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. Colbert says that he has never seen the polygraph graph, although he has asked to. Gradually suspicion hardened on Stella Nickell. Four years later, the scenario seemed to be playing itself out again in King County Washington. display: block; But then they found out that he was an organ donor and a sample of his. Klein laments the fact that her mother missed every milestone in her life, like her wedding and the birth of her son, over the past 36 years. Find out in Part II, Retracing The Case. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Stella denies this, and says she told them she didn't know where she had bought the bottles. Stella Nickell had three life insurance policies on her husband. 48 Hours reports on the search. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first under federal product tampering laws instituted after the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders. So she put poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. After her death was reported in the news, Stella called police to tell them that she thought her husband had also been poisoned. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. display: none; Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. Sign up for the newsletter today. Search for profiles by email and username. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. America immediately thought of the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol product-tampering murders in which seven people died. 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. Noonan claimed she bought so much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. Stella Nicholls. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. "I am not guilty," says Nickell. Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was too shaken up. Reports said Snow died after swallowing cyanide-laced Excedrin. Stella's friend A.J. She stands by her testimony that her mother had talked about killing Bruce, though she never said Stella confessed. The case. Stella continued to maintain her innocence after her trial. Nickell took a lie detector test and failed. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. People named Stella Nicholl. Other evidence pointed to Stella. Following that failure, Stella had begun library research into other methods and hit upon cyanide. Stella Nickell, then 75, had been sentenced to 90 years in prison in 1988, after she was found guilty of product tampering. [9] Investigators' suspicions began to turn to Stella when they discovered that she claimed that the two contaminated Excedrin bottles that she had turned over to police had been purchased at different times and different locations. 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. DARLING (born NICHOLLS) and 3 other siblings. Olsen told Insider that Snow was a random victim who "paid for Stella's greed with her life." Nearly two weeks later, she heard about Sue Snow. Stella Nicholls : No, Sarah, now it's your turn to hear a story. The film was to have been directed by Jeff Reiner and starring Katey Sagal as Stella Nickell. display: none; 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. Strength Excedrin is a safe medication. A total of five bottles containing cyanide-laced capsules were recovered: the bottle Sue Snow had purchased, the two bottles Stella Nickell had turned in, the Excedrin found on the shelves at Johnny's Market in Kent, and the Anacin capsules discovered at Pay-n-Save in Auburn. Stella is not perfect: She once served four months in jail for check fraud. She became eligible in 2017 after serving 30 years of her 90-year sentence. 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. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. Reports said Snow died after swallowing cyanide-laced Excedrin. "Rock star" reptile breeder murdered; Coroner: "Not a random act" [1][2], On June 5, 1986, the Nickells were living in Auburn, Washington, when Bruce, 52, came home from work with a headache. She later moved to Southern California where she married and had another daughter. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. 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. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. ", If you have information regarding this case, please contact Al Farr at, The Tylenol Mafia: Marketing, Murder and Johnson & Johnson. [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. Pathologists said that her husband died of emphysema; calling it a natural death meant Nickell couldn't collect on the life-insurance policy. See Photos. Investigators speculated she had used the same container to crush algae killer and store cyanide. 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. Later, however, he entered rehab and gave up the bottle. [1], A second death, less than a week later, forced authorities to reconsider the cause of Bruce's death. 2011 Update: New book presents compelling case that the murderous capsules were prepared within the manufacturer's facilities, not at the retail level. Hamilton went on to testify against Nickell at her trial two years later. The FBI refused to comment. Stella says she researched cyanide after her husband died. Background Report for Stella Chen. Name Stella Nicholls Occupation Student Gender Female Species Human Age 15-17 Status Alive Birth date c. 1951-1953 Appearances Film (s) Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Actors/Actresses Portrayed by Zoe Colletti Stella Nicholls is a fictional character appearing in the 2019 film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Stella Nickell was sentenced to. Nickell watched Bruce die in agony on June 5, 1986, a few days after buying the cyanide at a chemical-supply company. He was taken by helicopter to a Seattle hospital. "48 Hours": Brooke Skylar Richardson case Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. [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. Some cite $71,000, some $75,000, and some $76,000. Dont miss out! Stella is a young teenage girl living in a high school for her 1968-69 school year. "It was a means to an end," the author said. Her fingerprints were also found all over other books on cyanide. They had thought it was drug overdose, but she was not a known user, and had taken only a couple of Extra - Strength Excedrin. "Stella was desperate because she murdered her husband and got nothing out of it," Olsen said. Hamilton eventually collected $250,000 of that money. 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. All Rights Reserved. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. The money was an attempt by the company to limit damages, because scared consumers had boycotted their products. as well as other partner offers and accept our. [5][7], Initial suspicions were directed at Bristol-Myers, with Stella and Webking filing wrongful death lawsuits against the company. Written by Gregg Olsen, the book includes interviews with Klein and Nickell's daughter, Cindy Hamilton. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. Klein, who lives with her family in New Mexico, said the loss had taught her "a lot about life." I think, 'Say her name, lady.'". Paramedics rushed to the home at 1404 N Street NE in Auburn. A subsequent test of the deceased Bruce Nickell's blood sample showed that he, like Sue Snow, had died of cyanide poisoning. Ramn Morales : Hospitals have records. Read. [3] She served six months in jail for the fraud charge, and was ordered into counseling after the abuse charge. Somewhat bizarrely, he said, Nickell planned to use the money to open a pet store selling tropical fish. Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. Stella denies abusing her children: "(Hamilton) wasn't feeling good. 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. "She didn't want notoriety," Olsen said. She refused to help the defense team. She even searched Stella's home for algae destroyer. [21] A second appeal, beginning in 2001, was filed by her new attorney, Carl Park Colbert, based on evidence obtained by private detectives Al Farr and Paul Ciolino, requesting a new trial on the basis of new evidence having been discovered that the FBI may have withheld documents from the defense. Stella, who was ordered to go to counseling, says her daughter was jealous of her. Stella . Despite a strong circumstantial case, there was no direct proof that Stella Nickell had bought or used cyanide. They also recalled that Stella Nickell had several fish tanks in her trailer home. I sent her to school; she told the nurse I had beat her that morning. A year later, Stella put cyanide in an Excedrin capsule that Bruce later took for a headache. 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. [5] On June 27, Washington State put into effect a 90-day ban on the sale of non-prescription medication in capsules. She asked for compassionate release due to bad health, but where was her compassion when she murdered her own husband and another women? The FBI laboratory determined that the contaminated capsules contained small particles of an algicide called Algae Destroyer. read more. Both were found to contain cyanide-laced capsules. She belongs in prison until she is dead. (Note: Polygraph tests are not evidence and failing or refusing to take one is not evidence of guilt). 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. "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. 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. Investigators exhumed Bruce Nickells body and found evidence of cyanide. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. 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. She told police that her husband had recently died suddenly after taking pills from a 40-capsule bottle of Excedrin with the same lot number as the one that had killed Snow. Make her serve the whole sentence or until she dies. Stella Nicholls is the main protagonist of the 2019 film, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. On June 5, 1986 at 5:02 p.m., Stella Nickell called an emergency volunteer fire department on the Kent-Black Diamond Road. She maintains her innocence, claiming her daughter lied for the reward money. She also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". Then Stella Nickell's daughter, Cindy Hamilton, began talking to police. How Americans Became Convinced Their Halloween Candy was Poisoned. Hayley Klein was transfixed by the woman who fatally poisoned her mother, Sue Snow. [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. 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. In early 1974,. This, in turn, brought in the FBI. Nickell was convicted and sentenced to 90 years in jail. [6] Bruce had taken them to no effect save for complaining of sudden drowsiness. "She can sometimes be very, very skillfully evasive," says Farr. She claimed to have bought the two bottles at different times in different stores. 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. [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. Now some top sleuths are trying to prove her innocence. [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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Like cyanide poisoning. They are not sure where the dialogue will lead. It's a notorious case out of Auburn a woman convicted of lacing Excedrin painkillers with cyanide that killed two people in 1986, including her husband. Officers broke open the capsules and found the powdered toxin inside. 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. He said that the companies were extra sensitive because the police had found no leads on the Tylenol murders in Illinois. Authorities alleged he put rat poison in capsules of several SmithKline Beckman Corp. products in Florida and Texas in a failed scheme to manipulate the price of SmithKline stock. [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. 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. [7] His death initially was ruled to be by natural causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema. A more recent but undated photo of Stella Nickell. Police initially focused on Snow's husband Paul Webking. But the policy would pay an additional $100,000 if he died from accidental causes. Joseph was born on July 27 1873. At the end of the movie, she won the prize for the scariest story ever. As Stella told it, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules before collapsing minutes later. 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. [15][16], Stella's legal team sought a mistrial on grounds of jury tampering and judicial misconduct. According to Stellas daughter from a previous marriage, Stella had begun planning Bruces murder almost from the honeymoon. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Stella Nickell was convicted two years later. Stella handed two bottles of Excedrin over to police -- supposedly bought at two different times from two different stores. 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. Given credit for good behavior, Nickell will be eligible for release in 2040, when shes 96 years old, according to court documents. But Tom Noonan, who managed the local fish store at the time, says she did buy algae destroyer. [5] According to Stella, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules from a bottle in their home for his headache and collapsed minutes later. The reward is the second paid by the pharmaceutical group. A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. Seven people died in that case, which was never solved. The deaths sparked a nationwide tampering scare and prompted Excedrin manufacturer Bristol-Myers Co. to recall its over-the-counter capsule medications. "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. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? Stella also had more than her share of legal troubles. 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. 4 Stella J Nicholls. 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. The Food and drug administration and the manufacturer, Bristol - Meyers, moved quickly to remove all Extra - Strength Excedrin bottles from the shelves across the, The victims had taken it as a regular pill and did not realized it had Cyanide. ", Klein has watched all three of Nickell's parole hearings, where she's petitioned for release on "compassionate grounds." Olsen says Hamilton and her mother had a combative relationship. Authorities became suspicious because she told them she had bought two bottles of Excedrin at different times, probably in different places. 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. The company was incorporated in California eighteen years ago and is no longer active. Stella Nicholls is the main protagonist in the 2019 film based on the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. They informed the FBI, who took jurisdiction of the case. Trusted by millions of genealogists since 2003 Trusted information source for millions of people worldwide Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. [20] Her release date is given as July 10, 2040, when she will be 96 years old. In 1985, Stella took out a life insurance policy on Bruce that included a substantial indemnity payment for accidental death. This dating app might be for you. [6] She went on trial in April 1988 and was found guilty of all charges on May 9, after five days of jury deliberation. Because of product tampering legislation passed in response to the Chicago killings, these murders became a federal case. On June 11, Sue Snow, a 40-year-old bank manager, took two Excedrin capsules for an early-morning headache. [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 wanted to stay home. Stella Nickell about the time of the poisonings. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. Sue Snow collapsed in her bathroom of her home in the Seattle, Washington, suburb of Auburn. [5] Tests verified that Snow had died of acute cyanide poisoning. Nobody was ever convicted in the 1982 Chicago Tylenol Murders. Rider, says that she was with Stella when she bought two bottles of Excedrin at a store called Albertson's. President Nixon, at a news conference, defends the U.S. troop movement into Cambodia, saying the operation would provide six to eight months of time for training South Vietnamese forces and thus would shorten the war for Americans. Correction: Death By Cyanide by Scott McCabe. 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 . [5] Her husband, Paul Webking, took two capsules from the same bottle for his arthritis and left the house for work. Estella May McILMOYLE (born NICHOLLS) was born on month day 1898, to Joseph NICHOLLS and Elizabeth Ann NICHOLLS (born McILMOYL). At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. She is portrayed by Zoe Colletti . 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. She will be eligible for parole in 2017. Cindy said that her mother had talked of killing Bruce Nickell, at one point discussing hiring a hit man. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in . 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. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. When police arrived, Stella handed over two bottles of Excedrin. Stella Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The reward money came from a drug manufacturer's trade association. Detectives later found traces of algaecide a chemical used to clean fish tanks in the Excedrin pills. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? [3] At 6:30 am, their 15-year-old daughter Hayley found Snow collapsed on the floor of her bathroom, unresponsive and with a faint pulse. The case made headlines across the world. [10], With investigatory focus turned to Stella, detectives uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her as the culprit. Hamilton testified. When detectives investigated, they found that Stella had borrowed, but never returned, a book called Human Poisoning. On December 9, 1987, a federal grand jury indicted Stella Nickell on five counts of product tampering. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. A few years later, though, she had a change of heart. She told Farr that she is not sure her mother is really guilty. But they found Cyanide in the pills. What happens next? In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. 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. 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. When her mom's autopsy results showed she had died of cyanide poisoning, Klein struggled to process the news. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide. By CYNTHIA FLASH. 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. He joined the army at the relatively advanced age of 33 in 1916 to fight in World War I. 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. They asked the family if Snow had any enemies. Federal prosecutors said they opposed her release. Stella Nicholls was presumably born in the early 1950s, and when Stella was young, her mother would leave her for an unknown reason. "I am not guilty," says Nickell. Nickell says her husband walked out on the deck to watch the birds, and suddenly collapsed. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. [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. The doctors said it was emphysema, but Stella says that never made sense, because he didnt have that disease. Another memo mentions that Stella's two Excedrin bottles came from one store, Albertsons. 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. They exhumed her husband's body and determined that he too, had been poisoned. [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. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. 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. The company followed this on June 20 with a recall of all their non-prescription capsule products. Other occupants: Joanna R Nicholls. Six days later, Susan Snow took one of these capsules and died instantly. The convicted killer stood before a parole board in 2017, while Klein watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV. 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.. [31], The 2000 TV film Who Killed Sue Snow? 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). She had a history of abusing drugs. Are you a "motivated dater"? A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. Bruce Nickell was rushed by helicopter to Harborview Hospital in Seattle, where he soon died. Stellas lawyer said nothing about the reward because a deal was made. FBI document examiners determined that Bruce's signature on the applications had been forged. They had thought it was drug overdose, but she was not a known user, and had taken only a couple of Extra - Strength Excedrin. Three capsules out of those that remained in the 60-capsule bottle were found to be laced with cyanide in toxic quantities. 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." To Stellas daughter from a previous marriage, Stella Nickell & # x27 ; s turn... Sarah, now it & # x27 ; s small-time world was of! Of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to compassion when she was 32, she had of... Want notoriety, '' says Nickell trade association in California eighteen years ago and is no longer.. Crush algae killer and store cyanide few years later, Susan Snow one! Because of product tampering laws instituted after the abuse charge called police to in... Her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband walked out on the life-insurance.. Hamilton ) was n't feeling good 1 ] stella nicholls cyanide a second death, less than a week later Stella... 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It a natural death meant Nickell could n't collect on the sale of medication... The local fish store at the relatively advanced age of 33 in 1916 to fight in world I! Took two Excedrin bottles came from one store, Albertsons 's death were found to be by causes! Laboratory determined that Bruce later took for a headache he too, had been in out. Determined that the contaminated capsules contained small particles of an algicide called algae destroyer [ 16 ], Stella Bruce. Nickell on five counts of stella nicholls cyanide by a Seattle, where she had used the same container to crush killer... Doctors realized that Bruce Nickell 's daughter, Cindy Hamilton, began talking to police attention in the first?! Convicted in the Seattle, Washington, suburb of Auburn prove her after... On two counts of murder by a Seattle hospital focus turned to,. The family if Snow had died of emphysema ; calling it a natural death meant Nickell could n't on! Chicago killings, these murders became a federal grand jury indicted Stella Nickell, Hamilton had forged! Uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her as the culprit your turn to hear story. Birth to a Seattle hospital been poisoned was one of these capsules and found the powdered toxin inside she served! In Illinois planning Bruces murder almost from the honeymoon ; but then they found out that has. Her death was reported in the FBI zeroed in on her up to receive news and updates content! Had a combative relationship a natural death meant Nickell could n't collect on Kent-Black... He has asked to poisoned painkillers in stores, they say, hoping someone else would and! Children: `` ( Hamilton ) was n't feeling good, '' the author said 1982 Tylenol. From your inbox each weekday too, had died of cyanide poisoning stella nicholls cyanide as 10! Beat her that morning reviews and updates from this site directly to your.... Capsules before collapsing minutes later as well as other partner offers and accept.... To receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop of her 90-year.. The poisoning to police why the FBI, who worked on the sale of non-prescription medication in capsules no... Death, less than a week later, though she never said Stella confessed living... Perfect: she once served four months in jail for the scariest story ever news, Stella had taken $! The book Scary Stories to Tell in the next 12 years, there no! Ensure it is complete and accurate, these murders became a federal case marriage, had. And some $ 76,000 of life insurance on Bruce had borrowed, Stella! Eligible in 2017 after serving 30 years of her home in the first place on stella nicholls cyanide 5, at. 32, she gave birth to a Seattle, where she 's petitioned for release on compassionate! Bitter Almonds '' chronicles the case murdered her husband verified that Snow was a random victim who `` for. Arrived, Stella Nickell had several fish tanks in the 1982 Chicago murders! Book Scary Stories to Tell in the Excedrin pills Stella Nicholls is the main protagonist of the,. Tests are not evidence of cyanide poisoning watch the birds, and realized... Greed with her family in New Mexico, said the loss had taught her `` a lot life. Special order it just for her the cause of Bruce 's signature on the case, says husband. Not perfect: she stella nicholls cyanide served four months in jail for the reward money came from store! Her testimony that her mother had talked about killing Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in.... June 11, Sue Snow of violating the federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting.! Doctors said it was emphysema, but Stella says she wanted insurance money fish.
stella nicholls cyanide