In the summer of 1986 two residents of Washington State died after ingesting cyanide that had been added to over-the-counter pain relief capsules. The deaths appeared at first to form part of a wider product-tampering scare, yet investigators soon traced the poisonings to a single household and a motive of financial gain.
Stella Nickell lived in the small community of Auburn, south of Seattle. She had been married to Bruce Nickell for several years. On 5 June 1986 Bruce collapsed at home after taking Excedrin capsules and died later that day. Six days later a bank teller named Sue Snow suffered a similar collapse in her bathroom and also died. Both deaths were initially attributed to natural causes until toxicology tests revealed lethal levels of cyanide.
The cases drew immediate federal attention because they occurred against the backdrop of the 1982 Tylenol murders in Chicago. Authorities feared a repeat of random product contamination. When the link between the two Washington deaths emerged, the focus shifted from a possible terrorist act to a targeted domestic crime.
Background
Stella Nickell had a documented history of financial pressures. She worked in various low-wage jobs and had taken out multiple life-insurance policies on her husband. The largest policy, worth approximately seventy-six thousand dollars, contained a double-indemnity clause that doubled the payout in the event of accidental death. Court records later showed that Nickell had inquired about the terms of these policies in the weeks before her husband’s death.
Bruce Nickell had a known affinity for Excedrin. His wife purchased several bottles in the days preceding his collapse. She later claimed she had returned one bottle to a local store because the capsules appeared discoloured, an action that would prove significant during the investigation.
The Poisonings
On the morning of 5 June Bruce Nickell took four Excedrin capsules. Within hours he experienced violent convulsions and died at a local hospital. The cause was recorded as emphysema, a condition from which he suffered. No autopsy was performed at the time.
Sue Snow, a forty-year-old mother of two, took Excedrin from a different bottle on 11 June. She collapsed in her bathroom and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. An autopsy revealed cyanide in her system. Health officials issued a public warning and removed thousands of Excedrin bottles from shelves across the Pacific Northwest.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that both bottles contained capsules laced with cyanide. The poison had been introduced through holes drilled in the gelatin shells and resealed with cotton fibres. Investigators determined that at least five additional bottles had been similarly contaminated and placed on store shelves in the Auburn area.
Investigation
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms coordinated the inquiry. Agents traced the contaminated bottles to purchases made by Stella Nickell. When interviewed she mentioned the return of a discoloured bottle, an unusual detail that drew suspicion. Further questioning revealed inconsistencies in her account of her husband’s final hours.
A key break came when Nickell’s daughter, Cynthia Hamilton, contacted authorities. She reported that her mother had spoken openly about killing Bruce for the insurance money and had experimented with various poisons. Hamilton also described her mother’s purchase of sodium cyanide from a local chemical supplier under a false name.
Forensic examination of the cyanide source matched residue found in the Excedrin capsules. Phone records and witness statements placed Nickell near the stores where the tampered bottles appeared. On 9 December 1987 she was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and five counts of product tampering.
Trial and Conviction
The federal trial opened in Seattle in May 1988. Prosecutors presented evidence that Nickell had contaminated the capsules to simulate a random product-tampering incident and thereby conceal the murder of her husband. The double-indemnity clause provided the financial incentive.
Defence counsel argued that the evidence was circumstantial and that Hamilton’s testimony was motivated by personal animosity. The jury rejected these claims after three days of deliberation. On 9 May 1988 Stella Nickell was found guilty on all counts. She received a ninety-year federal sentence, at the time the longest term ever imposed for product-tampering resulting in death.
Aftermath and Legal Impact
The case prompted stricter federal regulations on the packaging of over-the-counter medications. Manufacturers introduced tamper-evident seals that remain standard today. The prosecution also established a precedent for the use of the 1983 federal product-tampering statute in cases involving deliberate contamination for personal gain.
Nickell has maintained her innocence in subsequent appeals and parole hearings. All challenges have been denied. She remains incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas.
Conclusion
The Washington State poisonings illustrate how personal financial motives can exploit public fears of random violence. Two lives were lost, and the legal system responded with a conviction that reinforced safeguards for consumer products. The facts of the case rest on documented evidence and court findings rather than speculation.
Bibliography
Associated Press. (1988) ‘Woman convicted in cyanide deaths’, The New York Times, 10 May.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1988) Case file: Product tampering – Washington State. Washington, DC: FBI Records.
Gerberth, V. J. (2010) Practical Homicide Investigation. 4th edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Rule, A. (1999) A Rage to Kill and Other True Cases. New York: Pocket Books.
Seattle Times Staff. (1987) ‘Cyanide trail leads to Auburn woman’, The Seattle Times, 10 December.
United States District Court. (1988) United States v. Stella Nickell. Western District of Washington. Trial transcript.
Washington State Department of Health. (1986) Toxicology report: Excedrin contamination incident. Olympia: State Archives.
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