Bitter Almonds
Gregg Olsen
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1986 · Washington, United States
Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings
The story behind Bitter Almonds
Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin in Washington in 1986. Investigators determined that Bruce’s wife, Stella Nickell, poisoned him and placed tampered bottles in stores to disguise his death as part of a random product attack. Her scheme killed a second person and led to a federal conviction.
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The Story
When1986
WhereWashington, United States
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I, Detective — Killer Medicine (S1 E1) (2001)
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Forensic Tales — Stella Nickell
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Blogs & essays
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Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
GBRLIFE · Blog / essay
The Wife Who Poisoned Excedrin: The Stella Nickell Case
An outside blog or essay discussing Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings. Read the author’s analysis alongside the dated reporting and court sources in this case guide. Some publishers require a subscription.
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Books
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Books
1 itemsGregg Olsen
Bitter Almonds
A nonfiction account of this case. See the linked edition for publication details and available formats.
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Movies & TV
Movies
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TV & documentaries
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Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
IMDb · TV episode
I, Detective — Killer Medicine (S1 E1) (2001)
The IMDb episode guide identifies “Killer Medicine” (S1 E1), about the Stella Nickell case. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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Oxygen True Crime · Season 3, Episode 10 · Listed air date 2005-10-30
Snapped — Stella Nickell
IMDb episode reference connected to the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Listed release: 2005. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate. Includes coverage of Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings.
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Episode data: TVmaze · CC BY-SA 4.0
Investigation Discovery · Season 2, Episode 5 · Listed air date 2008-11-06
Deadly Women — Bad Medicine
IMDb episode reference connected to the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Listed release: 2008. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate. Includes coverage of Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings. This is one segment in a multi-case episode; other segments may cover cases outside the United States.
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Episode data: TVmaze · CC BY-SA 4.0
IMDb · TV episode
48 Hours — Bitter Pill: A Wife On Trial (2001)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Listed release: 2001. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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Audiobooks
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Bitter Almonds
Search Audiobook Editions · paid linkGregg Olsen
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
No verified fictional adaptation or inspiration has been identified in this collection. Nonfiction coverage is listed in the other media sections.
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Podcasts
Podcasts
15 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
Spotify
Forensic Tales — Stella Nickell
Direct episode page for this case or its screen adaptation. Open it for listening options and the publisher’s episode notes.
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This Is Monsters
Stella Nickell : The Poisoned Pills
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released December 22, 2022. About 38 minutes.
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Forensic Tales
Stella Nickell
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released March 9, 2026. About 34 minutes.
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That Chapter Podcast
Stella Nickell, Poisoning a City to Hide a Murder
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released May 23, 2025. About 44 minutes.
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Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast
She Poisoned His Medicine - The Stella Nickell story
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released July 2, 2025. About 9 minutes.
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Casefile True Crime
Case 93: Susan Snow & Bruce Nickell
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released August 25, 2018. About 93 minutes.
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Last Podcast On The Left
Episode 296: Black Widows Part II - Hit and Run Helen
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released November 24, 2017. About 54 minutes.
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Crimes of the Centuries
The Tylenol Murders: Over-the-Counter Killers
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released January 18, 2021. About 39 minutes.
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LOVE MURDER
The Seattle Cyanide Murders
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released July 14, 2021. About 100 minutes.
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True Crime Brewery
The Seattle Cyanide Murders
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released April 2, 2019. About 80 minutes.
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Day and Nightshade
04. Stella Nickell
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released June 16, 2026. About 25 minutes.
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Corrupt Podcast
E62: Stella Nickell Part 1
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released February 17, 2026. About 30 minutes.
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Who Killed...?
Stella Nickell & The Seattle Excedrin Murders
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released February 25, 2022. About 48 minutes.
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True Crime Queen
Stella Nickell - The Seattle, Washington Excedrin Cyanide Murders
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released June 7, 2020. About 19 minutes.
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Corrupt Podcast
E63: Stella Nickell Part 2
Podcast coverage of the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Released February 18, 2026. About 47 minutes.
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
5 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
Google Books · Preview / Limited Pages
Bitter Almonds — Gregg Olsen
Olsen examines the cyanide poisonings and the investigation involving Stella Nickell. A limited preview is offered. Edition record; available pages vary by region and edition.
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OverDrive · Library Access
Bitter Almonds — Ebook
Gregg Olsen. Related reading for Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings. Check participating libraries for this edition. Borrowing requires an eligible library card; availability and waits vary.
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Open Library · Catalog / Availability
Bitter almonds by Gregg Olsen
Bibliographic record for related reading. Check the edition page for previews, lending and other access options; full text has not been confirmed.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
American Mother
Related book record. Google may offer selected pages or another edition; full-book access is not confirmed.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
American Mother — Gregg Olsen
A revised edition of the book originally published as Bitter Almonds; not a separate case. Edition record; available pages vary by region and edition.
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Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemsarchive.seattletimes.com
Reporting and case background
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Newspaper clippings
1 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.
Philadelphia Daily News · 1988-05-10 · Page 8
Nickell convicted in the product-tampering deaths
A verdict report discusses the deaths of Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow and the daughter’s testimony.
Historical reporting; read in the context of its publication date.
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Internet Archive
1 itemsAbout these sources
Library records and preserved media. A catalog listing does not guarantee full reading or playback.
Internet Archive · KIRO 7 news archive
Snippets of KIRO 7 News coverage of Stella Nickell tampering case from 1986 | KIRO 7 News
Archived KIRO 7 news excerpts about the 1986 Stella Nickell tampering investigation. Read this historical coverage in the context of its date.
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court opinionArchive copy
United States v. Nickell — product-tampering appeal
Federal appellate review of Stella Nickell’s consumer-product-tampering convictions, including questions about the jury and trial procedure.
- Court / agency
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Document date
- August 29, 1989
- Hosted by
- Justia
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
8 itemsAbout these sources
Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.
this is MONSTERS
Stella Nickell : The Poisoned Pills
Video from this is MONSTERS covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 36:07.
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KIRO 7 News
Snippets of KIRO 7 News coverage of Stella Nickell tampering case from 1986 | KIRO 7 News
Video from KIRO 7 News covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 4:10.
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Dr. Todd Grande
Excedrin Killer Who Insisted on Being Caught | Stella Nickell Case Analysis
Video from Dr. Todd Grande covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 14:53.
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Ray William Johnson
This Entitled Woman Thinks She Can Get Away With Murder // The Stella Nickell Murder
Video from Ray William Johnson covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 8:32.
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Forensic Tales
A Deadly Dose - The story of Stella Nickell
Video from Forensic Tales covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 33:10.
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48 Hours
Bitter Pill | Full Episode
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from 48 Hours covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 40:42.
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Show 2 more social media
The New Detectives
Deadly Chemistry | FULL EPISODE | The New Detectives
Full episode or film as labeled by the publisher from The New Detectives covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 51:20.
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Casefile
Uncovering a poisoning plot after two mysterious deaths
Video from Casefile covering the Stella Nickell & the Excedrin poisonings case. Length: 1:39:25.
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