She Killed Her Husband With His Own Pills—And Started a National Crisis
From Yore Town by Beard Laws Studio, Bleav
March 2, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 152
About this episode
The episode discusses the Auburn cyanide murders and their impact on product safety regulations in the U.S.
The Auburn cyanide murders shocked a quiet Washington suburb and changed how America seals its medicine bottles. In 1986, Stella Nickell poisoned Excedrin capsules with potassium cyanide, killing her husband and an innocent neighbor in one of the most chilling product tampering cases in U.S. history.
Topics covered
- product tampering
- true crime
- murder
- legal changes
- 1980s history
Keywords
- cyanide
- murder
- Excedrin
- Stella Nickell
- product safety
- 1986
- true crime
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Excedrin
Places: Washington
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