A Mother and Daughter Plotted to Kill Him. Their Messages Exposed Everything

Harold “Peanut” Allen thought he had finally found the family he’d always wanted. After reconnecting with Marsha Buxton at a high school reunion, he married her and welcomed her adult daughter, Ashley Jones, and her young granddaughter into his home. But according to investigators, behind the scenes, Marsha and Ashley were allegedly plotting to kill him and their conversations about how to do it were happening through thousands of text messages.

Investigators say the attempts began with poisonous pong pong seeds hidden in brownies, followed by water hemlock added to Harold’s chili, soda, and margarita. When those attempts failed, the pair allegedly turned to ethylene glycol, the chemical commonly found in antifreeze. On December 19, 2022, Harold drank a poisoned root beer float and died. His death was initially attributed to natural causes, and his family had no idea that investigators would later discover evidence of a suspected murder plot.

The case might have remained undiscovered if a separate crime hadn’t exposed it. In September 2023, Ashley’s best friend, Steven White, was caught on security footage burglarizing Marsha’s home. During questioning, he told police about the alleged poisoning. Investigators recovered thousands of messages, and later toxicology testing detected ethylene glycol in Harold’s blood. Marsha died by suicide before charges could be brought against her. Ashley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder in 2025 and received a 50-year prison sentence. Now, investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding Ashley’s first husband’s death in 2019, although she has not been charged in connection with it. What do you think ultimately exposed this case more: the recovered messages, the toxicology results, or the burglary that started it all?

#TrueCrimeRecaps #HaroldAllen #PeanutAllen #MarshaBuxton #AshleyJones #StevenWhite
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