Crime Classification Manual Part II Chapter 6 108

 

Crime Classification Manual Part II Chapter 6 108

A STANDARD SYSTEM FOR INVESTIGATING AND CLASSIFYING VIOLENT CRIMES

SECOND EDITION

 

CASE STUDY: 105: PRODUCT TAMPERING

Background

Stella Maudine Nickell’s husband, Bruce, came home from work with a headache. After he had given his wife of ten years a kiss, he went into their kitchen and reached for a bottle of Extra-Strength Excedrin. He swallowed four capsules and sat down to watch television. Stella remembers that Bruce then decided to go for a walk out on the patio. Suddenly she heard Bruce call to her that he felt like he was going to pass out. Within the next minute, he collapsed and was unable to speak. Stella called the paramedics, and Bruce was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He died a few hours later, never regaining consciousness.

Six days later, on June 11, 1986, Sue Snow started her day by taking two Extra-Strength Excedrin capsules, as was her habit. The caffeine in the capsules was like her morning cup of coffee. Fifteen minutes later, her daughter, Hayley, found her sprawled unconscious on the bathroom floor. By noon, she was dead.