An Almanac of Infamy

Mary Blandy On this day in 1751, wealthy Englishman Francis Blandy slipped into a coma and died that same evening at his home in Henley. Soon after, his daughter Mary asked one of the household servants to help her escape to France in exchange for a handsome payment. When the servant refused, she attempted to escape on her own but was caught by neighbors who had heard that Francis Blandy had succumbed to poison. Prior to her father's death, Mary Blandy had been known as a well-mannered and well-educated young woman who was greatly respected by the people of Henley. Then, at the age of 26, she met and fell in love with Captain William Henry Cranstoun. Francis Blandy initially approved of the match and even allowed Cranstoun to live in the Blandy home. However, Cranstoun had a wife and child in Scotland and when he wrote her to ask that their marriage be annulled so that he and Mary could wed, she became outraged and caused a stir in the town of Henley. Cranstoun was soon expell...

This article has been updated since it was originally published on May 8, 2018. On this day in 1988, Stella Nickell was convicted on two counts of murder after her husband Bruce and Seattle resident Susan Snow died from ingesting cyanide-laced Excedrin capsules. She was also the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act. According to her daughter from a previous marriage, Stella started planning Bruce's murder right from the start of their marriage and had been inspired by the Chicago Tylenol case, in which seven people died from ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. That case has never been solved. Nickell became eligible for parole in 2018 but so far that parole has not been granted. She and her supporters have continued to proclaim her innocence, saying that her daughter falsely testified against her in order to receive $300,000 in reward money that was offered for information on the case. Related Reading: Killing Her Husband Wasn...