Docs: Indiana women poisoned man’s root beer float to kill him

JACKSON COUNTY, Ind. — The woman who reportedly helped Marsha Allen, her mother, poison and kill Allen’s husband in December 2022 has officially been charged in Jackson County Circuit Court.

According to officials with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Ashley Jones appeared for an initial hearing in Jackson County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon and was officially charged with:

• One count of murder
• One count of felony murder
• One count of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy results in death
• One count of consumer product tampering resulting in serious bodily injury

According to previous reports, Jones reportedly directed two men to commit a burglary against Allen in mid-September in Freetown. When police were investigating the burglary, one of the suspects told police that Allen previously “murdered her husband by poisoning him somehow.”

In an initial investigation into the claims, investigators reportedly found text messages on Allen’s phone between herself and Jones where they discussed killing 52-year-old Harold Allen, Marsha Allen’s husband, by poison. Harold Allen died in December 2022 and no charges or criminal cases appeared to have been filed at that time.

On Oct. 16, Marsha Allen was found dead by police, according to previous reports. Jones then reportedly confessed to police that she ordered ethylene glycol off the internet for Marsha Allen to put in her husband’s drink.

New Court Documents

According to an affidavit of probable cause, officials said that detectives spoke with Marsha Allen on Sept. 20, where she denied that she killed her husband. Marsha Allen consented to a download of her phone, where police found a number of text messages from November 2022 and December 2022 between her and Jones on the topic of poisoning Harold Allen.

In one of the texts, the two discuss purchasing foxglove seeds, which officials described as a toxic plant that can kill a person if it is ingested. In a review of Marsha Allen’s Google account, the documents said reported searches included “how much foxglove is fatal?,” and “how long does foxglove take to kill you?”

The documents said Marsha Allen and Jones reportedly attempted to poison Harold Allen by putting the root of the Foxglove into chili and a brownie given to Harold Allen. This resulted in two hospital visits in late November where Harold Allen reported numbness on the left side of his face, as well as gastrointestinal issues.

In mid-December, officials said that Jones and Marsha Allen, by using her middle name Lynn, ordered a half-gallon of ethylene glycol for $31.99. The order included a phone number, which was the same number Jones reportedly used to text Marsha Allen.

On Dec. 19, 2022, texts between the two uncovered that they planned to put the ethylene glycol in Harold Allen’s root beer float. The documents said the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department received a call of an unconscious person in Freetown on the afternoon of Dec. 20, 2022.

“Based upon (Jones’) statements to police, it is believed that Harold (Allen) was dead before the emergency call was placed,” the affidavit reads. “Deputies with the Sheriff’s Department along with other first responders, responded… At the time of Harold’s death, no foul play was suspected.”

On Oct. 16, after family members reached out to the department, officials said Marsha Allen was found dead at her home in Freetown. Police said that the investigation into her death is ongoing, but “suicide is suspected.”

The documents said that Jones was arrested at her Missouri home on Oct. 3 related to the burglary. In an interview with police on Oct. 17, Jones reportedly told police that Marsha Allen put the Foxglove and the ethylene glycol into the items given to Harold Allen. However, Jones reportedly told police she was the one who ordered the ethylene glycol.

After Harold Allen drank the fatal root beer float, Jones told police that Marsha Allen texted Jones the morning of Dec. 20 and told her Harold Allen was acting “drunk and loopy.”

“Five hours passed before Marsha (Allen) called an ambulance, by which time Harold (Allen) was deceased,” the documents read.

Officials said that a search warrant was obtained for the phone of Steven White, one of the men who was charged in the related burglary. In reported conversations between White and Jones from July, Jones reportedly told White that Marsha Allen would not have “succeeded” without her.

“…We both know that b—- wasn’t the one planning (it),” one of the texts read. “She just f—— f—– it all up. Made it less lucrative. Wouldn’t even make it go get a will… She couldn’t get into a dead man’s phone without me to get all his retirements and savings he had hidden. Hell, she got $4,500 from his PayPal cc cause I showed her how to scam it as him before they find he’s gone. She’s fake af… She didn’t gimme s— out of that.”