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Auburn Woman Behind Deadly Cyanide-Laced Painkillers Wants Out of HVB Federal Prison (Stella Nickell)
KIRO7 ^ | Deedee Sun

Posted on 09/15/2022 6:35:00 PM PDT by nickcarraway

It’s a notorious case out of Auburn — a woman convicted of lacing Excedrin painkillers with cyanide that killed two people in 1986, including her husband.

Stella Nickell was sentenced to federal prison for 90 years.

This week, the now-78-year-old woman filed a petition to be released from prison because of medical reasons.

At the time, the story sparked a nationwide recall of Excedrin pills and caused panic across the country. Then, investigators found out that Stella Nickell planted the deadly pills at multiple stores.

Now, decades later, in court documents filed this week, Nickell is admitting her guilt and asking to be released from federal prison.

“Such a tragedy. Just such an unreal thing to do,” said Debra Kolkow, a longtime Auburn resident.

People in South King County still clearly recall the troubling summer. In June 1986, two people in Auburn were killed by Excedrin painkillers dosed with cyanide. KIRO 7, reporting from the time, says the incident triggered a nationwide recall of the capsules, confiscation of all capsules in King County, and a 90-day ban of all non-prescription capsules across Washington.

FBI investigators eventually found out that Nickell poisoned the capsules to kill her husband, Bruce Nickell. They also learned she planted bottles with cyanide-tainted pills at multiple shops, including a Pay ‘N Save in Auburn and a Johnny’s grocery store in Kent.

A random victim, 40-year-old Sue Snow of Auburn, bought one of those bottles of headache medication. She ended up taking a lethal dose of poison. KIRO 7 reported at the time that Snow’s husband also took pills from that same bottle, but missed the laced capsules.

The poisoning was discovered after a medical examiner smelled “bitter almonds” during an autopsy of Snow, a telltale sign of cyanide.

Initially, people blamed the drug manufacturers; but eventually, investigators also found a home aquarium purifier product in the laced pills — something that was also discovered at Nickell’s home. Investigators also found circumstantial evidence of Nickell purchasing extra life insurance for her husband.

Nickell was convicted of tampering with consumer products in 1988 and sentenced to 90 years in federal prison. So far, she has served more than 30 years.

On May 7, 2022, Stella Nickell submitted a handwritten letter to the U.S. District Court in Seattle, petitioning for early release. She says because of health issues related to her age, “the BOP (Bureau of Prisons) cannot provide her with the medical care that she needs.” She wrote, “I believe I qualify for compassionate release.”

KIRO7′s Deedee Sun reached out to her public defender at the time, Thomas Hillier. Hillier says he understands both sides, but does see the argument for her release.

“She’s done a significant amount of time and so she has been significantly punished for a very severe crime. Now she’s no longer a threat to society and I think importantly, also, she has acknowledged her culpability,” Hillier said over the phone.

He said to his knowledge, the letter just filed in federal court is the first time Nickell is admitting to the crimes.

Nickell wrote in her petition, “I am now mentally and emotionally cognizant of the immoral heinous act I committed … I truly and sincerely regret being responsible for the loss of those two precious lives. I pray for forgiveness. There is nothing in this life that can or will cause me to commit another crime.”

Some Auburn residents also believe it’s time.

“I’m hoping she gets out,” Kolkow said. If Hiller is released, she said in court documents she has plans to stay with a friend in Las Vegas.

KIRO7 also reached out to author Gregg Olsen to get his thoughts. He wrote a book about the case titled “Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters, and the Seattle Cyanide Murders.”

Olsen said in an email:

“A spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said murder cases have no statute of limitations. So if Nickell is released, they would just need the federal investigators to refer the murder case to them to proceed.”

As far as how likely it is for Nickell to be released, the U.S. Attorney’s office told KIRO 7 they believe there is a legal error with Nickell’s petition and that the compassionate release situation doesn’t apply to her case. That’s because crimes committed before 1987 fall under a previous law that would require the Bureau of Prisons to file the petition. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Seattle says it’s received no such petition.

KIRO7 reached out to the family of victim Sue Snow, but did not immediately hear back.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: crime; excedrin; poison
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To: DarrellZero

Fetterman? Fetterwoman? is that you?


21 posted on 09/15/2022 8:50:45 PM PDT by BarbM (Men who look at porn are impotent to God.)
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To: nickcarraway

“I qualify for compassionate release.” Wow. Um, no you don’t qualify for compassionate release. Period.


22 posted on 09/15/2022 9:07:29 PM PDT by Falconspeed ("Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson.)
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To: nickcarraway
Now she's no longer a threat to society and I think importantly, also, she has acknowledged her culpability,” Hillier said over the phone.

I don't care.

She should have been executed.

Let her die behind bars.

23 posted on 09/15/2022 9:09:57 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (The nation of france was named after a hedgehog... The hedgehog's name was Kevin... Don't ask)
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To: Deaf Smith
Texas executed him in ‘84.

So... He's not pestering anyone with demands for "compassionate release?"

Regards,

24 posted on 09/15/2022 11:00:00 PM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: nickcarraway

I worked and lived in the Middle East in the country of Oman. Crime was almost nonexistent with the exception of crimes of passion as in our nation. Justice for crime was swift harsh and fair. People just did not rob and steal and commit violence against others with the exception mentioned, crimes of passion. My wife could go down to the “Souk” also called the bazar alone and in perfect safety.

Also in the bazar were the gold shops. It was not uncommon to walk in the shop and no one was behind the counter. Thousands of dollars of jewelry where open and within your grasp. Actually, many many thousands of dollars of jewelry. The owner was probably next-door drinking tea with his friend. He saw you walk in. That is how it worked. Walk about and admire all the lovely gold jewelry but do not touch it. When the owner walks in acknowledge his presence and touch or pick up what you want. This was 44 years ago. I hope it is still the same. Theft and crime were dealt with harshly and quickly. It worked.

Our criminal justice system does not work!


25 posted on 09/15/2022 11:16:52 PM PDT by cpdiii (CANE CUTTER-DECKHAND-ROUGHNECK-OILFIELD CONSULTANT-GEOLOGIST-PILOT-PHARMACIST)
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To: nickcarraway

Gas the bitch and throw her ass in a hole.

Nothing emboldens sin more than mercy.


26 posted on 09/15/2022 11:20:18 PM PDT by jmacusa (Liberals. Too stupid to be idiots. )
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To: alexander_busek

I wonder what his two children who survived think of all this? One of the other neighborhood children was found asleep with the poison candy in his hand. He had tried to eat it but it was too hard to open.


27 posted on 09/16/2022 1:19:14 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

The Candyman. He ruined Halloween for many years to come


28 posted on 09/16/2022 2:03:00 AM PDT by 38special (I should've said something earlier)
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To: nickcarraway

“She wrote, “I believe I qualify for compassionate release.”

Most likely, never thinking of the consequences, she uncompassionately denied an innocent person of their right to live a longer life. So, now because she has health problems caused by her aging and she has another 50 years to serve of her 90year prison sentence, she thinks she qualifies (deserves?) compassionate treatment. Well, some might say that execution would be a compassionate release from her lifelong punishment rather than forcing her to serve her remaining sentence. Make it her choice, serve the rest of the 90year sentence or be compassionately released from her life sentence unto the great beyond.


29 posted on 09/16/2022 7:59:14 AM PDT by This I Wonder32460 (That's my story and I'm sticking to it. )
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To: lee martell

I have suspicion that the Tylenol murders thing was some government run mass hysteria study. I wonder how much Fauci knows about this. (Sure fits his MO in my opinion.)


30 posted on 09/16/2022 9:02:38 AM PDT by Honest Nigerian
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To: Honest Nigerian

That’s a possibility I never thought about. Of course, back then, if you said you thought ‘The Govt.’ was planning to kill off a certain percentage of the population, people would have called you paranoid, or even crazy. Today is a different story completely.


31 posted on 09/16/2022 9:08:56 AM PDT by lee martell ( )
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To: Honest Nigerian; lee martell

You think Ronald Reagan poison Tylenol to get rid of the population? Only seven people died.


32 posted on 09/16/2022 9:32:33 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

That was not my opinion or suspicion of President Reagan.
I am saying those involved in medical research employed by the government (i.e. Military) may have been conducting experiments. This is how Bayer Asprin industries got started back in Germany.


33 posted on 09/16/2022 9:38:32 AM PDT by lee martell ( )
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To: nickcarraway

Have some fairness:

Release her and place her in a big tamper-proof freaking pill bottle so she can rot like we have to trying to open the dang things she brought upon the world.


34 posted on 09/16/2022 10:00:01 AM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It ( )
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