She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. But then they found out that he was an organ donor and a sample of his. Like last weeks case, this week deals with murder by poison. Stella had taken out $76,000 of life insurance on Bruce. Stella Nickell had three life insurance policies on her husband. 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. Paramedics rushed her to Harborview, but she died without regaining consciousness. One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. Stella Nickell is convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. She discovers that the stories are coming back to life. But Tom Noonan, manager of the local fish store, says she did buy algae destroyer. The defense agreed not to cross-examine Cindy about the reward. Rewards authorized for two other drug-tampering cases remain unpaid. [5], Records from the Auburn Public Library, when subpoenaed, showed that Stella had checked out numerous books about poisons, including Human Poisonings from Native and Cultivated Plants and Deadly Harvest. had offered the rewards for information leading to an arrest in the June, 1986, killings, which led to the nations first trial in a product-tampering death. Investigators in Seattle say her plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to emphysema - a natural cause. Then Stella Nickell's daughter, Cindy Hamilton, began talking to police. Seven people died in that case, which was never solved. There was nothing wrong with her. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Noonan claimed she bought so much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. What happens next? 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. [5] Stella, Hamilton claimed, had even told her that she had tried to poison Bruce previously with foxglove hidden in capsules. Records from the Auburn Public Library showed Stella had checked out numerous books on poisoning. Historical Records* 3.9 BILLION RECORDS. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in . [15][16], Stella's legal team sought a mistrial on grounds of jury tampering and judicial misconduct. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. "I am not guilty," says Nickell. After her death was reported in the news, Stella called police to tell them that she thought her husband had also been poisoned. Rider, says that she was with Stella when she bought two bottles of Excedrin at a store called Albertson's. [12] The FBI identified her fingerprints on cyanide-related pages of a number of the works she had checked out during this period. 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They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. She added that "as negative as it is, I have chosen to learn from it and not become bitter. The clincher came when Stellas oldest daughter, Cindy Hamilton, contacted police. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The film was to have been directed by Jeff Reiner and starring Katey Sagal as Stella Nickell. But police investigators and the federal government still firmly believe she is guilty. Sue Snows husband, Paul Webking, agreed to undergo a polygraph examination and passed. Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. Find Nicholls's address, hospital affiliations and more. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. Police arrested her the same day, and she went on trial in April 1988. Stella Nickell grew up poor in the Pacific Northwest. The other three charges each drew a 10-year term. Stella is a young teenage girl living in a high school for her 1968-69 school year. FBI document examiners determined that Bruce's signature on the applications had been forged. Stella Nicholls is the main protagonist in the 2019 film based on the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. [10], With investigatory focus turned to Stella, detectives uncovered more circumstantial evidence pointing to her as the culprit. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. Following that failure, Stella had begun library research into other methods and hit upon cyanide. 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. [5], During an autopsy on Snow, Assistant Medical Examiner Janet Miller detected the scent of bitter almonds, an odor distinctive to cyanide. 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. ER 2002-12, 2014-16 Milford Haven, Dyfed, SA73. [7] His death initially was ruled to be by natural causes, with attending physicians citing emphysema. But why would she bring the poisoning to police attention in the first place? America immediately thought of the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol product-tampering murders in which seven people died. A lawyer representing Stella told reporters that she was too "shaken up" to be subjected to the examination. Bruce worked as a heavy equipment operator and had a fondness for alcohol. This information would spread across the town she lived and cause her to start getting bullied because . 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. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. They arrested me and I was only in jail overnight.". She belongs in prison until she is dead. Find your friends on Facebook. Stella . It was found among a thousand pages never turned over to the defense. She showed them the bottle. FBI detectives knew that it was an unlikely coincidence that Nickell had purchased two of four known contaminated bottles purely by chance. The detectives discovered an FBI memo that seems to support Rider's account. [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. The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. Nickell tampered with five additional bottles of Excedrin and placed them on store shelves in the Seattle area. Your email address will not be published. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter. Stella and Bruce Nickell married in 1976, shortly after seven people were killed in Chicago, Illinois, from poisoned Tylenol pills. Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. But by the time of the trial, Rider says, the FBI had convinced her that her friend was the killer. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. Joanna R Nicholls. Examination showed that Bruces signatures on at least two of the policies in his name were forgeries. 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). 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. The Food and Drug Administration soon announced that Extra Strength Excedrin capsules found at Snow's home contained cyanide. Snow died a few days later, after also taking Excedrin pills laced with cyanide. "Mom's eyes were open and her fingers were bent and locked up," Klein said. Stella had an aquarium, but says she never bought algae destroyer. She was paid $7,500. Some cite $71,000, some $75,000, and some $76,000. 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 said that she didnt testify for the reward. [6][note 1] Bruce died shortly thereafter at Harborview Medical Center, where treatment had failed to revive him. Nearly two weeks later, she heard about Sue Snow. 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. 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. Hamilton testified. Sign Up. Nickell was the first to be convicted under it. Stella's neighbor, Sandy Scott, became a spy for the FBI. Read. They also posted a $100,000 reward. Milford Haven, Dyfed, SA73. 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