Post by Joanna on Sept 2, 2018 0:21:59 GMT -5
Woman Kills Husband with Eye Drops
Yesterday, Friday, August 31, Detectives arrested Lana Sue Clayton (above), 52, a Veterans Administration nurse, for the July 21 death of her husband, Steven Clayton, at their upscale waterfront home in Lake Wylie, South Carolina. According to The Rock Hill Herald, she was also charged with unlawful malicious tampering with food.
Steven Clayton, 64, was found dead in the foyer of his home from what appeared to have been a fall down the stairs. However, an autopsy determined he died of poisoning, after which Mrs. Clayton confessed to spiking his water with a chemical found in over-the-counter eye drops such as Visine. She poisoned him over a three-day period.
“The investigation autopsy toxicology tests discovered poisonous levels of Tetrahydrozoline in the body of the victim,” the York County Sheriff’s Office reported. “Lana Clayton admitted to investigators she administered the substance to Steven Clayton without his knowledge.”
Steven Clayton, an accountant, was the founder of Physical Therapy Resources, a national company with branches throughout the United States. He retired in 1995, according to his obituary. “His family and friends will forever remember his laughter and celebrate him for as long as we live,” the obituary read.
Prior to her arrest, Lana Clayton had been appointed personal representative of her husband’s estate. The lovely home in which the Claytons lived is a copy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and Steven Clayton had carefully worked to restore the property. It is valued at $822,000. His funeral was held in the home’s backyard on August 4.
Mrs. Clayton, a native of Oklahoma, posted a comment on what appears to be her little-used Facebook page in March 2010 that suggested her husband was unfaithful. “My husband is not a drunk he had an affair,” she wrote. “However, he is the father of my children and my kids look at my Facebook. Soooo. I do appreciate the support though.” She had already started legal action concerning the estate, which also included a lot, worth $400,000, next door to their home, The Herald reported.
Neighbor Ken Sanford told the newspaper Lana Clayton “seemed like a sweet lady,” and “Steven was very proud of her accomplishments.”
When she learned how Steven Clayton died, neighbor Deborah Pollard remarked “That’s crazy. They’re finding all kinds of ways to do crazy things nowadays, aren’t they?”
No motive for the murder has been established.
Sources: Eileen “AJ” Connelly, The New York Post, September 1, 2018, and Robert Gearty, Fox News, September 1, 2018.