Woman accused of manslaughter faces life imprisonment

SEYMOUR – The Missouri woman charged in the poisoning death of a Freetown man in late 2022 faces additional charges and possibly a life sentence without parole.

Ashley Nicole Jones, 29, of Bellflower admitted to ordering ethylene glycol, an odorless and colorless liquid, over the Internet during an interview with Jackson County Sheriff's Department investigators on Oct. 17, the police report said.

Jones was arrested on October 18, 2023, in connection with the death of 52-year-old Harold L. “Peanut” Allen at the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, where she was being held on a related burglary charge. Allen, who was Jones' stepfather, died on December 19, 2022.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant recently amended the documents filed in the case. The documents amend the following: count three, conspiracy to commit murder, a Level 1 felony, to reflect the exact time period of the conspiracy to commit murder with her mother, Marsha Allen; and counts five and six of attempted murder and a motion for life imprisonment without parole were added.

Allen died on October 13, 2023, after being questioned by police about a robbery at the home where she lived with her husband. At the time of her death, police said the presumed cause of death was suicide and there was no evidence of violence.

Two men, Steven A. White of Scottsburg and Nathaniel Kane Napier of Otisco, were later arrested for the burglary, which police said they committed at the direction and with the assistance of Jones.

White pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and one count of theft of a firearm. He was sentenced to 2,190 days in prison, with 730 days suspended and 92 days credited.

Kane later pleaded guilty to Level 4 burglary and was sentenced to 1,095 days in prison, with 1,008 days suspended, and was given 65 days of credit for time already served.

In a supplemental affidavit of probable cause filed by Lt. Adam Nicholson with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, additional evidence was found to support the additional charges.

On July 16, 2024, a warrant was issued against Apple Inc. over the contents of an email address used to order the ethylene glycol. It was later discovered that the email address was issued to a separate email address associated with Jones using the “Hide Email” feature offered by Apple Inc.

According to court documents, the poison was ordered through a unique, randomly selected email address, so Jones' personal email address remained private.

On September 14, 2022, Jones received an order confirmation from Ebay for the purchase of Pong Pong seeds, which were to be delivered between October 6 and 25.

According to the National Institute of Health website, the pong pong tree is a plant native to India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. The tree produces brown oval seeds that contain a toxic bioactive cardiac glycoside called cerberin.

Cerberin causes disturbances in the electrical activity of the heart and people who ingest the seeds experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, followed by heart problems, including heart blockages, which can lead to death. In their countries of origin, Pong Pong seeds are reportedly used in suicide and murder.

The National Institute of Health reported that until recently the plant was little known or readily available for sale online from numerous tropical plant dealers. They also reported that most cases are suicides, but there are concerns about its possible use as a killing agent, as the bitter taste of the seeds can be masked with spices and they can be added to food. The oil from the seeds also produces a pleasant nutty smell.

Between November 12 and November 19, Jones and Allen continue to discuss plans to murder Harold. During this time, Ashley texted Allen saying, “This is always going to be there, you know, people always want it, this is time sensitive, the big plan.” Ashley texted again saying, “One shot.”

On November 15, Jones and Marsha discuss baking brownies, and on November 26, Allen sends Jones a photo of Harold with a half-eaten brownie. According to the probable cause, Harold became ill after eating the brownie and visited the Schneck Medical Center emergency room the next day.

After the failed poison attempt, Jones orders a water hemlock on December 1. According to sources such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the Center for Disease Control, the Criminal Investigation Department found that water hemlock is the common name for Cicuta Maculata.

Water hemlock is the most poisonous plant growing in North America. Only small amounts of the poisonous substances contained in the plant are needed to cause poisoning in livestock or humans.

The toxic substance in water hemlock is called cicutoxin, a highly toxic unsaturated alcohol that is found mainly in the tubers of the plant and makes the tuberous roots of the plant highly toxic and dangerous.

According to a document from Oregon State University, a piece of root the size of a walnut is enough to kill a 500-kilogram cow or horse. Symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain, stomach discomfort, dizziness and death.

On December 2, Jones wrote to Allen: “You must not touch the plant.”

They then messaged each other saying they needed to wear gloves when handling the plant. Jones messaged again, saying, “I know I need to wear gloves and have some time alone to prepare the root.”

Allen attempted to poison Harold with the water hemlock in a bowl of chili, a Sprite, and later in a margarita. Frustrated with the results, Jones texted Allen and said, “I still just want to finish drinking it, you know, lol.” Allen replied, “Lol, yeah, I know, and so do I, to be honest.”

After many failed attempts, Jones ordered ethylene glycol on December 13. Harold was poisoned on December 19, leading to his death the next day.

A jury trial for Jones is currently scheduled for January 7, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. in Jackson Circuit Court in Brownstown.