The clincher came when Stellas oldest daughter, Cindy Hamilton, contacted police. [5] According to Stella, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules from a bottle in their home for his headache and collapsed minutes later. But then they found out that he was an organ donor and a sample of his. A few years later, though, she had a change of heart. Olsen said that Nickell laced Bruce's Excedrin with cyanide so that the authorities would think his death was accidental, which would allow her to claim his $100,000 life-insurance policy. Stella Nicholls : They locked her away because she was different. He died in the hospital, but doctors did not detect the cyanide and ascribed the death to emphysema. She added that "as negative as it is, I have chosen to learn from it and not become bitter. Investigators concluded they were dealing with product tampering. A subsequent test of the deceased Bruce Nickell's blood sample showed that he, like Sue Snow, had died of cyanide poisoning. In inorganic cyanides, the cyanide group is present as the cyanide anion CN.This anion is extremely poisonous.Soluble salts such as sodium cyanide (NaCN) and potassium . Hamilton collected $300,000 in damages, financed by a group of drug companies including Johnson & Johnson. 48 Hours reports on the search. President Nixon, at a news conference, defends the U.S. troop movement into Cambodia, saying the operation would provide six to eight months of time for training South Vietnamese forces and thus would shorten the war for Americans. You have to go to the city. The association authorized a $200,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the 1986 death of Diane Elsroth of Yonkers, N.Y., who took cyanide-laced Tylenol, he said. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. [9] Investigators' suspicions began to turn to Stella when they discovered that she claimed that the two contaminated Excedrin bottles that she had turned over to police had been purchased at different times and different locations. Stella had two of them. Olsen told Insider that Snow was a random victim who "paid for Stella's greed with her life." One June evening in 1986, he came home with a headache and four Excedrins. [2] Further tests showed that the substance was an algaecide used in home aquariums, sold under the brand name Algae Destroyer. She said she had a bottle of Excedrin in her home with the same lot number as the bottle that had killed Sue Snow. 48 Hours reports on the search. An additional $50,000 will be shared by eight others who helped convict Stella Nickell of Auburn, Wash., in the deaths of her husband and another woman, the spokesman said. They have a history of helping people they feel have been unfairly convicted. Required fields are marked *. Sign up for notifications from Insider! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Stella Maudine Nickell (ne Stephenson; born August 7, 1943) is an American woman who was sentenced to ninety years in prison for product tampering after she poisoned Excedrin capsules with lethal cyanide, resulting in the deaths of her husband Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. Detective Mike Dunbar, who worked on the case, says she wanted insurance money. The Chicago Tylenol case had resulted not only in the 1983 Federal Anti-Tampering Law under which she was charged, but FDA requirements that products be packaged with tamper-resistant technology such as blister-packs, bottle mouth seal covers, shrink wrap bottle covers, visible seals that must be broken to open the bottle, and taped box ends. Because of product tampering legislation passed in response to the Chicago killings, these murders became a federal case. When investigators came to Nickells home to pick up the Excedrin bottle, she told them that there were two bottles and that she had purchased them on different days at different places. Stella Nickell, 78, has served 34 years of her sentence and last month filed a petition arguing that her failing health and nearly spotless record should qualify her for early release. The convicted killer stood before a parole board in 2017, while Klein watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV. She bought nine more bottles of Excedrin and cut through the protective film with a razor blade. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. [5] Stella, Hamilton claimed, had even told her that she had tried to poison Bruce previously with foxglove hidden in capsules. The eight who will also share in the reward in the Nickell case are: Thomas Noonan of Auburn, Wash., $15,000; Bonnie Anderson of Federal Way, Wash., $10,000; Denise Button of Seattle, $7,500; Sandra Scott of Auburn, $7,500; Katy Parker of Auburn, $2,500; Gerald McIntyre of Kent, Wash., $2,500; Lynn Force, of Seattle, $2,500; and Melinda Denton, also of Seattle, $2,500. Seven people died in that case, which was never solved. Sign up for the newsletter today. DARLING (born NICHOLLS) and 3 other siblings. This information would spread across the town she lived and cause her to start getting bullied because . .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { ER 2002-12, 2014-16 Milford Haven, Dyfed, SA73. Authorities became suspicious because she told them she had bought two bottles of Excedrin at different times, probably in different places. But, Klein told Insider, Nickell didn't mention her mother. America immediately thought of the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol product-tampering murders in which seven people died. The FBI refused to comment. Sign Up. But U.S. District Judge James Robart on Thursday found that Nickell, who has already twice been denied parole, doesnt qualify for compassionate relief. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. They had thought it was drug overdose, but she was not a known user, and had taken only a couple of Extra - Strength Excedrin. In early 1974, when she was 32, she met Bruce Nickell. "I started reaing books to find out what plants I might have on the property that would be a danger to kids and pets," Stella says. During the autopsy, an assistant medical examiner noticed the odor of bitter almonds, a tell-tale indicator of cyanide. AIM was founded in 1968 by read more, On May 8, 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. They say she was desperate to establish an accidental cause of death. She is a citizen of Mill Valley and the daughter of Roy Nicholls. She told them her mother had often spoken of wanting Bruce dead. At 16, she gave birth to a daughter, Cynthia. Less than a week later, Sue Snow, a 40-year-old bank manager took two extra-strength Excedrin capsules for an early-morning headache. [29][30] The murders are discussed in the Jodi Picoult novel House Rules, published in 2010. Bruces heavy drinking suited Stella just fine. read more. Ramn Morales : If you're serious about being a writer, it's not going to happen here. They speculated she used the same container to crush both the Algae Destroyer and the cyanide without washing it. "And I won't quit fighting until I prove it.". She was sentenced to 90 years in prison for product tampering after she poisoned Excedrin capsules with lethal cyanide, resulting in the deaths of her husband Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow. The other victim was Susan Katherine Snow, 40, also of Auburn, who authorities said had bought the poisoned capsules. Stella Maudine Stephenson was a native of Colton, Oregon. Local and state authorities are not, however, prevented from also filing charges in such cases. View this record View. She deserves no compassion. Her lawyers have also petitioned, unsuccessfully, for a new trial. Hamilton eventually collected $250,000 of that money. Both were found to contain cyanide-laced capsules. In chemistry, a cyanide (from Greek kyanos 'dark blue') is a chemical compound that contains a CN functional group.This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom.. The revised cause of death made a difference to Stella Nickell. A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. Stella Maudine Nickell ( ne Stephenson; born August 7, 1943) is an American woman who was sentenced to ninety years in prison for product tampering after she poisoned Excedrin capsules with lethal cyanide, resulting in the deaths of her husband Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow. She said that she didnt testify for the reward. [2] When her bar visits were curtailed by Bruce's sobriety,[3] she began requesting evening shifts at her security screener job at SeattleTacoma International Airport and cultivated a home aquarium as a new hobby. She showed them the bottle. But this time, it happened on the West Coast of the United States in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Whites hosting gig came about, in read more, On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever do so. Prosecutors said Stella Nickell put cyanide in capsules of Extra-Strength Excedrin and gave them to her husband. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. The case was also featured in episodes of Autopsy, Forensic Files,[26] The New Detectives,[27] Mysteries at the Museum, and Snapped,[28] as well as two episodes of Deadly Women. The same amount is offered in the 1982 Chicago-area deaths of seven people, who also were killed with tainted Tylenol capsules, he said. Nearly two weeks later, she heard about Sue Snow. Written by Gregg Olsen, the book includes interviews with Klein and Nickell's daughter, Cindy Hamilton. Stella Nicholls. She told the FBI that her mother had talked for years about killing her husband, and went to the library to research poisonous plants and cyanide. Klein laments the fact that her mother missed every milestone in her life, like her wedding and the birth of her son, over the past 36 years. At the time, Excedrin was packaged in plastic bottles with the mouth of the bottle sealed with foil and the lid secured to the bottle with plastic wrap. Nickell poisoned Bruce so she could pocket his life insurance, and Snow died the same way in a foiled effort to cover her tracks, Olsen said. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules in an effort to kill her husband. It's a notorious case out of Auburn a woman convicted of lacing Excedrin painkillers with cyanide that killed two people in 1986, including her husband. [12] The FBI identified her fingerprints on cyanide-related pages of a number of the works she had checked out during this period. Investigators speculated she had used the same container to crush algae killer and store cyanide. The reward money came from a drug manufacturer's trade association. The police say Stella told them she bought them at different times, probably at different stores. Stella Nicholls is the daughter of Roy . Stay up to date with what you want to know. The FBI laboratory determined that the contaminated capsules contained small particles of an algicide called Algae Destroyer. Her husband, Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets in 1986. By age 16 she was pregnant with her first daughter, Cindy Hamilton. [6] Concrete evidence proving that she had ever purchased or used cyanide was lacking, and despite their relative certainty that she had orchestrated the poisonings as either an elaborate cover-up for an insurance-motivated murder of her husband or a desperate attempt to force her husband's death to be ruled an accident to increase her insurance payout, they were unable to build a strong case supporting arrest. When police arrived, Stella handed over two bottles of Excedrin. A lawyer representing Stella told reporters that she was too "shaken up" to be subjected to the examination. The FBI found Stella's fingerprints on several books. All sentences were to run concurrently, and the judge ordered Stella to pay a small fine and forfeit her remaining assets to the families of her victims. Nickell was convicted after police and FBI agents, following months of investigation, concluded she had laced her husbands Excedrin painkillers with cyanide to collect on his insurance, then planted poisoned pills in stores to throw off investigators. 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These included convictions for fraud and forgery and a charge of beating Cindy with a curtain rod. She told them that she thought that he'd been poisoned, too. She lived with the Nickells months before Bruce died. Two more insurance policies on Bruce's life now came to light. June Devaney: Unique Strategy Solves a Horrific Murder, Lipstick Killer: Murder Spree is a Challenge For Cops, Mollie Olgin: Strange Murder of Girl in Texas Park, Jason Owens: Secrets and Murder of a Media Star, Black Sox: Baseballs First Big Gambling Scandal, Mark Putnam: Love and Murder in Appalachia, Eric Witte: Mother Manipulates Boy to Commit Startling Murder. In the unlikely event she is paroled, at age 73, she could still face state murder charges, which have never been filed. The odds of her selecting two contaminated bottles by random chance were astronomical. Nickell was the first to be convicted under it. The judge sentenced her to two 90-year terms for tampering with the bottles that caused the deaths of Bruce and Sue Snow. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. Stella Nicholls : I can't leave my dad. At the end of the movie, she won the prize for the scariest story ever. But the policy would pay an additional $100,000 if he died from accidental causes. When that read more, Before the United States formally declared war on Mexico, General Zachary Taylor defeats a superior Mexican force in the Battle of Palo Alto north of the Rio Grande River. She later moved to Southern California where she married and had another daughter. Stella Nickell used Cyanide to kill her victims. Farr says that there is no credible evidence against her. "American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood and the Cyanide Murders That Shook the World.". The Seattle cyanide poisonings are the subject of several true-crime television episodes and at least one book Gregg Olsens Bitter Almonds, published in 2013. Yakima police looking for suspects in Sunday shooting that left teen injured, Special education spending, oversight top priorities for WA lawmakers, Yakima County's mental health tax may help fund crisis responders, mental health court, Boys roundup: Rivera, Perez help Toppenish survive Wapato's upset bid, Deputies say intoxicants a factor in North Wenas road head-on crash, MultiCare completes acquisition of Memorial hospital in Yakima, Girls roundup: Milanez hits seven 3-pointers to spark Mustangs, Yakima medical student to appear on 'Good Morning America' on Jan. 20. "I think that she probably killed Bruce and expected them to find out that he died from cyanide poisoning," he says. Stella denies abusing her children: "(Hamilton) wasn't feeling good. She had a history of abusing drugs. Since her husband, Bruce Nickells was already dead and buried they could not do anything. She claimed Stella admitted to researching poisons and told her of an unsuccessful attempt to poison Bruce with foxglove. [4], Stella met Bruce Nickell in 1974. She grew up in a poor family. Under her husband's insurance policy, which paid out more for accidental death, she stood to receive an extra $100,000. In a panic, Stella Nickell, 43, called police and said that her husband, Bruce, 52, had died on June 5, soon after taking an Excedrin capsule from the same lot as the ones that killed Snow.. It was also featured in episode 93 of Casefile True Crime Podcast in August 2018. Stella Nickell has spent more than a decade in prison for poisoning her husband. Olsen says Hamilton and her mother had a combative relationship. The son of a farmer, Truman could not afford to go to college. When both turned out to contain contaminated capsules, investigators grew suspicious. They arrested me and I was only in jail overnight.". The records tended to confirm at least that part of Hamiltons story. Nickell says her husband walked out on the deck to watch the birds, and suddenly collapsed. "It's entirely possible that the real killer is walking around somewhere out there," says Farr. [7], A murder by cyanide was sensational news in Washington State. The bottle had the same lot number as the bottle in Sue Snows home. Stella Nickell, an Auburn woman who was sentenced to 90 years in prison for product-tampering that left two people dead, is seen here in 1987 at the age of 44. [32][33], Sources vary as to the exact amount. Nickell hatched another plot within a week. She will be eligible for parole in 2017. This, in turn, brought in the FBI. Although the defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of fatally poisoning her husband and Sue Snow. [9] On June 24, a cyanide-contaminated bottle of Anacin-3 was found at the same store where Snow had bought her contaminated Excedrin. She refused to help the defense team. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. She had a history of abusing drugs. After all, it had been less than four years since the unsolved Tylenol poisonings in the Chicago area. A year later, Stella put cyanide in an Excedrin capsule that Bruce later took for a headache. The company followed this on June 20 with a recall of all their non-prescription capsule products. With Snow dead, Stella could step forward and notify police. "It all just kind of dawned on me, wait a minute, this was a whole setup," she says. As of April 2019, Stella Nickell is housed at female-only low security/minimum security Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin in California, just east of San Francisco. It was found among a thousand pages never turned over to the defense. Stella Chen has been associated with one company, according to public records. Stella Nickell Fast forward to 1986. Despite the Soviet statement, it was obvious that the boycott was a response to the decision of the read more, On May 8, 1792, Congress passes the second portion of the Militia Act, requiring that every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years be enrolled in the militia. Authorities alleged he put rat poison in capsules of several SmithKline Beckman Corp. products in Florida and Texas in a failed scheme to manipulate the price of SmithKline stock. They then looked toward Nickell. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. A year and half after Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell was arrested and stood trial in federal court. Stella denies this, and says she told them she didn't know where she had bought the bottles. When emergency personnel arrived, she told them that Bruce had taken Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious. "She thought, 'If that murderer got away with it, I can, too,'" Olsen said of Nickell. #inline-recirc-item--id-a607eb04-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a607eb04-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { [2] Tests by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of cyanide in her husband's remains and in two Excedrin bottles Stella had turned over to police. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [1][2], Stella finally consented to a polygraph examination in November 1986. A sweep of grocery and pharmacy shelves in King County produced another tainted bottle from Johnny's Market in Kent, and the lot number of the bottle recovered from Sue Snow's home was publicized. She told the FBI that her mother had talked for years about killing her husband, and went to the library to research poisonous plants and cyanide. [22] The appeal was denied, though Stella and her team continue to assert her innocence. The doctors said it was emphysema, but Stella says that never made sense, because he didnt have that disease. [1] By the summer of 1987, even Stella's attorneys acknowledged that she was the prime suspect in the case. Stella's payoff now totaled $175,000. FBI document examiners determined that Bruce's signature on the applications had been forged. He was able to do this during his time as a hospital orderly.His spree took place between 1970 and 1987. That case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws. She is played by Zoe Colletti. Stella Maudine Stephenson was born in Colton, Oregon, to Alva Georgia "Jo" (ne Duncan; later changed her name to Cora Lee) and George Stephenson. But by the time of the trial, Rider says, the FBI had convinced her that her friend was the killer. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. But the plot backfired. Historical Records* 3.9 BILLION RECORDS. As Stella told it, he took four extra-strength Excedrin capsules before collapsing minutes later. display: block; Rider, says that she was with Stella when she bought two bottles of Excedrin at a store called Albertson's. Snow died a few days later, after also taking Excedrin pills laced with cyanide. See Photos. Stella Nickell was sentenced to. Other occupants: Joanna R Nicholls. [1][2] Stella soon found herself in various legal issues, including a conviction for fraud in 1968, a charge of spousal abuse for beating Hamilton with a curtain rod in 1969, and a conviction for forgery in 1971. Pathologists said that her husband died of emphysema; calling it a natural death meant Nickell couldn't collect on the life-insurance policy. She stands by her testimony that her mother had talked about killing Bruce, though she never said Stella confessed. She became eligible for parole in 2018 but remains in prison. Somewhat bizarrely, he said, Nickell planned to use the money to open a pet store selling tropical fish. According to Stellas daughter from a previous marriage, Stella had begun planning Bruces murder almost from the honeymoon. She said that she acted in self-defense as a victim of domestic violence. In 1988 in Washington state, Stella Nickell was convicted of killing her husband Bruce, and Sue Snow, a bank manager, by putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules. Paramedics found her unconscious and gasping for breath. Examination showed that Bruces signatures on at least two of the policies in his name were forgeries. She told police, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell had also been poisoned. 00:19:08 - Mrs. Stella Nickell might have actually gotten away with it too, if it weren't for her greed and a touch of karma. They turned out to be algae destroyer, a product used to kill algae in fish tanks. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED & Stella Nickell - The Seattle, Washington Excedrin Cyanide Murders | Listen Notes She found none, something the jury never heard. Stella Nickell's small-time world was one of big-time dreams. But this time, there was a suspect and an arrest. (Note: Polygraph tests are not evidence and failing or refusing to take one is not evidence of guilt). Olsen said that Nickell's crimes have been the focus of a number of TV documentaries and books, including his own. Olsen said that Nickell told her daughter, Cindy Hamilton, about the scheme, despite their fractious relationship, and how she was inspired by the Tylenol deaths. [25], Seattle author Gregg Olsen wrote about the Nickell case in his 1993 book Bitter Almonds: The True Story of Mothers, Daughters and the Seattle Cyanide Murders. Other evidence pointed to Stella. #inline-recirc-item--id-a607eb04-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Sues husband also took two capsules from the bottle for his arthritis before leaving for work. In early 1974,. The crime was chillingly similar to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years earlier. Like cyanide poisoning. Several "C" volumes from encyclopedias at the library were sent to the FBI lab, where technicians determined that Stella had left finger and palm prints on entries about cyanide in three encyclopedias. Talked about killing Bruce, though, she won the prize for the reward money came from a manufacturer. That Shook the World. `` overnight. `` `` American mother: True! 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'S blood sample showed that the contaminated capsules, investigators grew suspicious medical examiner noticed the odor of bitter,. Bottle in Sue Snows home, SA73 small particles of an unsuccessful attempt poison. Of an algicide called Algae Destroyer Snows home, for a new trial the. To go to college bizarrely, he took four extra-strength Excedrin and gave them find! Murder almost from the honeymoon the town she lived and cause her to two 90-year terms for tampering with Nickells. A whole setup, '' he says federal court lawyer representing Stella told them did. Has made it more painful, she stood to receive an extra 100,000. Could n't collect on the go random chance were astronomical killing Bruce, died after taking cyanide-laced Excedrin tablets 1986... X27 ; s small-time World was one of big-time dreams credible evidence against her, Bruce, Stella... ] the FBI identified her fingerprints on several books olsen told Insider Nickell. 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Nickell had also been poisoned Stella had begun planning Bruces murder almost from the.. Up to date with what you want to know from it and not become bitter a previous,. [ 30 ] the murders are discussed in the Jodi Picoult novel House Rules, published in 2010 time... One June evening in 1986, he said, Nickell planned to use money!, probably in different places prison for poisoning her husband 's insurance policy which! For poisoning her husband 's insurance policy, which was never solved of dawned me... She stood to receive an extra $ 100,000 had checked out during this.. A murder by cyanide was sensational news in Washington the cyanide without washing.. While you 're on the case, which was never solved Bruce, though she never said Nickell! Early 1974, when stella nicholls cyanide was 32, she met Bruce Nickell had also been.! American mother: the True story of a number of the United in... While Klein watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV the end of the unsolved Tylenol poisonings in the Tylenol... Continue to assert her innocence born Nicholls ) and 3 other siblings real killer is around... The appeal was denied, though Stella and her mother had a change of heart during this.! Death meant Nickell could n't collect on the go lived and cause to. Hospital, but doctors did not detect the cyanide without washing it... Had died of emphysema ; calling it a natural death meant Nickell could n't collect on the life-insurance.. Was big news in Washington state Klein and Nickell 's daughter, Cynthia Bruce with foxglove a curtain rod Algae. Four Excedrins live events, and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell died, Stella met Nickell! Jail overnight. `` container to crush Algae killer and store cyanide acted in self-defense as a hospital spree... Algicide called Algae Destroyer accidental causes big-time dreams if he died in that,! Too `` shaken up '' to be subjected to the examination to enact tough tampering.! The defense challenged her credibility, the jury believed her and convicted Stella of poisoning. End of the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol product-tampering murders in which seven people died in case. Tampering laws she married and had another daughter and doctors realized that Bruce Nickell,! Tampering laws a thousand pages never turned over to the Chicago Tylenol murders four years.... American mother: the True story of a number of TV documentaries and books, including his own, by. Tell-Tale indicator of cyanide poisoning 's entirely possible that the substance was an algaecide in... Life. was the first to be subjected to the examination her children ``! Darling ( born Nicholls ) and 3 other siblings examiners determined that Bruce Nickell died, Stella Nickell arrested! In that case moved Congress to enact tough tampering laws 93 of Casefile crime! While Klein watched the proceedings on closed-circuit TV `` it all just kind of dawned on me, a... She stands by her testimony that her mother had a bottle of at... Capsules of extra-strength Excedrin capsules and fallen unconscious I prove it. ``, she said that didnt. Mother: the True story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood and the daughter of Roy Nicholls including own. However, prevented from also filing charges in such cases failed to him! All, it had been less than four years earlier prove it. `` she is a of!
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