48 Hours - The Root Beer Float Murder

Episode Date: April 6, 2026

A burglar caught red handed leads police to a killer and a poisoned root beer float. Peter Van Sant reports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9-1-1. Yeah, this is no state road 135. My husband is our begging for a non-responsive and I need to be able to hear me. Marsha Allen called 911. Do you want to start CPR if I help you? Yeah, I could do that. She appears to be crying on the call.

She appears to start getting a little panicked. He just bleeding him on his mouth was in. Go ahead. He's white. Is he called to the judge? First responders get there. What did they find? They found Harold Allen unresponsive.

He was dead. Yes. And Marshall Allen had only been married for a year, year and a half when this happened. Harold had had some health problems, so it wasn't initially a huge surprise that he would have died. And what was the cause of death? determined to be at that time. It was heart problems.

About six months after Harold's death, Marcia wrote a self-help book about grief and losing someone that you loved. About Harold, she says, he was my world. The grief I was experiencing after my husband passed away was unbearable and still is. Well, this is just a grieving woman missing her husband. A burglary call come over the radio.

Our detectives were going to Marcia's house. We start investigating the burglary. And in the process, we're told there's a murder involved here. This one is a fucking murderer. Okay? I know that. I have not gone to nobody in certain things because I don't have no proof on it. Stephen Light told me that Marsha Allen had killed her husband.

in Herald by poisoning a root beer float. Marsha went into the kitchen and made a root beer float with whipped cream and sprinkles on top of it. And it's poured something out of a bottle into there. Poison is unique. I think you see it in movies because it makes a good show, but it's not normally how homicide or death is carried out. The toxicology report came back.

Ethling glycol was in Harold's system. It's the main component in an anaphrase. If you're consuming ethylene glycol, you're not going to know. You're not going to smell it. You're not going to taste it. If you put it in a root beer float with ice cream and root beer, you're not going to know until it's too late. I think if the burglary wouldn't have happened, there would be no way that we would know

about it at all. Peter Van Sant reports the root beer float murder. Right now we're probably about a half mile. north of where Marcia Allen and Harold Allen lived. When Harold Allen died suddenly in his home in Freetown, Indiana, just a few days before Christmas, 2022, the driveway going up to the Allen residence would have been right there. Lieutenant Adam Nicholson, an investigator with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, says no one suspected anything out of the ordinary.

20 years on the job, I never thought I would see a case like this. Harold's younger brother Matthew and his wife Samantha knew he had been dealing with some serious health issues. He was bigger. He was diabetic. Including painful gastrointestinal problems, which had sent him to the emergency room on multiple occasions late that year. I think one time they thought it was, what was it like? Diberticulitis, they said. Yeah, dieticulitis. On Thanksgiving 2022, as the family was enjoying their holiday feast,

Matthew noticed that Harold all of a sudden looked distressed. We were eating dessert, and he looked up at me. Like, his eyes got wide, like he was kind of scared, and I was like, what's wrong? He goes, the left side of my face just went numb. I said, I'm either calling an ambulance or I'm taking you to the hospital right now. And he's like, well, just give me a second. Despite the family's urging to get medical help, Harold refused. Marcia was just like standing there and I was like, well, he needs to go to the hospital.

And she was like, I've been telling him that he needs to get there. Harold's mystifying health condition worsened in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Doctors struggled to diagnose exactly what was ailing him. Then came December 20th, 2022, when Marcia made a disturbing discovery and place that 911 call. I worked home. I went back there to check on him because he was sick. He was just laying the floor like he was trying to get it and go to the bathroom or something.

He was not breathing. 52-year-old Harold, the oldest of three brothers, had spent his life in this quiet, rural part of Southern Indiana, where everyone knew this imposing man as peanut. I thought his name was peanut until I was about six or seven years old. That's a true story. My brother was born premature and my grandma said he's no bigger than a peanut. I had a close family, but it was nothing like the Allens. When they were together, all the pieces of the puzzle were there.

He self-taught himself like the guitar and mandon and he played harmonicas. You really looked up to your brother, right? Oh yeah, like he became a controls and he. He became a controls engineer. Super smart. I wish I was as smart as him. Jackson County Sheriff's Department Detective Clint Birchham says Harold worked for a global automotive supply company.

A local factory in Seymour, Indiana, ICE and manufacturing. He liked riding his motorcycles. He had a Harley motorcycle that he rode for years. He went deer hunting and fishing. We did fish a lot. Enjoying a full life, Harold became nostalgic about his high school days. In 2019, he decided to attend his 30th reunion. The Austin, Indiana high school reunion.

It was there that the twice-divorced Harold spotted former classmate, Marcia Buxton. They didn't even really speak in high school, but at this reunion is when they started a conversation and just blossomed from there. divorced herself with an adult daughter, Marcia and Harold began dating. About two years later, the couple married in July of 2021. What kind of life did they lead together as a married couple? They liked the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Pigeon Forge area, Branson, Missouri. The following year, Marcia's daughter, Ashley Jones, and her five-year-old daughter, moved in with Harold and Marcia.

Samantha says Harold, who had no children of his own, welcomed them with open arms. Peanut always wanted children. He always wanted a family, and he enjoyed being called Grandpa. Ashley was a young widow. Her 33-year-old husband, Ty Jones, had died suddenly three years earlier.

What were the circumstances of his death? Ty Jones died of some heart complicated. patients is what the autopsy said. Describe the relationship between Ashley and her mother, Marcia. Were they close? They were very close. Every day, Marsha Allen would send Ashley Jones a message saying, good morning, baby girl, every single morning.

The house was now full with three generations, and Harold seemed to enjoy his instant extended family. He cared about what everybody else was feeling, and just wanted everyone to be happy. At the time, Harold's autopsy concluded his death was caused by multiple serious cardiac issues, including pericarditis and inflammation of the sack around the heart. Practically still a newlywed, Marcia was now a widow.

Heartbroken, she turned to writing about her grief. After Harold Allen died, his wife, Marcia. Arcia Allen publishes a book. Self-published, it was intended to be a guide for others going through what she was. She says that this is an intimate glimpse of what I went through when my husband died. She writes about survivor's guilt, that she was suffering with that. She says that her book is a beacon of hope, finding the strength and courage to move forward, and learning a new way to live.

How to grieve a loss of a significant other. Marsha would soon face another challenge. Nine months after Harold's death, Lieutenant Nicholson was monitoring a call where investigators were dispatched to that break-in at Marsh's. The case, to me, started like any other case. A burglary call will come over the radio. Our detectives were going to Marsha's house.

Security cameras had captured two men breaking into her home. We started investigating the burglary. And the process we're told, you know, well, there's a murder involved here. In September of 2023, Marcia Allen was vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, known for its beautiful fall colors and hiking trails. Little did she know that about 350 miles away, two burglars were exploring the inside of her home. The burglary happened, I want to say, like 4.30 in the morning. She had recently put a home security system in her house.

The app for the system notified Marcia that there'd been movement on her home's cameras while she slept. When she reviewed the video, she could see two men opening her home safe and rifling through her bedroom and jewelry. She could watch them go through the house. There was a lot of stuff taken. Pretty major burglary. One of the burglars caught Marcia's eye.

Incredibly, he was someone she recognized. His name was Stephen White. Marcia immediately called local police in Indiana to report the break-in. Marsha Allen described Stephen White as her daughter, Ashley Jones' best friend, really close friend. Why would her own daughter's best friend burglarize Marcia's home? Ashley had moved to Missouri in the months following Harold's death, so Marcia had been living alone.

Reviewing the images, investigators noticed the burglars had come prepared. It seemed like they knew right where to go, and the other thing was is that they knew the code to the safe. Within hours, police found Stephen White living at his mother's home nearby. Investigators quickly made a house call. If you cannot afford the hire a lawyer, want to be provided for you free of cost if you desired one. So do you understand your rights? Yes, sir. Okay.

So you have any idea? why we're here today? Well, they said that y'all got me on camera last night, burglarizing the place. Did you know anything about it? No. But the wonders of technology did not allow White to lie for long. I got a picture here. Can I see it?

Nicholson had a security camera screenshot of White committing the burglary on his phone. And that's just one of the five that they sent us. And they got video too. And we got video. That's just a still shot from a video. a video. Hold on, let me see here. And I really do not have a hat.

I don't even have a . Unable to deny it, Nicholson says White admitted to burglarizing Marcia's home. This woman has hated me for years, but I'm best friends with her daughter. Okay. What's the daughter's name? Ashley Jones.

Then, stunningly, White said something else. Based on information he claimed, Ashley had told him that Marcia was responsible for her husband's death. This woman is a fucking murderer, okay? I know that. I have not gone to nobody and said anything because I don't have no proof on it.

This woman's a psychopath. And I'm telling you guys that right now, Harold Allen was her husband. She set a life insurance policy for him, went and married him. White then revealed how Marcia allegedly cashed in on the policy. Stephen White told me that Marsha Allen had killed her husband Harold.

by poisoning a root beer float. White even knew the details of how the float was made. Marsha went into the kitchen and made a root beer float with whipped cream and sprinkles on top of it. And it poured something out of a bottle into there. Police placed White under arrest. You're going to put trains on your back. But as they did, he had one more surprise about the burglary. He claimed Marsh's daughter was the mastermind.

Ashley's the one to set this up. White told police Ashley had mailed him a key to Marcia's house and given him the combination to the safe, unaware her mother had installed those home security cameras. He also told investigators where they could recover everything stolen the night before, including guns and jewelry. We found the guns where he told us they were. He told me who the other suspect was and found that suspect wearing Harold Allen's jewelry. And I told Detective Bircham, I said, you know, everything that Stevens told us up to this point has been true.

I said, I feel like we at least have to ask her about Harold and Harold's death. After notifying police, Marcia had driven home from her vacation. The next morning, she arrived at the sheriff's department to discuss the burglary. So that's your husband's ring or your husband's? My husband's ring. They got his mandolin. They got a bunch of his collectible Star Wars stuff. Investigators at first made no mention of Stephen White's murder allegation,

instead treating the interview as part of the burglary investigation, asking Marcia what was missing. I have a picture of me wearing the sapphire earrings and nicholas in our wedding. Yeah, if you think it will help identify anything and we start going through stuff. They also discussed Ashley's potential involvement. You said you talked to your daughter? What is she saying? She's denied it.

She goes, he's trying to drag me down. And I'm like, Ashley, I said, I have proof. Marcia said the proof was that White knew her safe's combination. She's only other than me would do the new combination. I would never give it out to anybody, ever. Did you already have a plan to ask her about this murder allegation? Yes. Then after talking about the burglary, basically I end up telling her, you know, this has been brought to our attention.

I can tell you we... Detective Bircham told Marcia what Stephen had claimed. He accused you of murdering your husband? I did not murder my husband. Poisoned in his drink. Marcia was defiant and seemed to have an answer for everything. That would show me a toxicology report if that happened. Was there an autopsy done?

Yes. There was an autopsy and toxicology. He died because he had periodontics that was undetected. I'm just telling you what he said. He's lying. Okay. No emotion, no anything, didn't even catch her off guard. Marcia denied any involvement, but Stephen White had given other details to police,

things he said he'd heard from Ashley, telling investigators that Marcia's text messages would contain incriminating evidence. We wanted to see if she would have any text messages that possibly said anything about a murder of her husband. Would you be willing to consent to download your cell phone? Yeah. Bircham left Marcia alone to get the paperwork for the download. And while I'm gone from the interview room, Marcia ends up deleting items off of her phone. Marcia didn't realize that what she deleted could easily be recovered, and those texts revealed a sinister plot.

There are numerous text messages between her and Ashley, and it starts to become evident that the text messages. that there's something going on, that they were indeed trying to poison Harold Allen. I mean, I'm seeing the same thing he's seeing. You know, he's calling me. I'm calling him. Like, did you read page 10,578? And he's like, no, I haven't got that far yet.

For mother and daughter, it seemed Harold's death couldn't come soon enough. With Marcia texting Ashley, he just needs to let go. Ultimately, we all agreed that, yes, We've got a murder here. She gave him a root beer flow with poison them. When West Jet first took flight in 1996, the vibes were a bit different. People thought denim on denim was peak fashion, inline skates were everywhere,

and two out of three women rocked, the Rachel. While those things stayed in the 90s, one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to WestJetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at westjet.com slash 30 years. I'm Anna Garcia, host of True Crime News, the podcast. Every week we bring you in-depth coverage on cases making headlines, as well as those that go under the radar. Tune in for murders that defy explanation, mystery seeking exploration, and shocking secrets that will leave you breathless.

Each week we honor the victims by going beyond the salacious in our search for justice. Crime never stops, and neither do we. Listen to True Crime News available now on the Odyssey app. or wherever you get your podcasts. This woman is a murder. With Stephen White's accusation that Marcia Allen poisoned her husband with a root bear float, this woman's a psychopath. And her devious behavior deleting texts with her daughter Ashley,

investigators zeroed in on those messages. Some disparaged Harold. Ashley complained he's a waste of space. Others celebrated the delivery of poisons. Ashley wrote, Smiley Face, I'm ready for that to arrive. Marcia replied, me too. They texted about everything. Jackson County prosecutor Lindsay Fleetwood.

There were thousands upon thousands. You just say thousands of messages? There were thousands of messages. Investigators would spend weeks building their case. Combing through nearly 7,000 texts exchanged over the three months before Harold died. Yeah, this is going to be very helpful. The more they read, the more they learned of a diabolical plot to kill Harold. Why would they want him dead?

Greed. It was all for financial gain. Police learned Harold had a $120,000 life insurance policy through his job. He also had those guns and several guitars. I think money was a very big motive in this case. Investigators say those thousands of... of texts revealed Marcia and Ashley tried to kill Harold over and over again with a variety of exotic poisons. Police found an order Ashley made on eBay for Pong Pong seeds, a powerful toxin.

Pong is a seed from a tree that grows in Southeast Asia. They actually refer to this tree. It's called the suicide tree. It's not a native plant to the United States, so it'd have to be ordered online somewhere. As Thanksgiving approached, police believe mother and daughter put a new dessert on the menu, poison brownies. They texted about grinding up the pong pong seeds, adding walnuts to hide the poison's bitter taste. What wasn't hidden was their apparent glee. Ashley writes, How's it going? Laugh out loud. And Marcia sends back a picture of a half-eaten brownie.

Ashley, ooh, let me know when it's gone. Laugh out loud. They're basically making a joke out of the fact that they're going to try to murder him. The smiley faces, the LOLs, when someone's in excruciating pain, I mean, this shows you how evil that these people actually are. As Harold made repeated trips to the ER, suffering all those GI symptoms, police say a new level of depravity, emerged in a text from Marsha to Ashley.

I am irritated and can't sleep peacefully. I need this to be over. He's not dying fast enough. In another instance, after Marcia texted Ashley, that Harold was attending a family funeral, Ashley Jones messages Marcia and says he just needs to go and drop in the hole too. After the Pong Pong seeds failed to kill Harold,

police learned they ordered another, lethal plant, Water Hemlock. Investigators say on several days in December, they served him tainted chili, Sprite, and a margarita. He surrounded himself with people he thought loved him, and to be poisoned on a nightly basis, basically, infuriates me. They poisoned him and they waited for him to die. But somehow, Harold survived all those attempts.

Police believe Marcia and Ashley then shifted from plants to a chemical called ethylene glycol, which is used in antifreeze. They ordered it online. If you're consuming ethylene glycol, you're not going to know. You're not going to smell it. It doesn't have any color to it. It's described as maybe a slight sweet taste. Investigators believe because of its sweet taste, Marcia and Ashley came up with the plan of a poisoned root beer, float. If you put it in a root beer float with ice cream and root beer, you're not going to know until it's too late. Marcia texted Ashley. He's all in for root beer floats. Ashley replied,

OK-dokey, I'll tell the kids that's what we are doing tonight for dessert, smiley face, root beer floats. They probably had this so well planned out that they knew exactly what he would eat and what he wouldn't. Marcia purchased the ingredients for this poisonous beverage at a local store. She texted Ashley this photo of small soda cans. Ashley encouraged her to buy large bottles. Investigators believe Marcia served Harold the fatal potion on the night of December 19th, 2022. I think they knew that this was 100% going to be successful. This ethylene glycol, when it gets into your body, what does it attack? It starts attacking like, of the organs, you know, like the heart, liver, kidneys, your stomach, you know, you're sick,

nauseated. I believe it even starts to affect the brain some. They not only wanted to kill him, but it seems like they wanted to profoundly make him suffer. What's the source of that kind of hatred? I don't know where a hatred that deep can even stem from. The next afternoon, just five days before Christmas, 2022, an ambulance rushed to the Allen home. Harold could not be saved. Ready? After reading the blow-by-blow account spelled out in those texts, on October 16, 2023, investigators took action.

Hi, Marsha. Here, step out here for us real quick. We're here today. because we got a search warrant for your house, okay? Officers served a pre-dawn warrant at Marsh's home. Who's accusing me of murder? There's text messages about ordering Ethylene Blackol. Huh?

I did not kill my husband. The Ethylene Blackol shows up at your house on December 19th. And Harold passed away on December 20th. Yeah. And we're also being told that the way he was poisoned, that it was through a root beer float. No. After serving the warrant to search her house,

Marcia was asked if she'd voluntarily come to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department for questioning. We can show you some of these messages and you can explain to them? I don't have a choice. I mean, you don't have to go. What followed was a four-and-a-half-hour interview in which Marcia said largely nothing.

The root-bear flobs is confirmed in your time. text messages. And then there's an ethylene glycol that was ordered and sent to your house. And you say you don't know anything about that. No. Marsha was moved to a different room to show her some of those recovered text messages on a computer screen. Undaunted, she continued her claims of ignorance. Is there any reason that there would be any ethylene glycol found in herald's body anywhere.

When Harold died, his autopsy cited cardiac issues. But the coroner did not screen Harold's blood for poisons at the time because his death was not suspicious. Luckily for us, they keep that blood for a year. So we, you know, I have put a hold on that blood and it's going to be retested for all kinds of other stuff. Right now, the way this is going, I have a bad feeling that, When we get these results back, that it's going to show that fling glycol in his system.

If it is going to shock me. When the interview ended, Marcia wasn't arrested. She was allowed to return home as the weight began for Harold's blood test results. That same day, her daughter Ashley, who'd been living in Missouri, was extradited to Indiana, under arrest for the burglary of her mother's house. The next morning at the station, Ashley was about to be surprised. We're not going to talk to you about, okay? That's not what we're here to talk about.

Investigators got right to the point. We have some text messages from your mom's phone. Do you know anything about the ethylene glycol? No, sir. The information we got was Harold did not die in natural causes, basically, that he was poisoned. Really? They told Ashley they'd already talk to her mother. If you know something, if you know something, now's the time to tell us so we can leave.

I know she said she wanted out. But that's all. But that wasn't all. Just 10 minutes later, Ashley, in a complete change of direction, named her own mother as Harold's killer. She didn't want a divorce, and I said divorce. She wanted to be free of him completely. She wanted him dead. And I said, you're going to go to hell for that month.

No matter what happens, you're going to hell. Ashley continued giving her mother hell, admitting she helped Marcia purchase ethylene glycol and other poisons online, but claimed she was just being an obedient daughter. I really didn't, don't ask many questions, which I guess I should. Mm-hmm. For that woman, I just do what she asks and always have since I was a child. Remember, Ashley was in the house as Harold was in agony during his final hours of life.

She was asked why she didn't do more for Harold when he still might have been saved. Did you ever mention anything to her that maybe you should call an ambulance? I did. I said, are you sure you want to do you? No. He asked her, she was sure she wanted to do this. Because this is awful. Okay. I mean, just doing that to anybody, regardless of any which way or forward.

I didn't agree. But loyalty to the mother, the hell of a thing. Unexpected news about her mother would punctuate the end of Ashley's police interview when another officer entered the room. My name is Jesse. And I'm sorry to hear in the detective office. Okay. So I'm here to talk to you about something completely different.

Okay. The night before, hours after Marcia's own interview ended, and she'd returned home, Marcia's parents had been unable to reach her on the phone. They had also been to the house knocking on the door, and her car was home, but she wasn't answering the door. They notified police. That's the new key? Then it was dispatched for our officers to go for a welfare check. It's not going to be an easy conversation. Okay.

After your mom was here yesterday and spoke with us, we got a call to go check on her welfare at her home. And she's passed away. What? She passed away. What happened? Without going into a lot of detail, it appeared that there was something ingested possibly and passed away on her bed. Marcia Allen was discovered deceased and it was ruled a suicide. She killed her, though.

That is what we believe happened, yes. Why do you think she took her life at that moment? I think she didn't want to have to spend the rest of her life in prison. You know, I told her that we were going to send the blood off. I think she didn't want to stick around and wait and find out what those results were. 48 hours obtained this photograph of the note Marsha left behind. And she wrote, I did not kill my husband. You win, Ashley,

with an exclamation point. How do you interpret that? I interpret that. I don't really give it much weight. I think it's her way of trying to leave some message and trying to get out of the fact that she killed her husband. Now, investigators would start building their case against the last survivor in this peculiar crime, Ashley, for her role in Harold's death. I'm going to read you your rights, because you're in custody. Make sure you understand that. Just one day after her police interview and learning her mother had taken her own life.

She's gone. Correct. Ashley Jones received more startling news. You are under the arrest for the murder of Harold, okay? And conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. Ashley responded with just five words. Still on the table was that burglary charge against Ashley. Police were certain they knew exactly how it was connected to Harold's death.

Marshall Allen paid Ashley about $1,000 a month from the time of Harold's death in December of 2022 until like July of 2023. The burglary occurred just two months after the payment stopped. She was going after money that she thought belonged to her from the murder of Harold Allen. Ashley Jones didn't feel like she received her compensation for that. The prosecution said it had a strong case against Ashley, especially when toxicology results confirmed exactly what police suspected.

Harold had been given a root beer float, poisoned with ethylene glycol, purchased by Ashley, as those damning text messages showed. What Ashley said in those texts hurt her. I mean, there's just no way around it. Ashley's attorney, public defender Joseph Robertson, knew it was going to be a difficult case. There was a legal freight train headed toward your client. I mean, this was an impossible case. Yes. By the time that all... All this evidence came out. We just told her, said, you know, we're in the tunnel, and the white light at the other end is the legal system coming after you.

But Ashley would never have to defend her texts or murderous actions in court. In August 2025, she took a plea deal, pleading guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. I don't think I can ever say that I saw remorse on Ashley Jones's face. Harold's brother Matthew and his wife Samantha were in the courtroom for the sentencing. The judge said there's no other word but evil. There's no forgiveness from this court, and I have no choice but to give you the full time. Ashley was sentenced to 50 years in prison. It was just the sigh of relief.

We finally felt like we got a little bit of justice that my brother, rather deserved. In the end, these two women who would chuckle over their plans with one another, they didn't get away with this. One took her own life when confronted with her deeds, and the other one is gone for decades. Absolutely. I truly think they thought they were smarter than the system. But Ashley's legal woes may not be over. There is another death in her past, her late husband, Ty Jones, who died when he was just 33. His autopsy said the cause of death was heart issues, but two of his family members suspected foul play from the beginning.

You believe that Ty Jones, your nephew, was murdered? Yes, I do. William Jones and Areta Stivers are Ty's uncle and cousin. What do you believe happened to him? I believe that he was poisoned. Ty's body was not tested for poison in 2019, and he was cremated at Ashley's request. But his family says Ty was perfectly healthy before suddenly dying. And after his death, they say Ashley's strange behavior raised red flags.

During Ty's funeral service, Ashley Jones did not shed any tears. The next day, she showed up at Ty's place of employment to inquire about his insurance policy. She expected a check that very next day. All of it to me said there is something going on here that needs to be investigated. After William and Areta heard how Harold died on the news, they contacted police, sharing their suspicions that Ashley murdered Ty. Her eye on an inheritance he had just received from his great-grandfather. I do believe that there was a large enough sum of money and a property that Ashley had. likely thought she would inherit and that that could have been a motivator for her.

And in Ashley and Marcia's text about murdering Harold, there was a reference to Ty. After Marcia complained the deadly pong pong seeds were failing to kill Harold, Ashley out of the blue said Ty had weighed much less than Harold, writing, and previously, Ty was only 120, LOL. During their 48-hour's interview, William and Areta heard about that text for the first time. They reference Ashley's late husband Ty. There it is. There it is right there. It's painful to hear.

Yeah, it is. Because it's one thing to suspect and to feel like you know, but to have that kind of evidence presented verbally for the first time is gut-wrenching. It means what you have suspected all along is true. All the time. All the time. Ashley maintains that Ty died of a heart attack. But Indiana State Police opened an investigation into his death.

Nicholson says he's struck by the similarities between Harold and Ty's deaths. I believe it's way more than a coincidence. Personally, I think that she probably killed him. But that's my opinion. There's very few probably as evil as Marcia Allen and Ashley Jones. They're the same person. I mean just carbon copy evil. Looking back, Harold's family doesn't think Marcia ever really loved him.

I think she chose the person that she can manipulate. Their memories are all that remained. all that remained to fill the void left by the man they called Peanut, who had a big personality and an even greater heart. I'll see something, and I'll be like, oh, man, that's something Peanut would love to know about, and I, like, I go to, like, actually call him, and I'm like, oh, I can't. So it is something that I would give anything to get back, honestly. My goodness, how much you miss him, huh?

Yes. It's crazy. Every day. Every day. Stephen White was sentenced to three and a half years for his role in the burglary.