They turned out to be algae destroyer, a product used to kill algae in fish tanks. Stella, who was ordered to go to counseling, says her daughter was jealous of her. 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. To fill the now empty hours at home, she began keeping a home aquarium. In chemistry, a cyanide (from Greek kyanos 'dark blue') is a chemical compound that contains a CN functional group.This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom.. Stella refused, her lawyer saying she was too shaken up. read more. That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. You have to go to the city. Rider, says that she was with Stella when she bought two bottles of Excedrin at a store called Albertson's. They were married two years later. Bruce's insurance paid an extra $100,000 if he died by accident, including poisoning. Her release date is set for July 10, 2040, when she will be almost 97 years old. 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. Gregg Olsen, whose book "Bitter Almonds" chronicles the case, says that is why the FBI zeroed in on her. According to Stellas daughter from a previous marriage, Stella had begun planning Bruces murder almost from the honeymoon. Nickell was convicted and sentenced to 90 years in jail. She found none, something the jury never heard. Although investigators were sure they had the right person, they had very little to take to a jury: No fingerprints, nor any way to prove that Stella Nickell ever bought or possessed cyanide. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. Bruce's insurance paid an extra hundred thousand dollars if he died by accident, including poisoning. 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. "It's entirely possible that the real killer is walking around somewhere out there," says Farr. The arbitrary nature of her mother's death has made it more painful, she said. The case made headlines across the world. People named Stella Nicholl. Stay up to date with what you want to know. 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. Prosecutors: Security video discredits cosplay model's story of self-defense [1][2], Stella finally consented to a polygraph examination in November 1986. Nickell never admitted to the crimes, but during her first appeal for early release, she finally took responsibility for murdering Bruce. "The case brought the whole pharmaceutical industry to its knees," Olsen said. She even searched Stella's home for algae destroyer. Joanna R Nicholls. Nickell was the first to be convicted. 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. "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. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. When emergency personnel arrived, she told them that Bruce had taken Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious. [1], A second death, less than a week later, forced authorities to reconsider the cause of Bruce's death. With Snow dead, Stella could step forward and notify police. She is a citizen of Mill Valley and the daughter of Roy Nicholls. They are not sure where the dialogue will lead. The jury convicted Stella on all counts on May 9, after five days of deliberation. Farr and Ciolino say that is not true. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. Trending News Stella's neighbor, Sandy Scott, became a spy for the FBI. Stella Nickell was convicted after police and FBI agents, following months of investigation, concluded she had laced her husband's Excedrin painkillers with cyanide in order to collect on his. FBI document examiners determined that Bruce's signature on the applications had been forged. [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. Sue Snows husband, Paul Webking, agreed to undergo a polygraph examination and passed. MMII Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved 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. In return, the prosecution agreed not to reveal that Cindy said she came forward when she heard her mother failed a polygraph. She also planted other bottles of cyanide-tainted Excedrin in local stores to divert suspicion, authorities said. She claimed Stella admitted to researching poisons and told her of an unsuccessful attempt to poison Bruce with foxglove. Stella had two of them. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. They also recalled that Stella Nickell had several fish tanks in her trailer home. How Americans Became Convinced Their Halloween Candy was Poisoned. FBI detectives knew that it was an unlikely coincidence that Nickell had purchased two of four known contaminated bottles purely by chance. Officers broke open the capsules and found the powdered toxin inside. She'd told the staff that she needed it to kill ants. 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. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? 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. Nearly two weeks later, she heard about Sue Snow. Another $300,000 was shared by nine people who helped police arrest a Florida man in 1986. 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. Never-before-seen photos and details about accused Idaho killer Includes Age, Location, Address History for Stella Chen; Arrest, Criminal, & Driving Records . Search for profiles by email and username. She told authorities that her mother had done extensive research at the library. [5] Tests verified that Snow had died of acute cyanide poisoning. Now 27, Hamilton had been in and out of Stella's life for years. As the investigation continued, the FBI lab found an important clue: green crystals mixed in with the cyanide. DARLING (born NICHOLLS) and 3 other siblings. A subsequent test of the deceased Bruce Nickell's blood sample showed that he, like Sue Snow, had died of cyanide poisoning. 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. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. "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. She maintains her innocence, claiming her daughter lied for the reward money. Four years later, the scenario seemed to be playing itself out again in King County Washington. The other three charges each drew a 10-year term. There Stella Nickell poisoned two people trying to get her husbands life insurance money. Klein told them that her mom, who was a bank manager in Auburn, Washington, was "popular and had a big personality.". 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. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. She failed and investigators narrowed their focus to her even further. The police say Stella told them she bought them at different times, probably at different stores. Nickell took advantage of the panic created by Snow's death and asked police to consider Bruce's case as part of their investigation. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. [5] On June 27, Washington State put into effect a 90-day ban on the sale of non-prescription medication in capsules. After building flatboats, de Soto and his 400 ragged troops crossed the great river under the cover of read more, On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, armed members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) surrender to federal authorities, ending their 71-day siege of Wounded Knee, site of the infamous massacre of 300 Sioux by the U.S. 7th Cavalry in 1890. 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. Make her serve the whole sentence or until she dies. Nickell took a lie detector test and failed. She told them that she thought that he'd been poisoned, too. Stella had an aquarium, but says she never bought algae destroyer. The reward money came from a drug manufacturer's trade association. [2] The possibility of state charges for the actual murders of Bruce and Snow continues to exist. Klein was 15 when she found her 40-year-old mother lying on the bathroom floor in June 1986. But U.S. District Judge James Robart on Thursday found that Nickell, who has already twice been denied parole, doesnt qualify for compassionate relief. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. 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. The defense agreed not to cross-examine Cindy about the reward. 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. 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