An Indiana mother and daughter are facing serious charges after allegedly attempting four times to poison and ultimately kill the mother’s husband, Harold Allen, in December 2022, according to recently filed court documents. acquired by People.
Prosecutors have added two counts of attempted murder against Ashley Jones, 30, after discovering emails that revealed she and her mother, Marsha Allen, had repeatedly tried to poison Harold Allen, 52. The new charges are in addition to the initial charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with consumer products.
The case began to unfold when Harold Allen was reported unconscious at his home in Freetown on December 20, 2022. Despite initial suspicions that no foul play had occurred, a subsequent investigation revealed that Marsha Allen and Ashley Jones had ordered ethylene glycol (a toxic substance) online and used it to poison Harold by placing it in his root beer ice cream.
On October 16, 2023, Marsha Allen was found dead at his home in what is suspected to have been a suicide. The next day, Jones, who was already in custody for an unrelated robbery, confessed to the poisoning, claiming that his mother had administered the lethal dose of ethylene glycol.
The investigation also uncovered emails showing that the mother and daughter had attempted to kill Harold Allen several times before his death. In July 2024, detectives discovered that Jones had ordered pong seeds, which contain the deadly toxin cerberin, and attempted to use them in brownies that made Harold seriously ill, but did not kill him.
Following this failed attempt, Jones allegedly ordered water hemlock, a highly toxic plant, on December 1, 2022. The couple made three unsuccessful attempts to poison Harold with water hemlock, adding it to his chili, soda, and margarita in the days leading up to his death. When these attempts failed, Jones ordered ethylene glycol on December 13, 2022, which was ultimately used to kill Harold Allen a week later.
Jackson County District Attorney Jeffrey Chalfant has requested life in prison without parole for Jones, citing the aggravating circumstances of Harold Allen’s murder and the torture he endured before his death. Jones’ jury trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 7, 2025.
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