NICHOLLS (born McILMOYL). But he took a polygraph, passed, and was eliminated as a suspect. At age 16, following the birth of her first daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, Stella moved to Southern California, where she married and had another daughter. Cindy subsequently received $250,000 of the $300,000 drug industry award. 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 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. Bruces heavy drinking suited Stella just fine. Her fingerprints were also found all over other books on cyanide. "I couldn't take it in," she said. On December 9, 1987, a federal grand jury indicted Stella Nickell on five counts of product tampering. 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. Because of product tampering legislation passed in response to the Chicago killings, these murders became a federal case. There was nothing wrong with her. Tests confirmed that Snow had died from acute cyanide poisoning. The detectives discovered an FBI memo that seems to support Rider's account. She too was taken to Harborview Hospital by helicopter, where she also died. Snows suspicious death triggered an autopsy. Sue Snow collapsed in her bathroom of her home in the Seattle, Washington, suburb of Auburn. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. The police say Stella told them she bought them at different times, probably at different stores. A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. But this time, there was a suspect and an arrest. [6] Further FBI investigation showed that Bruce's purported signatures on at least two of the insurance policies in his name had been forged. 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. Sign Up. The other three charges each drew a 10-year term. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. 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. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. She is portrayed by Zoe Colletti . Nickell was convicted after police and FBI agents, following months of investigation, concluded she had laced her husbands Excedrin painkillers with cyanide to collect on his insurance, then planted poisoned pills in stores to throw off investigators. Nickell took a lie detector test and failed. When emergency personnel arrived, she told them that Bruce had taken Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious. Stella, who was ordered to go to counseling, says her daughter was jealous of her. 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. Noonan claimed she bought so much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. They also found cyanide in two bottles of Excedrin capsules Stella turned over to the police. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED & Stella Nickell - The Seattle, Washington Excedrin Cyanide Murders | Listen Notes Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. Stella also had more than her share of legal troubles. Rider was never called to testify. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide. But Tom Noonan, manager of the local fish store, says she did buy algae destroyer. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. 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. There Stella Nickell poisoned two people trying to get her husbands life insurance money. [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. [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 arbitrary nature of her mother's death has made it more painful, she said. [20] Her release date is given as July 10, 2040, when she will be 96 years old. Other occupants: Joanna R Nicholls. "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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. 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". AIM was founded in 1968 by read more, On May 8, 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Stella Nicholls is the main protagonist of the 2019 film, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. When investigators came to Nickells home to pick up the Excedrin bottle, she told them that there were two bottles and that she had purchased them on different days at different places. The convicted killer stood before a parole board in 2017, while Klein watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV. 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. 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. She was paid $7,500. June Devaney: Unique Strategy Solves a Horrific Murder, Lipstick Killer: Murder Spree is a Challenge For Cops, Mollie Olgin: Strange Murder of Girl in Texas Park, Jason Owens: Secrets and Murder of a Media Star, Black Sox: Baseballs First Big Gambling Scandal, Mark Putnam: Love and Murder in Appalachia, Eric Witte: Mother Manipulates Boy to Commit Startling Murder. Stella . The money was an attempt by the company to limit damages, because scared consumers had boycotted their products. Stella Nicholls : They locked her away because she was different. 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? "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". She told them that she thought that he'd been poisoned, too. One of the bottles happened to be purchased by Snow. She belongs in prison until she is dead. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { She also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to divert suspicion, authorities said. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first . [31], The 2000 TV film Who Killed Sue Snow? Bruce worked as a heavy equipment operator and had a fondness for alcohol. "Why in the world would she have a second bottle of contaminated capsules just sitting there waiting to hand over to law enforcement," asks Farr. Nickell was given two 90-year sentences for the murders of her husband and Susan Snow. The odds of her selecting two contaminated bottles by random chance were astronomical. Then there was the insurance. She is evil. Records show agents found five contaminated bottles of medicine during a search of Auburn-area grocery stores and pharmacies, prompting widespread recalls of over-the-counter analgesics in the Northwest and elsewhere as health officials and the FBI sought to uncover the source of the poison. Judge wont release WA woman serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Nickell watched Bruce die in agony on June 5, 1986, a few days after buying the cyanide at a chemical-supply company. 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. Check Writing Quality. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. Three capsules out of those that remained in the 60-capsule bottle were found to be laced with cyanide in toxic quantities. ER . Stella continued to maintain her innocence after her trial. They have a history of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted. "It all just kind of dawned on me, wait a minute, this was a whole setup," she says. Stella is a young teenage girl living in a high school for her 1968-69 school year. Never-before-seen photos and details about accused Idaho killer One factor was strong objections from advertisers, including Johnson & Johnson, owner of the Tylenol brand of painkillers which had been affected by the 1982 Chicago case. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. 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. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. "48 Hours": Brooke Skylar Richardson case Stella had two of them. They were married two years later. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. Still, hard evidence against her was hard to come by until January 1988. An appeal based on jury tampering and judicial misconduct issues was rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in August 1989. Stella, who stood to lose $100,000 if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided to alter her plan. Stella resented Bruces newfound sobriety because it deprived her of their visits to bars. After an autopsy, the cause of death was declared to be emphysema. Whites hosting gig came about, in read more, On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever do so. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [18] She was denied parole in 2017.[19]. Her release date is set for July 10, 2040, when she will be almost 97 years old. Reports said Snow died after swallowing cyanide-laced Excedrin. But by the time of the trial, Rider says, the FBI had convinced her that her friend was the killer. But, the author said, the poisoner has never cared about the attention. She continues to maintain her innocence, saying that Cindy lied to get the $300,000 reward money (she received $250,000). 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. [7], Both Stella and Webking were asked to take polygraph examinations. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Your email address will not be published. [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. This dating app might be for you. When both turned out to contain contaminated capsules, investigators grew suspicious. Authorities ruled his death to be from natural causesemphysema, the attending physicians said. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. [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. After all, it had been less than four years since the unsolved Tylenol poisonings in the Chicago area. But the policy would pay an additional $100,000 if he died from accidental causes. Stella's neighbor, Sandy Scott, became a spy for the FBI. A more recent but undated photo of Stella Nickell. 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. When she saw a news report about a woman dying from Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide, she called the police. 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. In these documents, there are reports about other possible suspects and mysterious fingerprints on Sue Snows bottle. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in . As of April 2019, Stella Nickell is housed at female-only low security/minimum security Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin in California, just east of San Francisco. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. The association authorized a $200,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the 1986 death of Diane Elsroth of Yonkers, N.Y., who took cyanide-laced Tylenol, he said. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. "All she wanted was a tropical-fish store.". 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.". 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. "The case brought the whole pharmaceutical industry to its knees," Olsen said. Investigators concluded they were dealing with product tampering. She even searched Stella's home for algae destroyer. 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 Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. Cynthia Hamilton, Stellas daughter, came forward (possibly in order to obtain reward money) with her account of Stellas plan to kill her husband. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". ER 2002-12, 2014-16 Milford Haven, Dyfed, SA73. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was too shaken up.
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