An alleged murder conspiracy has put a woman from Indiana, Ashley Nicole Jones, behind bars on Oct. 16 after it all came to light during an investigation involving a burglary.
The 29-year-old woman was arrested after her alleged scheme came to light, Fox News Digital reported Saturday. The intricate plot, allegedly orchestrated alongside her mother, was uncovered during a burglary investigation. Jones is now behind bars in the Jackson County Jail, being held without bail. The charges she faces include murder, attempted murder, burglary, and conspiracy, as listed on Jackson County jail records.
The death of the victim, 52-year-old Harold “Peanut” Allen, took place in December 2022 but did not initially prompt a police investigation. He “passed away suddenly” in Freetown, Indiana, according to his obituary. However, law enforcement’s interest was piqued on September 19 when Marsha Allen, the wife of the deceased and the mother of Jones, reported a burglary at her home.
Burglary exposes woman’s plot to poison stepdad at mom’s request: police https://t.co/1trAx12o7Y
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2023
The subsequent investigation led to the revelation that two men, Steven White and Nathaniel Kane Napier, had allegedly committed the burglary under the direction of and with assistance from Jones, as detailed in a press release by Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer, per Fox News Digital. Both White and Napier, aged 29, faced charges related to burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, and theft with a firearm. (RELATED: Video Allegedly Shows Man Injecting Chemicals Into Neighbor’s Home After Complaining Of Noise)
The stolen items during the break-in included jewelry and firearms, a fact confirmed in an affidavit of probable cause reviewed by Fox News Digital. Allen reportedly voiced her immediate suspicion that her daughter was involved, as she was the only other person aware of the combination to the woman’s gun safe.
One of the suspects, White, reportedly informed the police that Allen had “murdered her husband by poisoning him somehow.” Subsequent investigation reportedly revealed text messages between Marsha and Ashley discussing the murder of Marsha’s husband by poisoning him. Jones reportedly confessed to purchasing ethylene glycol from the internet, though she claimed her mother had placed the substance in Harold’s drink.