In 1986 two deaths from cyanide-laced painkillers in Washington state exposed a calculated scheme that centred on insurance payouts and deliberate product tampering.

Stella Nickell lived in the small community of Auburn near Seattle. She worked as a bank teller and had been married to Bruce Nickell for several years. On 5 June 1986 Bruce collapsed at home after taking capsules from a bottle of Excedrin. He died shortly afterwards in hospital. Doctors initially attributed the death to emphysema. Twelve days later a local woman named Susan Snow died in similar circumstances after using the same brand of painkiller. An autopsy revealed cyanide in both victims. The coincidence of identical product contamination prompted an immediate federal investigation.

The case drew national attention because it involved the rare crime of product tampering. Authorities treated the deaths as potential random attacks on consumer goods. Investigators soon focused on Stella Nickell after discovering she held substantial life insurance policies on her husband. The policies had been taken out shortly before his death and included double-indemnity clauses that increased the payout in the event of accidental death.

Background

Stella Nickell was born Stella Maudine Stephenson in 1943. She had a previous marriage that ended in divorce and two daughters from her first relationship. She met Bruce Nickell in the late 1970s. The couple settled in Auburn where Bruce worked in a local aluminium plant. Stella later described their marriage as strained. Court records later showed that she had researched multiple insurance companies and obtained four separate policies on Bruce worth a combined total exceeding $70,000.

Stella had also taken out a smaller policy on herself. Friends and colleagues later recalled that she discussed financial pressures and expressed frustration with her husband’s health issues. These details emerged only after the investigation widened beyond the initial assumption of random tampering.

The Crimes

Bruce Nickell died on 5 June 1986. He had taken four Excedrin capsules that morning. Stella called emergency services when he became ill. Paramedics found him unresponsive. Hospital staff noted symptoms consistent with cyanide poisoning yet the initial cause of death was listed as natural. Stella collected the insurance money within weeks.

On 11 June 1986 Susan Snow purchased a bottle of Excedrin from a local store. She took two capsules the following morning and collapsed at work. She died later that day. An autopsy confirmed cyanide. The bottle she had used came from the same manufacturing lot as the one Stella had provided to investigators. This link narrowed the search to specific retail outlets in the Auburn area.

Product Tampering Method

Investigators determined that someone had opened multiple Excedrin bottles, replaced some capsules with cyanide-filled ones, and resealed the packages. The cyanide had been mixed with powdered Excedrin to mask its appearance. Four additional contaminated bottles were recovered from store shelves. None had been purchased by the public. The method required access to the product after it left the factory and before final sale.

Investigation

The Food and Drug Administration and the FBI coordinated the response. They examined thousands of Excedrin bottles across the Pacific Northwest. The investigation identified five contaminated bottles in total. All came from stores within a short drive of Auburn. Laboratory analysis showed the cyanide in each bottle matched the same batch.

Stella Nickell contacted the FBI voluntarily and offered information about her husband’s death. She claimed the family had used the same bottle that caused Bruce’s collapse. When asked about insurance she initially understated the amounts. Detectives noticed inconsistencies in her account of when she purchased the painkiller. A search of her home uncovered books on poisons and a receipt for cyanide she had purchased for an alleged home project involving gold extraction.

Key Evidence

Forensic examination of the cyanide revealed traces of an unusual green dye used in certain aquarium products. Stella had purchased an algae remover containing that dye. The same dye appeared in the tampered capsules. In addition, Stella’s fingerprints were found on the inner foil seal of one contaminated bottle. These physical links shifted the focus firmly onto her.

Trial and Conviction

Stella Nickell was arrested in December 1987. She stood trial in federal court in Seattle the following year. Prosecutors presented the insurance policies, the dye evidence, fingerprint results, and testimony from her daughter Cynthia that Stella had discussed poisoning Bruce. The defence argued that the evidence was circumstantial and that Stella had no motive to kill a stranger. The jury convicted her on two counts of product tampering and two counts of causing death through poisoning.

In 1988 the court sentenced Stella Nickell to ninety years in prison. She maintained her innocence throughout the proceedings and subsequent appeals. The conviction marked one of the first successful federal prosecutions for product tampering resulting in death under statutes enacted after the 1982 Tylenol case.

Psychological and Legal Context

Stella Nickell’s case illustrated how financial motive could drive the rare act of consumer-product contamination. Court-appointed psychologists noted patterns of planning and deception consistent with calculated rather than impulsive offending. The legal outcome strengthened federal authority over tampering investigations and prompted stricter packaging standards for over-the-counter medications.

Legacy

The Nickell poisonings remain a reference point in discussions of product safety and insurance fraud. No further deaths occurred from the contaminated bottles. Stella Nickell continues to serve her sentence. The case also highlighted the challenges investigators face when distinguishing targeted killings from random attacks on the public.

Conclusion

Stella Nickell’s actions in 1986 resulted in two deaths and a lengthy federal investigation that relied on forensic traces and financial records. The evidence established a direct connection between the poisonings and insurance benefits. The case demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated federal response to consumer-product crimes and left a lasting procedural impact on how such incidents are examined.

Bibliography

Associated Press (1988) ‘Woman convicted in Excedrin poisonings’, The New York Times, 10 May.

FBI (1988) Case file: Product tampering investigation, Auburn, Washington. Washington: Federal Bureau of Investigation.

McCarthy, T. (2001) Poisoned: The true story of the Excedrin murders. New York: St Martin’s Press.

National Institutes of Health (1986) Toxicology report: Cyanide contamination in analgesic products. Bethesda: NIH.

Seattle Times (1987) ‘Nickell trial evidence details insurance policies’, 12 December.

United States District Court (1988) United States v. Stella Nickell, CR87-312, Western District of Washington.

Washington State Department of Health (1986) Autopsy reports: Bruce Nickell and Susan Snow. Olympia: DOH.

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