Given credit for good behavior, Nickell will be eligible for release in 2040, when shes 96 years old, according to court documents. Sign up for the newsletter today. Hamilton eventually collected $250,000 of that money. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Nickell hatched another plot within a week. }, First published on June 4, 2001 / 12:09 PM. Stella was dirt poor, she lived in a small trailer with her husband, grown daughter Cynthia, and grandchild; Stella's her mother lived next door. 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. The bottle had the same lot number as the bottle in Sue Snows home. Around the time Stella failed a FBI polygraph, her daughter from a previous marriage, Cindy Hamilton, 27, came forward. The teen called 911. They have a history of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted. I think, 'Say her name, lady.'". She is evil. On May 8, 1864, Yankee troops arrive at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, to find the Rebels already there. Her first lawyer also asked to see it, and never did. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide. 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. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. FBI document examiners determined that Bruce's signature on the applications had been forged. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. "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. 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. 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. Make her serve the whole sentence or until she dies. Cindy said that her mother had talked of killing Bruce Nickell, at one point discussing hiring a hit man. Joanna R Nicholls. Social Profiles. Search for profiles by email and username. View this record View. They were married two years later. Death by cyanide poisoning was big news in Washington. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Authorities ruled his death to be from natural causesemphysema, the attending physicians said. Johnson & Johnson warned the public not to buy its product, stopped making and advertising it, and recalled more than 30 million bottles worth more than 100 million dollars. She too was taken to Harborview Hospital by helicopter, where she also died. 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. Cindy Hamilton was paid a $250,000 reward for her help in the case against her mother. Stella Nickell Fast forward to 1986. 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. [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. "Stella was desperate because she murdered her husband and got nothing out of it," Olsen said. Bruce Nickell was rushed by helicopter to Harborview Hospital in Seattle, where he soon died. Klein was 15 when she found her 40-year-old mother lying on the bathroom floor in June 1986. Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. Investigators found it remarkable that of only five tainted bottles out of the 15,000 that had been screened, Stella Nickell had turned in two of them, saying she had purchased them two weeks apart at separate locations. Nickell poisoned Bruce so she could pocket his life insurance, and Snow died the same way in a foiled effort to cover her tracks, Olsen said. Later, however, he entered rehab and gave up the bottle. 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. "All she wanted was a tropical-fish store.". 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. FBI detectives knew that it was an unlikely coincidence that Nickell had purchased two of four known contaminated bottles purely by chance. display: block; In 1985, Stella took out a life insurance policy on Bruce that included a substantial indemnity payment for accidental death. 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. } Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. Snow was airlifted to the hospital, but she was declared brain dead a few hours later. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. They also posted a $100,000 reward. 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. Klein told them that her mom, who was a bank manager in Auburn, Washington, was "popular and had a big personality.". Stella continued to maintain her innocence after her trial. 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. Stella . One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. [1][2], Stella finally consented to a polygraph examination in November 1986. Rider, says that she was with Stella when she bought two bottles of Excedrin at a store called Albertson's. They turned out to be algae destroyer, a product used to kill algae in fish tanks. 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. [7], Both Stella and Webking were asked to take polygraph examinations. Six days later, Susan Snow took one of these capsules and died instantly. Nickell was the first to be convicted under it. Stella Nickell has spent more than a decade in prison for poisoning her husband. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED & Stella Nickell - The Seattle, Washington Excedrin Cyanide Murders | Listen Notes Then Stella Nickell's daughter, Cindy Hamilton, began talking to police. [2] Tests by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of cyanide in her husband's remains and in two Excedrin bottles Stella had turned over to police. 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. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. When detectives investigated, they found that Stella had borrowed, but never returned, a book called Human Poisoning. [15][16], Stella's legal team sought a mistrial on grounds of jury tampering and judicial misconduct. "But more importantly, I know who didn't do it and that's Stella Nickell. He died shortly after arriving. 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. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. Stella, who was ordered to go to counseling, says her daughter was jealous of her. 48 Hours reports on the search. The convicted killer stood before a parole board in 2017, while Klein watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. 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. Snows suspicious death triggered an autopsy. [5] According to Stella, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules from a bottle in their home for his headache and collapsed minutes later. Nickell was convicted and sentenced to 90 years in jail. [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. [6] Bruce had taken them to no effect save for complaining of sudden drowsiness. display: none; The drift toward war with Mexico had begun a year earlier when the U.S. annexed the Republic of Texas as a read more, In 1975, John Sebastian, former member of the beloved '60s pop group the Lovin Spoonful, was asked to write and record the theme song for a brand-new ABC television show with the working title Kotter. 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. The defense agreed not to cross-examine Cindy about the reward. The Bureau of Prisons could ask for Nickells release, the judge said, but has not done so. Stella Chen has been associated with one company, according to public records. He was able to do this during his time as a hospital orderly.His spree took place between 1970 and 1987. All sentences were to run concurrently, and the judge ordered Stella to pay a small fine and forfeit her remaining assets to the families of her victims. Nickell watched Bruce die in agony on June 5, 1986, a few days after buying the cyanide at a chemical-supply company. "She can sometimes be very, very skillfully evasive," says Farr. The government says all required documents were handed over. Joseph was born on July 27 1873. 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. The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. A more recent but undated photo of Stella Nickell. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. Authorities became suspicious because she told them she had bought two bottles of Excedrin at different times, probably in different places. Stella Nicholls : No, Sarah, now it's your turn to hear a story. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. "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. 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. [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. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. "It's entirely possible that the real killer is walking around somewhere out there," says Farr. Her bar-hopping drastically reduced, Stella began to request more night shifts at her baggage-screener job at SEA-TAC airport. Nixon reaffirmed his promise to withdraw 150,000 read more, On May 8, 1884, Harry S. Truman is born in Lamar, Missouri. She told Farr that she is not sure her mother is really guilty. Required fields are marked *. [2] The possibility of state charges for the actual murders of Bruce and Snow continues to exist. [5], During an autopsy on Snow, Assistant Medical Examiner Janet Miller detected the scent of bitter almonds, an odor distinctive to cyanide. But he took a polygraph, passed, and was eliminated as a suspect. They were married two years later. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. But then they found out that he was an organ donor and a sample of his. "Rock star" reptile breeder murdered; Coroner: "Not a random act" Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. Olsen says Hamilton and her mother had a combative relationship. The killer in that case has never been caught. They then looked toward Nickell. The Auburn Public Library, responding to an FBI subpoena, revealed that Stella had checked out titles such as Deadly Harvest and Human Poisoning from Native Plants. 48 Hours reports on the search. Stella Nicholls is the daughter of Roy . Seven people died in that case, which was never solved. 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. Manufacturer Bristol-Myers initiated a nationwide recall of Extra Strength Excedrin capsules, and immediately stopped making the product. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. Hamilton went on to testify against Nickell at her trial two years later. See Photos. Stella, who stood to lose $100,000 if his death wasnt ruled an accident, decided to alter her plan. Stella's payoff now totaled $175,000. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. Bruce worked as a heavy equipment operator and had a fondness for alcohol. But this time, there was a suspect and an arrest. 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. She claimed Stella admitted to researching poisons and told her of an unsuccessful attempt to poison Bruce with foxglove. AIM was founded in 1968 by read more, On May 8, 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. 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." It was found among a thousand pages never turned over to the defense. But Tom Noonan, who managed the local fish store at the time, says she did buy algae destroyer. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. As the investigation continued, the FBI lab found an important clue: green crystals mixed in with the cyanide. She discovers that the stories are coming back to life. [5], In response to the publicity, Stella came forward on June 19. She told them that she thought that he'd been poisoned, too. 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. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Elizabeth was born on July 31 1868. Judge wont release WA woman serving 90 years for planting poisoned pills, Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. They were married two years later. [5][7], Initial suspicions were directed at Bristol-Myers, with Stella and Webking filing wrongful death lawsuits against the company. Now, private detective Al Farr and his partner Paul Ciolino are on a mission to prove what they both firmly believe: Nickell is innocent. 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. ", Klein has watched all three of Nickell's parole hearings, where she's petitioned for release on "compassionate grounds." She became eligible in 2017 after serving 30 years of her 90-year sentence. 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. 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. 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. "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. Stella Nicholls. 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. Snow died a few days later, after also taking Excedrin pills laced with cyanide. The doctors said it was emphysema, but Stella says that never made sense, because he didnt have that disease. Stella's friend A.J. 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. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. The Food and Drug Administration soon announced that Extra Strength Excedrin capsules found at Snow's home contained cyanide. [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. She maintains her innocence, claiming her daughter lied for the reward money. 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. 2011 Update: New book presents compelling case that the murderous capsules were prepared within the manufacturer's facilities, not at the retail level. But the policy would pay an additional $100,000 if he died from accidental causes. read more. 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. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. Includes Age, Location, Address History for Stella Chen; Arrest, Criminal, & Driving Records . Both were found to contain cyanide-laced capsules. 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. She added that "as negative as it is, I have chosen to learn from it and not become bitter. He was taken by helicopter to a Seattle hospital. #inline-recirc-item--id-a607eb04-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Stella and Steven have lived together in a single family house in Philadelphia, PA. View more. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. Cynthia Hamilton, Stellas daughter, came forward (possibly in order to obtain reward money) with her account of Stellas plan to kill her husband. The FDA quickly ruled out Bristol-Myers, as the source of the cyanide. The same amount is offered in the 1982 Chicago-area deaths of seven people, who also were killed with tainted Tylenol capsules, he said. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. She bought nine more bottles of Excedrin and cut through the protective film with a razor blade. But Tom Noonan, manager of the local fish store, says she did buy algae destroyer. They speculated she used the same container to crush both the Algae Destroyer and the cyanide without washing it. (CBS) Thirteen years ago, in Washington state, Stella Nickell was convicted of killing her husband Bruce, and Sue Snow, a bank manager, by putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules. 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. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. At the end of the movie, she won the prize for the scariest story ever. Read. Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. Investigators verified that Stella had bought Algae Destroyer from a local aquarium supply store. She also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to divert suspicion, authorities said. Seven people died in that case, which was never solved. Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. "The case brought the whole pharmaceutical industry to its knees," Olsen said. Now some top sleuths are trying to prove her innocence. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. So she put poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. 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. [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. They also recalled that Stella Nickell had several fish tanks in her trailer home. The FBI found Stella's fingerprints on several books. Nickell took a lie detector test and failed. Like cyanide poisoning. She showed them the bottle. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first under federal product tampering laws instituted after the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders. Stella had an aquarium, but says she never bought algae destroyer. You have to go to the city. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. She claimed to have bought the two bottles at different times in different stores. Investigators speculated she had used the same container to crush algae killer and store cyanide. Correction: Death By Cyanide Stella Nicholls : I can't leave my dad. Sues husband also took two capsules from the bottle for his arthritis before leaving for work.
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