Stella Nickell

Stella Maudine Nickell
Born
Stella Maudine Stephenson

(1943-08-07) August 7, 1943 (age 81)[citation needed]
Colton, Oregon, U.S.
OccupationSecurity screener at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Spouse
Bruce Nickell
(m. 1976; murdered 1986)
Children2
MotiveInsurance payout
Conviction(s)Tampering with consumer products (18 U.S.C. § 1365) (5 counts)
Criminal penalty90 years imprisonment
Imprisoned atFCI Dublin

Stella Maudine Nickell (née Stephenson; born August 7, 1943) is an American woman who was sentenced to ninety years in prison for product tampering after she poisoned Excedrin capsules with lethal cyanide, resulting in the deaths of her husband Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow, a stranger. Her May 1988 conviction and prison sentence were the first under federal product tampering laws instituted after the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders.