Stella Nickell's Poisonous Pill Plot


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't Enough for Stella Nickell; to Make Her Point, She Poisoned a Stranger

A Terrifying Tale Of Greed, Copycat Schemes, And Cyanide-Laced Medicine



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