Bitter Pill | Full Episode | Forensic Files

I'm Dan Rather. A woman is convicted of poisoning two people to death by tampering with a common drug. But did
the government get it wrong? Remember the panic over eedran laced with cyanide? What kind of person
would devise a scheme to secretly poison painkillers? Stella Nickel was convicted
of poisoning two people to death and sentenced to 90 years in jail. I did not tamper with any products. One victim was
her husband. His death is due to acute cyanide poisoning. I did not kill my husband. This woman was praying. These
detectives are convinced authorities got it wrong. She's been falsely in prison for 14 years. To prove it, they say they
need to find Stella's daughter. Troy Roberts investigates. Did you think when you heard that your own daughter was
cooperating with the FBI? We have a daughter who sold her mother down the river for $250,000. Should Stella Nickel
be set free? I don't think there's any chance that she's innocent. I am not guilty. A 48 hours mystery. And I won't
quit fighting until I prove it. It's entirely possible that the real killer is still out there walking around
somewhere, too. Bitter pill. There was a time when fears over product tampering were running high. People had
died and the pressure to put a stop to it was intense. It was in this anxious atmosphere that tonight's story began to
unfold. Another tampering scare, more deaths triggering a furious search for a killer. Stella Nickel was arrested and
put in prison. But did the authorities led by the FBI put the wrong person behind
bars? Hello, babe. Middle of the night, I'll wake up and toss and turn. Can't go back to
sleep. Dug your pictures out. Wish the hell you knew how I miss you. Take care. Bye-bye.
[Music] Our life together was happy. In a home nestled in the woods of Washington
State. I liked everything about him. Stella Nickel cherished life with her husband of 10 years. Bruce, the dreams
that we had was to sit out there on our property in the middle of nowhere in the
peace and quiet and grow old together. But that dream was not to be. Mr. Nickel. His death is due to acute
cyanide poisoning. Bruce Nickel is dead. Stella Maine Nickel was arrested this morning. And Stella will very likely
spend the rest of her life behind bars. Stella Nickel was sentenced to 90 years in jail. In 1988, Stella was convicted
of killing Bruce and another woman by putting cyanide in eedran capsules. Do we know the truth about this case? No,
because everybody is convinced that I killed my husband. Did you? No, I didn't kill my husband or anybody
else. Good evening. A bizarre and terrifying story today in the Chicago suburbs. It
was a crime chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. Doctors found each victim had
taken Tylenol, each had cyanide in the bloodstream. Seven people died. The case was never solved. No one has ever been
charged. But it moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. Stella was the first to be
convicted. It was quite a shock. But now someone is going to take notice that this woman got railroaded. This woman
was framed. Private detective Al Far. We're just doing what should have been done 15 years ago. And his partner Paul
Colino are on a mission to prove what they both firmly believe. Absolutely no proof connecting her to that murder.
None. Stella Nickel is innocent. They've been traveling the country. Hi. Do we come in? Interviewing
witnesses and friends. Did she ever express to you she was unhappy in her marriage? No. Her and Bruce were doing
fine. Talking to anyone who may help them reopen this case. Had you ever heard her talk about killing her
husband? No. When did you leave? They have a history of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted. How
long have you guys been working on this case? I've been working on it for 19 months now and a little better than
2,000 hours. Hi, I'm Alfar. How you doing? You're not getting paid? No. All of your expenses are out of your own
pockets. Yes. Yes. Why? Far as we're concerned, she's been falsely in prison for 14 years. and I will
eventually get out of here and be set free like I was supposed to be. Stella grew up poor in the Pacific
Northwest. We didn't have much, but we had family and that's all that mattered. Her childhood abruptly ended at age 16
when Stella gave birth to her own daughter, Cynthia. I don't consider myself mother of the year, but I wasn't
the worst mother that ever walked either. Uh, very self- assured. Stella's good friend, AJ Ryder. Fun, wild, and
crazy girl. In the next 12 years, there would be a failed marriage and a second daughter.
To me, I'm a normal average everyday person. And then in early 1974, when Stella was
32, I worked at the Hazelnut Cafe. He'd always come over there for lunch. Bruce came into her life.
I liked everything about him. Within three weeks, they were living together. You wore a miniskirt on your wedding
day. Yes. That's what he liked to see me in. Up until he quit drinking, he wanted
the minikirts. Stella stuck by Bruce as he overcame a serious drinking problem. He told me, he says, "I could see where
I was going to lose everything I had, including you." They were a hardworking couple. Bruce was a heavy equipment
mechanic. And spent time in Alaska working on the pipeline. [Music] That old baby put in 16 hours yesterday,
cold shoulder in hell out there tonight. He often sent homesick messages to Stella. laying here at night and God
knows I miss you. Bruce would tell her, "Go out and have fun while I'm gone." [Music]
But being a part was harder for Bruce than it was for Stella. Just get kind of the feeling something's not right at
home. [Music] But we had a normal marriage. Wasn't all a bed of roses. We had our ups and we
had our downs. After 12 years together, Stella says things were looking up. We were making all kinds of plans. Bruce
had landed a job with Washington State. So, you were looking at spending the rest of your life with this man. Yes, I
was. But then one warm June evening in 1986, Bruce came home with a headache and he took four extra strength
accedans. And I asked him, I said, "Why four?" And he says, "Because I have a headache." Okay. Okay. Fine. Stella says
Bruce stepped out to watch the birds. Then he suddenly turned and collapsed. Called 911 on the telephone
and I told him, "He's thrashing around on the floor. I can I could hear him." Bruce was taken by helicopter to a
Seattle hospital. Two of the doctors came in to talk to me and told me that they were going to lose
him. And asked me if I wanted to see him. I told him no. I wanted to remember him like he was.
The doctor said it was emphyma, but to Stella that never made sense. My husband did not have emphyma. But then nearly
two weeks later, what kind of person would devise a scheme to secretly poison painkillers? Stella heard about Sue
Snow. Police say the 40-year-old woman took a capsule of Extra Strength Eetedan last Wednesday morning. Reports said
Snow died after swallowing cyanide lace, Eedin. Police are asking anyone with the
correct lot number to turn in their Eedrin capsules. I got up and I looked in the cupboard and the lot number was
on the bottles. I immediately called 911. When we come back, Stella killed her husband, poisoned her husband, and she
gotten away with it. How Stella, grieving widow, becomes a prime suspect for murder. Money is plain and simple.
[Music] Come on. We round up the sheet to mark them. That one's stubborn. Right now,
we're shearing the sheep to get ready to sell the wool. Warm. It's melting. Haley
Klene says life on her family's remote New Mexico ranch suits her. This is the end of the world, but it's a great end
of the world. It's a far cry from the spotlight she was thrust into in 1986. Criminal investigators do not know if
Sue Snow was the intended target for that's when her mother was poisoned to death. Who killed Sue Snow? Haley has
long believed that Stella Nickel was responsible for killing her mother and Bruce Nickel. This is the photo of her
arrest. But now, thank you. After meeting private investigator Al Farre, she has her doubts. That was the first
time that I would say I truly felt really uncomfortable. Why are you so confident in her innocence? Lack of any
credible evidence against her? Prosecutors were able to persuade a jury to convict her. Smoke and mirrors.
Lots of smoke. If this woman is not guilty, I don't want her to sit in jail. I mean, that's not right. So, do you
encourage them to investigate this case? Sure. Yes. Sus Snow was an energetic and
popular bank manager. Haley was 15 when she was murdered. My mom woke me up every morning. They were alone in their
suburban Seattle home just beginning their day. She came into my bathroom and okay, you know, and I love you. I love
you. We always did that thing and I gave her a kiss. And then she went into her bathroom.
As Haley stepped out of the shower, she sensed something was wrong. I noticed that her water was still running and I
knew it wouldn't have taken her that long to brush her teeth. She ran down the hall and found her mother on the
floor. She just looked like it caught her in a moment of, you know, sheer terror. Haley called 911.
Um, I think my mother fell. Okay. See if she'll talk to you. Tell her to talk to
you. Okay, if she will come back and tell me, Mommy. Emergency room doctors were baffled.
Within hours, Sue Snow was dead. An autopsy assistant noticed a faint and fleeting clue, which few people can
detect, the distinct smell of cyanide. A test later confirmed her suspicions. Sue
Snow had been poisoned to death. Looking for a source, police found eedrin capsules in her home that had been laced
with cyanide. Dozens of investigators from the FBI, FDA, and local agencies. Can I come in and talk with you about
Eed? Swarm the area. Any over-the-counter capsule medicine should be suspect and should not be used. Tens
of thousands of bottles of pain relievers were swept off store shelves. It's scary. It is really scary.
Eventually, five bottles were found with contaminated capsules, four eedrans, one
anison. Former Auburn detective Mike Dunar remembers the pressure. My instructions from my administration was
that I had a blank check to spend what I needed to, but get to the bottom of it.
Bet you hadn't heard that before? I'd never heard that before. I was at the burial thinking, what does this crazed
murderer look like? At first, Haley assumed detectives were hunting a madman, striking at random. I didn't
rest very easy. But Paul Webb King, Sus Snow's husband of 7 months, figured they'd be looking closer to home. What
did you think when you got that phone call that your wife had been poisoned with cyanide?
Uh, actually I thought that it was going to get pretty unpleasant at that point.
He was right. Early in the investigation, you suspected Paul Webb King. Yes. Why? His his entire demeanor
just did not strike me as consistent with what had happened. I really got the sense that they thought Paul did it.
Sue's identical twin, Sarah, also suspected her sister's new husband. We always felt like Paul tried to drive a
wedge between Sue and anyone else she loved. What was it like being in the house when you have these nagging
suspicions, creepy about Paul Webb King? It was creepy and scary. Haley and I were scared to death. He acted really
weird. I mean, he did a lot of very strange things that upset us. And he got a girlfriend right away. In spite of
whatever happens, the last thing you want to do is go to jail and especially, you know, unjustly and so you become
concerned about that. Paul Webb King agreed to take a polygraph. You passed the polygraph. Yeah. He was eliminated
as a suspect. Meanwhile, investigators had concluded that Bruce Nickel had also died from cyanide poisoning and they
began turning their attention to his spouse. Stella brought herself into the investigation.
Next, the case against Stella Nickel. [Music] Considering that I was 44 years old and
they give me 90 years, they might as well set life. Stella Nickel is serving 90 years in federal prison for poisoning
two people with cyanide. I am not guilty and I won't quit fighting until I prove
it. But investigators who work the case. Things just didn't look right. Insist they got it right. Stella did in fact
kill Bruce and Sus. Stella's story began back in 1986. He said, "Babe, I feel like I'm going to
pass out." when her husband Bruce suddenly collapsed and died after taking four eedran. He was in good health as
far as I knew. Doctors said it was emphyma. I just knew it had to be something else besides emphyma. And then
two weeks later, police say Sue Snow took a capsule of Extra Strength Eetan last Wednesday morning. Stella saw
reports about Sue Snow's death. Police are asking anyone with the correct lot number to turn in their Eedran capsules.
She says she became suspicious. I looked in the cupboard. The lot number was on the bottles. Stella then called the
police. When the officer came out, I gave him the one that was open. Well, she says, "Well, you might as well take
the second bottle with you." Former police officer Ed Stexon took Stella's Eedran in for examination. Two different
bottles, two different batch numbers. It turned out both bottles had tainted capsules. Bruce had indeed died from
cyanide poisoning. Investigations are underway by the Food and Drug Administration, Auburn Police, and the
FBI. Her voice never cracked when she talked about Bruce. From the beginning, officer Ston was suspicious. Things
weren't adding up. He said Stella told him she bought her two bottles of Eedran at different times, probably in
different places. You know, that is kind of far-fetched. far-fetched because out
of thousands of bottles checked in the entire region, authorities found only five with tainted capsules and Stella
had two of them. Yeah. Statistically, something's not right. It's crazy to think that anybody could have that bad
luck. Greg Olsen, whose book Bitter Almonds chronicles the case, says that's why the FBI zeroed in on Stella. The FBI
guys scratched their heads and said, "Nobody could be that unlucky." Stella brought herself into the investigation.
But why would Stella call the police if she already got away with murder? Money.
Just plain and simple. Auburn detective Mike Dunar says insurance money. Bruce's
insurance paid an extra $100,000 if he died by accident, including poisoning. I think that she
probably killed Bruce and then expected them to find out that he died from cyanide poisoning. Investigators in
Seattle say Stella's plan was foiled when Bruce's death was attributed to a natural cause, emphyma. They say she was
desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. So, she put poison painkillers in stores hoping someone
else would die and the tainted capsules would be discovered. And that's when Sue
Snow came along and bought a bottle of resulting in her death. As the investigation continued, the FBI lab
found an important clue. Um, you could see them with the naked eye. Little green crystals mixed in with the
cyanide. They turned out to be algae destroyer, a product used to kill algae in fish tanks. Stella had an aquarium.
Did you ever buy algae destroyer? No, I have never bought algae destroyer. Tom Nunan, the local fish store manager at
the time, remembers it differently. Do you specifically remember selling Stella Nickel algae destroyer? Yes,
you do. No question about it. No question. No. The theory is Stella Nickel crushed those tablets in a bowl
somewhere. Later, when she was going to do this product tampering, she used that
same bowl without cleaning it out very efficiently. Investigators were now certain they had
the right person, but they had very little to take to a jury. They had no fingerprints, nor any way to prove
Stella ever bought or possess cyanide. Finally, 6 months after the investigation began, a key witness
started talking. It was Cindy. The turning point was Cindy Hamilton. Cindy, Stella's oldest daughter, was
born when Stella was a teenager. Loving and close, I don't think so. In a lot of ways, Cindy was Stella.
Cindy had been in and out of Stella's life for years. She had a history of abusing drugs. This was a competitive,
combative mother-daughter relationship. What did you think when you heard that your own daughter was cooperating with
the FBI? I wondered why. what is going through the child's mind. Although Cindy never said her mother confessed, she
told agents that her mother had spoken to her for years about killing Bruce. She said you talked about feeding him an
overdose of drugs. I don't know anything about drugs. You never talked to her about cocaine? A cocaine overdose? No.
She said you talked about hiring a hitman. Never happened. No. Cindy said her mother even went to the library to
research poisonous plants and cyanide. I started reading books to find out what plants I might have on the property that
were a danger to kids and pets. The FBI was able to lift Stella's fingerprints from a number of books.
That was pretty damning evidence that she had fingerprints all over these books. Stella claims she researched
cyanide after Bruce died. And I tried to look up cyanide poisoning and pulmonary
emphyma to try to find out what similarities there were in the symptoms of the two. I never did find out.
Leading our news this morning, 44year-old Stella Nickel was arrested yesterday. A year and a half after Bruce
Nickel died, Stella Nickel was arrested and stood trial in federal court. The government's star witness has been
Nickel's daughter, Cindy Hamilton. It became emotional. Mary Andrews was the jury for me. Cindy, she she was a very
believable witness against her mother. Cindy testified it was painful to come forward, but she felt it was the right
thing to do when she said that she remembered certain things that her mother had said. I mean, I I could not
believe she made those up. Cynthia lied when she testified and I was sitting there watching her the whole time. She
wouldn't she didn't even glance in my direction. Although the defense challenged Cindy's credibility, the jury
believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. Cynthia was the link that pulled
all the evidence together and made it the most believable. Stella Nickel was sentenced to 90 years
in jail. She'll serve 30 before. And Stella's daughter Cindy, the government star witness, left town. Nobody, her
best friends, not a single person, knew where she went. [Music] When we come back, Cindy has always
liked money, but she's never really liked to work for it. A startling new theory about Cindy's testimony. We have
a daughter who sold her mother down the river for $250,000. That's next on 48 hours.
[Music] It's a very cool time fog around this morning, but that'll clear off the
mostly sunny sky. It's Mount Reineer, and that's a incredibly pretty area. That's kind of right over where Stella
lived. Al Far and Paul Celino feel they're making progress improving Stella Nichols innocence. We have blown big
gigantic holes in virtually every aspect of the prosecution's case. You understand the conversation we're having
right now. They have spent months videotaping new witnesses. She's driving, Al. Come on. And staked out old
ones in snowbound, Wisconsin, New Mexico's high desert, and even Alaska. Sunny Anchorage, cold
anchorage. But along the way, one image has haunted them. This is a photo taken of Cindy and her daughter Rachel in
1984. Stella's daughter, Cindy Hamilton. Cynthia knows that I did not kill my husband. She knows that I did not tamp
her with any products. They need to find her. Yes. But even if they do, there's no guarantee that she will
change her story. Cynthia has never been one to stand up and say, "I'm wrong." She's
never been one to stand up and say, "I'm sorry. Cindy, it turns out, was paid a $250,000 reward for her help in the case
against her mother. You're telling me that she did this for $250,000? Yes. The reward money came from a drug
manufacturers's trade association. I mean, this is so unusual. It's the biggest amount of money I've ever seen
given to a witness. So, it may have made a difference in the jury coming to a consensus. Jory Foreman, Murray Andrews.
It might have made Cynthia's testimony a little less credible, but u I'm I'm not
sure. Unlike most cases involving reward money, in this case, the enormous reward
was never brought into evidence. They were able to uh to convince the defense attorney that he should not bring this
up at trial. Stella's lawyer said nothing about the reward because a deal was made. The defense agreed not to
cross-examine Cindy about the money and the prosecution agreed not to reveal something else that Cindy said she came
forward when she heard her mother failed a polygraph and that was a full 6 months
after the reward was posted. You failed a polygraph test. What was going through
your mind? I didn't think that it mattered that much. I mean, I did not feel that I failed it. is that
polygraphs aren't always right. There's a reason why we don't admit them into court. Carl Cobar is Stella's new
attorney. Is there any record of the polygraph? Have you been able to see it? I certainly haven't been able to see it
uh to this day. No one has a copy of this polygraph graph that shows that Stella failed it. Stella's first lawyer
said he never saw it either despite repeated requests in 1988. Now, my belief is that the uh polygraph
was a ruse to try and coersse a confession out of her. You failed. Tell me what you know now. You just failed
the polygraph. It's over. Do you believe that they would resort to this kind of trickery at that point in the
investigation? All I know for sure is that we don't have it. And that leads me to wonder about what was done back then.
Is is that an issue, Carl? Back then, says Stella's new team, there was enormous pressure to solve the case. We
have a rush to judgment, a rush to name the bad guy, so the public could be at ease and they could all go to sleep at
night. The detectives questioned the very reason why Stella became a suspect in the murders of her husband and Sue Snow.
Remember how she called the police and turned over two bottles of eedran? Why in the
world would she have a second bottle of contaminated capsules just sitting there
waiting to hand over to law enforcement? The police say Stella told them she bought them at different times, probably
at different stores. You did tell them that that the the two tainted bottles were purchased at two separate stores.
No, you did not say that. I told them that I could not state where I had bought them. She bought them both at
Albertson's. How do you know that? I was there. Stella's friend AJ Ryder says she was
with Stella when she bought those painkillers. Yeah, it's a good boy. Bought two bottles of eedran, two
gallons of milk, some lunch meat, and cheese. Why would she buy two bottles of eetin at once? It was two for one. The
detectives discovered this FBI memo that seems to support AJ's account. It was found among a thousand pages, never
turned over to the defense. In those documents, there are reports of other possible suspects and mysterious
fingerprints on Sous Snow's bottle. This memo mentions that Stella's two Exedum bottles came from one store,
Albertson's. She bought them at one store. So, there goes the theory of buying them. And there goes that odd And
of course, this memo never found its way into trial. The government says all required documents were handed over. You
want it now? AJ Ryder was never called to testify. She lived with the Nicholls months before Bruce died. But by the
time of the trial, AJ says the FBI had convinced her that Stella was the killer. They made me believe
that my family could have taken any one of those pills and been a victim, too. that she would have killed anybody to
get to Bruce. AJ moved out of state refusing to help Stella's defense team. And I said, "I have nothing to say to
you." And closed the door in his face. Please uh meet AJ. But years later, while speaking out against Stella on
television, Stella took Sue Snow and Bruce, but I don't She killed him. AJ had a change of heart. All of a sudden
on this Sally show, I find out that the reason Stella sent up is because Cindy testified and was given $250,000 for
that testimony. And it all just kind of dawned on me. Wait a minute. This was a whole setup. Now she feels she's
betrayed her best friend. It's a hard pill to swallow and I hope that still can forgive me. Well, it's a little late,
but at least she knows. Do you have anything else you'd like to add? Stella didn't do it. To Far and Celino,
AJ's statements are valuable. I don't believe Cindy has a conscience. But now they need to find Cindy
Hamilton. I found her. I know exactly where she is. That's later. [Music] [Music]
Cindy is the hinge pin of this whole case. In their efforts to freeze Stella Nickel, the majority of my time is spent
right now on finding Cindy. Detectives Alfar and Paul Celino are close to finding Cindy Hamilton.
Cindy currently is located in Southern California. These are a partial list of names, so we'll have to find out which
one is her. Stella Nichols daughter was paid a4 million reward for her help in convicting her mother.
To testify against your own mother. Why would she do that? The only reason that I can say that she done that is because
of the reward money that was posted. My daughter never came to see me or call me or anything since a year
before they arrested me. After the trial, Stella reached out to her daughter. You know that you were lying
on the stand through a letter she gave author Greg Olsen to pass along. I was just a kid myself when I was trying to
raise you. And the crazy thing is I do love you. even with what you're doing to me. She wrote this letter for me to pass
along to Cindy. And of course, I never found her. As the detectives continue to search for Cindy, they've been talking
to other people who were rewarded for their role in the case. Stella's neighbor, Sandy Scott.
Hi. Hi. Became a spy for the FBI. I was back in here in the woods. They had asked me to see if she was there, to see
if there was someone there with her, any conversation that I could hear. She was paid $7,500.
And I could see across through the trees. I felt like they were trying to convince me that I really needed to help
them because she was really guilty. Sandy searched Stella's home for algae destroyer, a fish tank product found
mixed in with the poison in the capsules. I just waited till she decided to go to the lady's room and open the
cupboard door. No one ever found allergy destroyer in Stella's home. There is no
algae destroyer there. The jury never got to know about that. I've always wondered if someone else did it and got
away with it. Do you specifically remember Stella Nickel asking you for this product? Yes. Remember, it was the
fish store manager, Tom Nunan, who linked Stella to the incriminating product. Nunan claims Stella bought so
much algae destroyer, he had to special order it just for her. They ordered it in bulk like they did
everything else. He was paid a $15,000 reward. There's no such thing as a special order in here anywhere. The
detectives showed Nan his own store records. So, it wasn't a special order for Stella Nichols. Did he have an
independent recollection? I doubt it. I think he had to be prompted and had to be shown what they were looking for.
Take a take a left. As the detectives continue to investigate the murders, they're learning more about Stella's
life, including previous brushes with the law. She once served four months in jail for check fraud. And when Cindy was
nine, Stella was charged with hitting her with a curtain rod, bruising her legs. Did you ever abuse Cindy? I have
not abused either one of my girls. I corrected them when they were wrong. But as far as abuse goes, no. There's that
record. Yes, there is. She wasn't feeling good. She wanted to stay home. There was nothing wrong with her. I sent
her to school and she told the nurse that I had beat her that morning before she went to school. They arrested me. I
was only in jail for overnight. Stella was ordered to go to counseling. Does she hate you?
I don't know if she hates me or not. I know that Cindy is jealous of me. Why would she be jealous of her own mother?
She looks at me as another female and she considers all females competition. And those were her exact words to me.
Did Bruce like Cindy? Bruce accepted Cindy because Cynthia was my daughter. He thought the world and all of his
granddaughter, which was Cynthia's daughter, Rachel. In my young days, I spent more time with my grandmother did
than I did my own mother. Cindy had left her daughter Rachel with Stella and Bruce for several months. Granted, she
might not be everyone's ideal, but she was my ideal grandmother. I mean, she loved me. Rachel was nine when her
mother testified against Stella. You know, a lot of people believe that she testified against your grandmother
because of the reward money. I see that as something she would do. You know what
you're saying. Yes, I do. And I really don't want to say that about my mother, but it's true. She really doesn't care.
You know, she's like, I don't care if she rots. She was a miserable mother, you know. I don't care if she rots in
there. It's been a long, long road locating her. Next on 48 hours. That's where she
hangs. Cindy's side of the story. We will be visiting her very, very soon. [Music]
I mean, it's more than pictures. It was letters, airline tickets, cards. While writing his book about the Seattle
Cyanide murders, this is dressed to to babe, which is what Bruce called Stella. Greg Olsen ended up with many of Stella
Nichols personal belongings. Oh, here's a Valentine card. I love you, me. And that's from Bruce. Momentos of happier
days with her husband. I look at Bruce and just the way he's standing there, you know, this is the love of his life.
And even some good times, a loving message, mother, with her daughter, Cindy. And then Cindy wrote here, "Thank
you for always being there and for just being my mom." There really was at one time a mother and a daughter that really
did love each other. And how could it turn out so bad? I can't really hate her because I brought her into this world.
Do you still love her, Stella? I'm not sure. I know I'm supposed to, but I cannot really sit here and say
I do. There it is. Off limits. That's where she hangs. After 19 months of searching
for Cindy, Cindy is the key to solving this case. Detectives Alfar and Paul Celino are finally ready to approach
her. Okay, here's where she lives back here. We've got 30 seconds to try and convince
her to talk to us. That's it. To their relief. Okay, thank you. Cindy invites the detectives in. We had a 2-hour
conversation with her about her mother and her role in putting her mother in prison. Mostly, they say she wanted to
talk about herself. Cindy's whole thing is I'm a victim of child abuse. I wanted
that story to be told. I was not allowed to tell it. And while she doesn't change
her story, she basically stands by her testimony. The detectives are delighted now to begin a dialogue with her. I'll
be back to see her soon. Within a month, Alfar visits Stella's daughter again. She could sometimes be
very, very skillfully evasive. this time spending 13 more hours with her over a weekend. Cindy, hi, I'm Troy Roberts
from 48. While she would not sit down for an interview with 48 hours, I have said everything that I need to say, I
have to say to Al, she did answer a few quick questions. Was your testimony colored by the $250,000?
No, it wasn't. It was not. Did your mother kill Bruce? I made my testimony 14 years ago. Was it
truthful? It was truthful. It was very truthful. Cindy stands by her testimony that her mother had talked about killing
Bruce. Al has my permission to tell you anything I've told you. While she never said Stella confessed, Cindy now tells
Alfar she's not sure her mother is really guilty. Does she still believe her mother killed Bruce? No. As of
today, asked, "Do you think your mother did it?" She said, "I don't know. I don't know." eyes. Well, is that a yes
or a no? She said, "On balance, no." And what I believe now and what I believe then,
we all change. On the basis of the new findings, Stella's legal team filed a request for a new trial. I don't think
there's any chance that she's innocent. But police investigators and the federal
government still firmly believe that Stella Nickel is a killer. She's guilty of these crimes. I believe she is. I am
not guilty. I did not kill my husband and I won't quit fighting until I prove it. Since we first aired this
story, a judge has denied Stella Nichols latest request for a new trial. The detectives say they simply don't know
who killed Bruce Nickel and Sue Snow. More importantly, I know who didn't do it, and that was Stella Nickel. Thanks a
lot. Be good to yourself. Thank you very very much. This case has taken up an awful lot of my life and will continue
to do so until the day I die. I will never give up working on this case. For now, that gives Stella Nickel hope. It's
just a feeling. I have the feeling on the inside that eventually justice will come around and
be done right. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music]

In 1988 in Washington state, Stella Nickell was convicted of killing her husband Bruce, and Sue Snow, a bank manager, by putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. Did authorities put the wrong person behind bars? "48 Hours" correspondent Troy Roberts reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Stella Nickel, convicted of poisoning, fights for innocence as detectives investigate her daughter's testimony and the case's integrity.

Key points

Stella Nickel's Conviction. Stella Nickel was sentenced to 90 years for poisoning her husband and another woman.
The Search for Truth. Investigators believe Stella Nickel may be innocent and are working to prove it.
Cindy's Testimony. Stella's daughter Cindy becomes a key witness in the case against her mother.
The Polygraph Controversy. Stella's failed polygraph test raises doubts about the investigation's integrity.
AJ's Change of Heart. AJ Ryder, once convinced of Stella's guilt, now believes in her innocence after learning the truth.
Cindy's Testimony and the Reward. Cindy Hamilton testified against her mother for a $250,000 reward, raising questions about her motives.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I won't quit fighting until I prove it.

Stella Nickel's determination to prove her innocence.

0:58WatchMay 20, 2025

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

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