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Emily Simpson
This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Joey Dardano
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on £10.
Emily Simpson
I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jordan Sillers
Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.
Joey Dardano
I seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bag, that there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something.
Jordan Sillers
I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Emily Simpson
Your twenties can be so exciting, but they can also be really overwhelming, confusing, and honestly, just kind of lonely. May is mental health awareness month and the psychology of your twenties is breaking down the science behind the biggest roadblocks we face. I was six years into my career, the 80 hour weeks and just the
Cheryl Strayed
first one in, the last one out and I ended up burning out. There was a large chunk of twenties that I like was just so wanting to like be out of that phase, out of my skin. And I just like really regret not living in the present more.
Emily Simpson
You don't need to have everything figured out right now. You just need to understand yourself a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Joey Dardano
I'm Joey Dardano and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Psych. I'm a comedian.
Emily Simpson
I'm not qualified to give good advice.
Joey Dardano
Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man.
Emily Simpson
This is help from a hypocrite.
Joey Dardano
The worst advice from the dumbest people you know.
Emily Simpson
Listen to help from Hypocrite Wednesdays on
Joey Dardano
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Emily Simpson
Hi guys. Welcome to an episode of Till death do us Part. I will be your host today, Emily Simpson with my co host, Shame and Until death do us part. This is where we discuss murders of husbands murdering their wives or wives murdering their husbands in lieu of divorce in lieu of divorce. So this is called the root beer float murder, which I think is so interesting because we did the milkshake murder not too long ago. So now we have moved on to the root beer float murder.
Joey Dardano
I've never had a root beer float.
Emily Simpson
You've never had a root beer float?
Joey Dardano
I've never had root beer.
Emily Simpson
Well, you'll never have a root beer float after this poison in it that I present to you with whipped cream and sprinkles. So. All right, so the root beer float murder refers to the murder of Harold Allen by his wife, Marcia Allen, and her adult daughter, Ashley Jones.
Joey Dardano
A mother daughter duo.
Emily Simpson
Yes, a mother daughter duo. Harold Allen is not the father of Ashley Jones. He's the stepfather, but yes.
Joey Dardano
Yeah. Okay, then that's understandable.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, that makes sense.
Joey Dardano
That changes everything. Emily.
Emily Simpson
They murdered Harold by mixing ethylene glycol.
Joey Dardano
They. How old's his daughter?
Emily Simpson
No, she's an adult. She has. She. She was married before, and we'll get to that. But she.
Joey Dardano
Is he still around?
Emily Simpson
No, he's not.
Joey Dardano
She doesn't have an ex husband. He's dead. She's a widow.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Cheryl Strayed
And he.
Emily Simpson
He died of a little heart complication
Joey Dardano
after he had an ice cream cone or something.
Cheryl Strayed
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. So they murdered Harold by mixing ethylene glycol, an ingredient found in antifreeze, into a root beer float before serving it to him. First of all, I know the term ethylene glycol because Forensic Files. I am a huge fan of Forensic Files, and there is rarely an episode goes by that they don't mention ethylene glycol. So apparently it has a very sweet taste. And that's why.
Joey Dardano
It's why animals lick it when it's on the garage floor.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. And actually, when I was in my 20s, I had a husky that was poisoned, and we think it's because she had gotten antifreeze somehow. So you have to be very careful with antifreeze. You can't leave it places where animals can get to it because it's very sweet. Harold died after consuming the root beer float, but the death was not initially treated as a homicide. This is because he had a history of health problems. Yeah, he was overweight, and so he had a history. I. He had diabetes, I believe, and he had a history of kind of having.
Joey Dardano
So this wrote it off as like, he's unhealthy. Of course he's dead.
Emily Simpson
Right. However, the case resurfaced during an investigation into a burglary of Marsha Allen's home nine months after Harold's death. Death. The burglar was Ashley Jones best friend, Stephen White.
Joey Dardano
Wait, is Ashley the. The mother?
Emily Simpson
No, Ashley's the daughter.
Joey Dardano
Okay, so the daughter's friend.
Emily Simpson
So the daughter has a best friend named Stephen White. This gets more convoluted. We're just.
Joey Dardano
Dude.
Emily Simpson
Yes. And he burglarizes her mother Marsha's house.
Joey Dardano
Nine months after. Nine months after the death, root beer was ingested.
Emily Simpson
Right. Ashley told Stephen White about Harold's murder. So then when he's arrest for burglarizing the house, he rats him out. He rats him out. Yes. Authorities re examine Harold's death and were able to pin the murder on Marsha and Ashley. That's the mother and the daughter. During the investigation, authorities also discovered what was described as a murder list allegedly written by Ashley Jones. Prosecutors argued that this list showed an intent and a broader willingness to harm others. There is now an ongoing investigation into the death of Ashley's late husband Ty, who died died under similar circumstances as
Joey Dardano
Harold and also liked root beer flesh.
Emily Simpson
Yes. All right, let's get into the, the dirty details.
Joey Dardano
I mean, I, I think it's safe to say you'd never kill me.
Emily Simpson
But I like how you say I think it's safe to say.
Joey Dardano
I don't want to assume.
Emily Simpson
All right, it's safe to say.
Joey Dardano
Okay, but it would never be. It would never happen this way.
Emily Simpson
What would never happen this way? Oh, me.
Joey Dardano
Well, not in this way.
Emily Simpson
Not with a root beer float.
Joey Dardano
Because one, I don't drink root beer floats.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Joey Dardano
And two, you never make me anything.
Emily Simpson
So that is true.
Joey Dardano
If you came up to me with a dessert and said, here's a bowl of ice cream right there, you know there's something wrong.
Emily Simpson
Right, Right.
Joey Dardano
And I would have it tested.
Emily Simpson
Yes, you would.
Joey Dardano
Yes. Okay. See, so if you. So maybe she always brought him her beer floats.
Emily Simpson
Well, we'll get into it more as we go through the details. But that was not the first attempt on his life. They tried multiple vers of poison too.
Joey Dardano
I feel that this mother daughter bond is really something.
Emily Simpson
So in 2019, Marcia and Harold meet. So Harold Allen decided to attend his 30th high school reunion in Austin, Indiana. There he reconnected. This, this is his first mistake.
Joey Dardano
What? Going to the reunion.
Emily Simpson
If he never went to the reunion, Harold would still be alive.
Joey Dardano
Who wants to go to a reunion?
Emily Simpson
Yeah, see now that just a reunion
Joey Dardano
of people I don't hang out with.
Emily Simpson
You don't hang out with your old high school buddies?
Joey Dardano
I don't need a reunion to hang out with my friends.
Emily Simpson
Right?
Joey Dardano
Well, it's like, let's have a reunion of all these people that did not care to keep stay in contact. Well, put them in a room together and see if they can.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, you know what? Now with Instagram and Facebook, I feel like if you just want to, like, know what someone looks like now, you don't need to go to a reunion. You just find them on Instagram or Facebook and then you can see what they're doing. So there's no.
Joey Dardano
And then you're like, yeah, they're still ugly. Okay, yeah, move on.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Joey Dardano
Because I remember this happened with Shelby when she. I said, do you want a yearbook? It was like senior year. And she goes, no, I'm okay. I'm like, you don't want me get you your book? I'm like, you're gonna regret it. She goes, no. I'm like, how come you don't want a yearbook? She goes, I see everything on my phone. She's like, I don't need a yearbook
Emily Simpson
to like, yeah, keep up or look back.
Joey Dardano
Or like, yeah, look back and all that. So it's kind of sad.
Emily Simpson
All right, so Harold Allen makes the his biggest mistake of his life by attending the 30th high school reunion. There he reconnects with Marcia Buxton, who is a former classmate whom he did not know well in high school.
Joey Dardano
That's the mistake that's not going to the reunion.
Emily Simpson
It's meeting Marsha.
Joey Dardano
It's not like he went to like a brothel where it is like, you know, it's like, why you have no business being here but to get in trouble. Yeah, he went to a reunion, right?
Emily Simpson
And he meets Marcia. All right, so we'll just, we'll say his biggest mistake of his life is meeting Marcia. So Marcia and Harold start dating and then they get married in July of 2021 after dating for about two years following the reun. All right, so Marsha is now his wife. In 2022, Marsha has a 29 year old daughter named Ashley. Jones and Ashley's young daughter move in with Marcia and Harold at their home in Freetown, Indiana.
Joey Dardano
That's sad. He helps house them.
Emily Simpson
And yes, Harold, who had no children of his own, welcomed them into the household. Then in late of late 2022.
Joey Dardano
Terrible.
Emily Simpson
I know. He's a nice guy so far. No, he's always a nice guy. From this whole everything I've learned about him. And they interview his family, and he had brothers and they were tight and he was In a very tight knit family. And he seemed to be like a nice, just good guy. And he goes to his 30th high school reunion. He meets Marsha in late 2022. So remember, they got married in 2021. So they haven't even been married very long. They've only been married like, I don't know, like a year and a half or something. Harold begins experiencing painful gastrointestinal problems which had sent him to the emergency room on multiple occasions. Late that year. Doctors could not figure out what was wrong with him. At one point they assumed it was diverticulitis. It's an inflammation of irregular bulging pouches in the wall of the large intestine. Then in November 27th of 2022, this is Thanksgiving text between Marcia Allen and Ashley Jones. Once they figure out, the police figure out that Marcia and Ashley are involved in this. After the burglary attempt, they ask Marcia for her phone. So now they have her phone. They do the forensics on her phone. So they have all the text messages between Marcia and her daughter Ashley. Right.
Joey Dardano
Nine months after. Right.
Emily Simpson
Well, this is before he dies. So we're at Thanksgiving. Oh, yeah. I'm just talking about. We're going back and forth between time. You are? Yeah.
Joey Dardano
It's like Christopher Nolan, you're going back and forth.
Emily Simpson
Well, I'm talking about Thanksgiving is really, I believe, the first time they, they police know that they, they attempt to poison him.
Joey Dardano
Okay.
Emily Simpson
And they know that based upon the text messages that they get after he's dead and after Stephen White, nine months after the death. Right.
Joey Dardano
They're now searching the phone.
Emily Simpson
Right. So text between Marcia Allen and Ashley Jones show discussion of poisoning Harold Allen. So first what they do is they buy these pong pong seeds from that come from a tree in South Asia known as the Suicide tree. And they mix it into a brownie before serving it to Harold. So first they try to give him brownies with poisonous seeds in them. Yeah, she and her daughters, this is Marcia and the daughter Ashley, purchased the seeds online. That's the other thing is like they keep trying to buy all these poisons to poison this guy. They just buy it online, you know, so there's a digital credit card too, probably. There's a digital trail.
Joey Dardano
This is what I wanted to say the last podcast we did where it was, you know, meth addicts that murdered. And there's like virtually no evidence, you know, available other than a dead body, obviously. But then you have. And so they can't trace anything because these people are off the grid. Right. They do drugs, they crash at homes. They don't have accounts, they don't have bank account. Like, they don't have any digital stuff. So they get away with a lot of. And then you have these people.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Joey Dardano
Who live in a home, probably have a day job, pay their phone bill, have an email address, buy stuff online. And in a way, they are smarter because they plan it and, you know, prep it. But then that leaves a trail.
Emily Simpson
Oh, they leave a huge trail. Every single thought they have is documented in these text messages.
Joey Dardano
Don't they live together? Why don't they conspire in a room rather than on. Across the phone?
Emily Simpson
I know.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Joey Dardano
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on £10.
Emily Simpson
I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jordan Sillers
Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.
Joey Dardano
I seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bag, that there was a pool of blood.
Emily Simpson
Somebody somewhere know something?
Jordan Sillers
I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Cheryl Strayed
Will Ferrell's Big Money players and iHeart podcast presents soccer Moms. So, I'm Leigh Ann.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Cheryl Strayed
This is my best friend, Janet. And we have been joined at the hip since high school. Absolutely. Now, a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger. Hips wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drinks. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Well, they had a bogo.
Emily Simpson
Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar sub here?
Cheryl Strayed
Just hit.
Emily Simpson
What are y' all doing? Microphones. Are you making a rap album? No, I would buy it. You believe it? I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake.
Cheryl Strayed
That sounds delicious.
Emily Simpson
Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic.
Joey Dardano
You're lucky I'M not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh,
Cheryl Strayed
listen to soccer moms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. I'm Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. I'm excited to share that I have a new podcast called Mind Over Mountain. In each episode, I interview athletes, adventurers, and adrenaline seekers to discuss the inner landscapes and life experiences that informed and inspired their extraordinary feats. I also bring a bit of advice into the mix so we too can better understand how to face our own seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Emily Simpson
You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to pull out what you already have inside. We come into this world fighting for our lives. All I'm gonna do is pull out what you already got inside.
Cheryl Strayed
We're there to support and celebrate each other. And that is not like a your story versus my story. You're gonna walk up and over that dang mountain. You're not just gonna put your mind over it.
Joey Dardano
Yep, yep, exactly.
Emily Simpson
And if I can't walk up and over it, I'm gonna go through it.
Cheryl Strayed
Listen to Mind Over Mountain every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Emily Simpson
So they make this brownie with the suicide tree seeds in it. And Marsha watches her husband eat the brownie and then texts her daughter like, what's taking so long?
Joey Dardano
Why won't he die?
Emily Simpson
Then Ashley responds, ty, that was her late husband that died, was only 120. Lol. You know what that means? £120.
Joey Dardano
Meaning he didn't need as much of the suicide seeds.
Emily Simpson
Exactly. So November 30th of 2022, Harold returns to the hospital once again with vomiting, fever and chills. Then in December 2022, in what type
Joey Dardano
of conversation would you ever text someone that your dead husband is. Weighs a certain amount and then you're like hahaha.
Emily Simpson
When?
Joey Dardano
Like what context would that ever be an innocent text?
Emily Simpson
Well, it's not. So you're saying what would the defense say that. Yeah, you had to defend that text. How do you defend it?
Joey Dardano
Right? Like how is that a normal text?
Emily Simpson
It's not. Other than the only thing you could say is that you were joking or something. You know, that you weren't involved in your late husband's death, even though you just made reference to.
Joey Dardano
That's not even. You can't even fake that one.
Emily Simpson
That wasn't well, you know, I mean, there's so many. You remember this case.
Joey Dardano
I'm just talking to you. I'm not saying it's a legal argument. I'm just saying what context could that ever be a normal text?
Emily Simpson
It's not. To me, it's like a smoking gun that she poisoned her first husband.
Joey Dardano
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
The daughter Ashley. Her husband Ty. Right. Also, I don't know. We didn't talk about this yet. But I just want to add this in because this, this case very much reminds me of Corey Richards, which we did a case on. Remember? She was the Utah mom. She was the Utah mom that poisoned her husband. Remember she tried first with the bologna sandwich.
Joey Dardano
Yeah. And then she wrote a book.
Emily Simpson
And then she wrote a book on grief. All right, this.
Joey Dardano
She made him the Russian cocktail or something.
Emily Simpson
It was a Moscow mule. So I'm saying this case just reminds me of Corey Richards. And she tried to poison her husband. Then she wrote a book on grief, remember? Because she was talking about how she was trying to help her herself process it and her children process it. This case, Mara, the wife, after her husband Harold died. Yeah.
Joey Dardano
What she do to.
Emily Simpson
She wrote a book on grief.
Joey Dardano
Oh, yeah.
Emily Simpson
Yes. And self published it. So it's. It's mind blowing.
Joey Dardano
Like, what do they want out of this?
Emily Simpson
I. I don't know. I don't know how a woman goes. Has multiple attempts to take their husband out through poison. Which by the way, is a horrible way to die because.
Joey Dardano
Well, you're watching him die. Yeah. It's not like you pull the trigger and it's all over. And it's. It's obviously gruesome, but it's just.
Emily Simpson
Well, it's slow and it's painful. So not only are you killing them, but you're torturing them along the way.
Joey Dardano
Involved. To get that far, she had to make the brownie, for instance.
Emily Simpson
Yeah. And then she has to make the root beer float.
Joey Dardano
And then no wonder why this guy was.
Emily Simpson
And they.
Joey Dardano
And then that's why he was overweight. She kept feeding him desserts.
Emily Simpson
I know. And Corey Richards had to make. She had to make the baloney. The. No, it was a biscuit.
Joey Dardano
Richards take food from her when he was suspicious of her in the first place.
Emily Simpson
I don't know. That was the question we asked on that other episode that we did on Corey Richards. I don't know. But then I don't understand how you get to the point where you know, you murdered your husband through poison, but then you write a book on grief and then.
Joey Dardano
Oh, yeah, but you're. That's assuming that they have some moral compass.
Emily Simpson
Well, they don't. Right. Then we get to December of 2022. There's more poison purchases because Harold is still alive at this point. So early to mid December, Mara and Ashley purchased fox glove seeds and water hemlock online, and they're considered the most violently toxic plant in North America, often causing death in humans and livestock within 15 minutes to a few hours of ingestion. So my point is, if you are online purchasing water hemlock that is considered a violently toxic plant, why isn't there some kind of red flag? How do. I mean, shouldn't there be some kind of red flag that.
Joey Dardano
How do you. Yeah. Yes, there should be a red flag
Emily Simpson
because what are you using it for?
Joey Dardano
I don't know.
Emily Simpson
They allegedly poison Harold using water hemlock in chile and a margarita. But Harold still does not die, but his health continues to worsen. December 13th of 2022, Ashley Jones purchases ethanol glycol, which is antifreeze, to be delivered to the home. On December 19th of 2022, ethylene glycol is delivered, and Ashley texts Marcia that it has arrived. They get very excited. Bethlehene glycol is here. I watched Forensic Files.
Joey Dardano
It's gonna work.
Emily Simpson
It's gonna work this time. Marcia, text Ashley that Harold is, quote, all in for root beer floats, suggesting a plan to administer the poison. That night, Harold is given a tainted root beer float, complete with whipped cream and sprinkles to hide the slight sweetness of the ethylene glycol. Also, they. They talk about the text messages between the mom and daughter. And the mom is shopping for root beer, and she takes a photo of, like, the little mini root beers. And then the daughter responds and says, no, get the big root beer. So they're. I mean, they're. They're documenting back every step of the way. Every step of the way. Harold dies the next day, on December 20th of 2022, Marsha calls 911 in tears, reporting his death. She claims on the 911 call that he was sleeping and then she was working from home, and then she went back into the bedroom and he was laying on the floor. She actually sounds genuine in the 911 call, which is scary because she's been plotting his wild cash.
Joey Dardano
If she's sad, like, there's regret there. It's like, well, too. Too bad. So sad it's too late.
Emily Simpson
So nothing is considered suspicious as Harold's health was declining up until that point, I mean, his health was declining. Because she kept trying to poison him over and over and over with desserts. Right? Then in December 21st of 2022, this is the day after Harold's death. Marsha shows up to his place of work to ask about his life insurance policy. She doesn't even wait a day. Like it's the day after he died. She shows up at his work asking about his life insurance policy. She also allegedly ex accesses his retirement funds and savings, including PayPal money. His life insurance that I believe was only like $100,000 or something. So it's not like she was going to get millions.
Joey Dardano
Yeah.
Emily Simpson
Why did she want to kill him for insurance money. But it's like a hundred thousand dollars that.
Joey Dardano
That's what we know is for insurance Money. And his PayPal account.
Emily Simpson
And his PayPal account. July 27th of 2023, Ashley texts an acquaintance claiming I planned it all. And references helping access Harold's finances. Then we get to the burglary. This is the downfall of this whole thing. Again, this. They would have kind of planned the perfect murder if this burglary wouldn't have happened because he died. And no one was questioning his medical because they just said that he'd had like cardiac problems or health problems.
Joey Dardano
Actually, his former husband's death wasn't in question.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Joey Dardano
So he was only 120 pounds.
Emily Simpson
Except. LOL.
Joey Dardano
LOL.
Emily Simpson
September 19, 2023. Burglars enter Marsha's home when she is out of town. They had a key to the house and knew the code to her saf. They had a key to the house because Ashley Jones mailed them a key to the house. So we'll get more into that. And they knew the code to the safe because Ashley Jones, the daughter who lived within the house, gave them the code to the safe.
Joey Dardano
Marshall, it's supposed to be like an inside job.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, but I'll explain that in a minute. Marcia catches the suspects on surveillance cameras and recognizes one of them. It's her daughter's best friend, Stephen White. So what Ashley didn't know when she helped plan this burglary was that her mom installed security cameras. I believe like a week before this burglary. Burglary.
Joey Dardano
Trust the daughter took place. Like, clearly you're willing to kill.
Emily Simpson
So Ashley mails a key to the house to Stephen White and gives him the code to the safe. But what she does not know is that her mom installed surveillance cameras inside the house and her mom didn't tell her. A reason the police find Stephen just hours after the burglary. Is reported because the mom, Mara, reports the burglary and then says, look, I know who this guy is that burglarizing my house. His name, Stephen White. He's friends with my daughter, Ashley. They go arrest Steven White. Steven tells police that Marsha and Ashley are responsible for Harold Allen's death. Stephen also claims that Ashley mailed him the key to her mother's home and gave him the code to the safe so that they could split the earnings. So I believe. I don't know if there was, like,
Joey Dardano
I like how they. They find the money that they have to be earned.
Emily Simpson
Earned. Right. I don't know exactly what was in the safe. I do know that Harold had a lot of guns and he had guitars, I believe. So I think, well, he had stuff that was. Stuff that was safe. Right.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the Enhanced Games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year, within probably
Joey Dardano
10 days, I'd put on £10.
Emily Simpson
I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jordan Sillers
Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.
Joey Dardano
I seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping thing and there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something.
Jordan Sillers
I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Cheryl Strayed
Hi, everyone. I'm Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. I'm excited to share that I have a new podcast called Mind Over Mountain. In each episode, I interview athletes, adventurers, and adrenaline seekers to discuss the inner landscapes and life experiences that informed and inspired their extraordinary feats. I also bring a bit of advice into the mix so we, too, can better understand how to face our own seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Emily Simpson
Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to pull out what you already have inside. We're coming into this world fighting for our lives. All I'm gonna do is pull out what you already got inside.
Cheryl Strayed
We're there to support and celebrate each other, and that is not like a your story versus my story. You're gonna walk up and over that dang mountain. You're not Just gonna put your mind over it.
Joey Dardano
Yep, Yep. Exactly.
Emily Simpson
And if I can't walk up and over it, I'm gonna go through it.
Cheryl Strayed
Listen to Mind Over Mountain every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money players and iHeart podcast presents soccer Moms. So I'm Leigh Ann.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Cheryl Strayed
This is my best friend Janet. And we have been joined at the hip since high school. Absolutely. Now, a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger, hips wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drinks. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo.
Emily Simpson
Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar sub here? Just say, what are y' all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album?
Cheryl Strayed
Oh, I would.
Emily Simpson
You. I would buy. It cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake.
Cheryl Strayed
That sounds delicious.
Emily Simpson
Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic.
Joey Dardano
You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team, and I'm really trying to. To be a figure in their lives that they can rely on.
Cheryl Strayed
Oh, listen to soccer moms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Emily Simpson
The police bring Mara in for questioning initially. Initially, they tell her that it was for the burglary. But then while she's there being questioned about this burglary, they bring up Harold's death. Marsha denies having any involvement, but allows police to search her phone. Actually, what happens is they. She. They say, you know, this guy is saying that you're involved in your husband's death. And she denies it. I had nothing to do with my husband's death. And she had a very quick answer for everything. You know, he had this. He had this problem. It was a health issue. That's why he died on video. Yeah. This is during the interrogation. So I. I'm. I see this. Then they say, okay, well, then I guess you wouldn't have a problem with us taking your cell phone. And she says, no, you know, you can take it. And he gets up and he leaves. Oh, then you can see her deleting. She gets on her phone, and, you know, she's trying to delete.
Joey Dardano
Do you know if he left on purpose?
Emily Simpson
Oh, I'm sure he Left on purpose. Yeah, because she's being recorded. And as soon as he walks out of the room, he leaves her alone in the interrogation room. She gets on her phone, she's trying to delete messages. But the. I believe what they said was there was, like, over a thousand messages between her and her daughter. Thousands of messages.
Joey Dardano
Was they. Did they eventually take the phone in that interview?
Emily Simpson
They do, yeah.
Joey Dardano
They came back and they came back and took. So what happens is they take the phone, they go back, and they have some computer or something that's like a little station that's all ready to go.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Joey Dardano
And they literally just rip everything off the phone on the computer. They can give the phone back. So the fact that she deleted messages in between the time that he says, can we search your phone? And takes the phone, she deletes messages. Right. Like, probably a handful of them.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Joey Dardano
They can know which ones she deleted. It doesn't matter that she deleted them. They're gonna get them. But they can also know that when the officer asked for your phone, you said, okay, and then he left and he came back five minutes later. Oh, they could. You had deleted these messages within that time frame, which appears more incriminating.
Emily Simpson
Right, Right. I don't understand how people in today's technology, with everything going on, still don't understand the forensics of a phone. They still don't understand that all those text messages can be recovered and that you're literally documenting your every move in this murder of your husband.
Joey Dardano
Maybe it's because they get so wrapped up in themselves. Like, she got away with the last
Emily Simpson
murder, the daughter, Ashley. Right.
Joey Dardano
And then she. You know, this was a long time coming. Right. They took months and several attempts. They're texting all the time. They're ordering stuff on the. You forget. And they probably just think, like. Like, we're gonna get away with it. So they don't think any further ahead and they just delete and whatever.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, but this is. You're. But the way you're explaining it is they're under the mindset that it's already happened and no one's questioning them. I'm just saying, up until the point that he is about to be murdered, and they try all these different ways. They. They document everything through the phone, but
Joey Dardano
they think they're never going to get caught.
Emily Simpson
So then on October 16th of 2023, this is after they take Marsha's phone. Police bring Marsha back in for questioning to show her all of the texts that they recovered. They actually, like, pull them up On a computer screen. So they're big, right?
Joey Dardano
Everything on the phone goes there. Everything.
Emily Simpson
However, they do not hold her in jail and allow her to go home that night. Marsha dies by suicide.
Joey Dardano
How?
Emily Simpson
She ingested something. She. She took pills or something.
Joey Dardano
Okay.
Emily Simpson
And died in bed. And then she left a note that said, I did not kill my husband. You win, Ashley. And that's all the note said she
Joey Dardano
did she think that her daughter was going to rat her out.
Emily Simpson
I think she's trying to blame her daughter. She also knew that the reason they were caught was because Ashley planned that burglary of her mom's home, which is the catalyst for them being caught.
Joey Dardano
Yeah, but what is. Why would that make her kill herself?
Emily Simpson
I don't know. I think it was just easier for her to kill herself than to go to prison.
Joey Dardano
Yeah, that's what I was. Yeah, she knew she was hot. She should have killed herself before she. And then just not kill her husband.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, but she didn't want to kill herself. She wanted his. She wanted $100,000 in insurance money and to sell his guns and live her best life.
Joey Dardano
Yeah, and use his PayPal account.
Emily Simpson
So. October 18th of 2023, Ashley Jones is arrested, and she is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. You know what? They actually bring Ashley in, and Ashley doesn't know that her mother is dead. And they are interrogating Ashley, asking her about the murder and Harold, and she denies it, and she denies any involvement with it. And then they tell her during that interrogation that her mother committed suicide. She did not know. So you actually see her during the interrogation, learn that her mother committed suicide.
Joey Dardano
Reaction, huh?
Emily Simpson
Right, but.
Joey Dardano
And what was her reaction?
Emily Simpson
I mean, she was upset, but I don't know if she was genuinely upset. It's hard to tell with these people because they're. They're murderers. And so I don't know, but I thought it was interesting that they. During the interrogation of her and asking her her involvement in this murder, that she learns about her mother's suicide. So while Ashley Jones is awaiting T.R. investigators say that Ashley gave her cellmate a kill list. Police believe it contained the names of people with knowledge of what happened to Harold, who Ashley wanted to eliminate. First on that list was Ashley's best friend, who I would assume is no longer her best friend, Stephen White, who was charged in the burglary. Ashley was not charged with any crimes connected to the list, though an analysis comparing it to her handwriting was found to be favorable, meaning that it was likely pinned on her. You know, why they didn't pursue that because she's going on trial. Murder. So I think at this point, this kill list that she made that they found in prison, and they said the handwriting, you know, somewhat matched or whatever, they're not going to pursue that because this woman's going to go on trial for murder. I mean, she's going to get her justice, like, at the end of the day.
Joey Dardano
Right.
Emily Simpson
Anyway, on August 16th of 2024, prosecutors add charges, including attempted murder. That's because I'm sure once they go through all those thousands of thousands of text messages between her and her mom, they can come up with a timeline of all other times that they tried to kill him based upon their text messages with the brownies and the pong pong seeds along. Right. So that's why then she gets charges added later, including attempted murder. The documentary I watched, it's. I don't remember if it was a 48 Hours episode or what it was, but they interview Ashley Jones's previous husband, Ty. They interview his family. And his family claims that they thought that his death was suspicious from the beginning, but no one investigated it because they said he was healthy. And I guess he died by kind of the same circumstances where I. But he was healthy. And then I think they just, they said it was just like a cardiac thing, like he had heart problems or something. Also, the reason. Oh, back to Marsha's suicide. Another reason why she committed suicide, I'm sure, is because they. They asked her. They said that there was blood left over from Harold because they did. They were going to send it out for a toxicology report. And if it came back that the antifreeze showed up in his blood, because they said, did you give him antifreeze? And she said, no, I don't know anything about that. I didn't do that. And they said, okay, well, we, we still had some of his blood left over from the medical examiner. So we have enough blood to send to do a toxicology. And they're going to test for anaphyze. And then that's when she killed herself that night because she knew the toxicology report was going to come back. And it did. It came back and it had it on there, of course, that it was in his blood. All right, so then we get to Ashley and Ashley's, and this is August of 2025. So this was last summer. So this is very. This is not long ago. Ashley takes a plea deal. She pleads guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and she is sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Joey Dardano
Good.
Emily Simpson
The burglar. The burglar, Stephen White, is sentenced to three and a half years. And now there is an ongoing investigation into the death of Ashley's late husband, Ty, as he died in a similar manner to Harold and had no prior health issues before his death.
Joey Dardano
Well, so sorry. The. The best friend, Steve, that got three and a half years, that was for burglary. He had no involvement in the murder.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, but let me. Let me add a little bit more context to the burglary. So I. When I was researching this, I guess what found was that after Harold had died, and I do believe that Marcia collected some type of insurance money because he died and there was no suspicious circumstances. Right. So I believe she does collect some of the money. She is sending Ashley, the daughter. $1,000, I think a month.
Joey Dardano
That's it.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, well, she only got 100. She only got $100,000. I mean, at the end of the day, it's not that much money.
Joey Dardano
No, but I mean. Yeah, but my point is. Yeah, yeah. Neither is a thousand a month. Like, was she supposed to live off a thousand a month? Was that.
Emily Simpson
I don't know if it was a thousand a week or a thousand a month, but she was sending her money regularly. Then she quit sending her money.
Joey Dardano
Why was Ashley not living there? She was living there. She moved out.
Emily Simpson
I don't know. They didn't tell me why she moved out, but she's not living there anymore. But the mom, after she collects the money, is sending Ashley money.
Joey Dardano
Right?
Emily Simpson
Consistently.
Joey Dardano
Right.
Emily Simpson
Then she stops sending her money. She's probably like, he's dead and I'm gonna keep this money for myself. I'm not going to send you anymore. I don't know if there's a conversation or what, but she doesn't stop sending Ashley money. That's when Ashley concocted the burglary plan with her friend Stephen White. Because money, she's going to get her money that she's owed. Because I'm sure there was some talk
Joey Dardano
about, well, she probably told Steve, like. Like, you know, we killed him and I'm supposed to get some money. She got a bunch of money.
Emily Simpson
Right. And I'm not getting my money. So here's a key to the house. Here's the code to the safe. Go get my money.
Joey Dardano
Don't worry. There's no cameras inside.
Emily Simpson
Right. But the mom had put cameras in. So it makes me think that there had to have been some kind of falling out. And she's like, well, I'll get my
Joey Dardano
money somehow or Something back or something. Right. So she put cameras.
Emily Simpson
Right. So anyway, we will fall. I would. I am interested in this ongoing investigation that has to do with the death of Ashley's late husband, Ty. I don't know. He was cremated. She had him cremated.
Joey Dardano
Well, that's usually the best way to.
Emily Simpson
Right. When you poison someone.
Joey Dardano
The evidence.
Emily Simpson
Exactly. So, you know, I don't know how you investigate it other than maybe there's some way to pull forensics off of her phone or something.
Joey Dardano
That's why I asked how much? How many years or months prior?
Emily Simpson
That I do not know. I don't know.
Joey Dardano
Because if it was like a long time in time, the better the chance of.
Emily Simpson
Right. Well, but you know what?
Joey Dardano
She's in jail for 50 years.
Emily Simpson
Yeah.
Joey Dardano
So she's not gonna be in prison.
Emily Simpson
No. But you know, we just, you know, talk about how you go to. You get sentenced to eight, you spend four. So if she's sentenced to 50, she'll probably spend 20.
Joey Dardano
Not always. Like 25 to life is 25 years. You're eligible for parole or something, right? Yeah, but life without parole is forever. So 50 might be 50 with a minimum of serving.
Emily Simpson
You know, I don't know if there's any minimum. I just know she got 50 years. So as far as I know, she could be eligible for parole at 25 or something. I don't know. But anyway, I hope that there are is some type of. Well, there's an ongoing investigation. I just hope that there's some type of evidence that can tie her to Ty's murder so that he and his family get justice. Because based upon just the minimal amount of text messages that we saw where she references him and his weight, it just means lol, I'm sure. You know, and she's probably the one that said to her mom, hey, you don't be married to this guy anymore. I. I took my husband out.
Joey Dardano
Really? I have an exit strategy.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, I just gave him some pong pong seeds and some brownies. He's only 120 pounds and he's like, nobody knew. And so, you know, you should do that to Harold.
Joey Dardano
Can you imagine if your kid comes up to you and be like, I have a plan. I just killed my husband. Why don't we kill yours?
Emily Simpson
I. I can't fathom that. That's our conversation.
Joey Dardano
Okay. Right. Go to the store and text me.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Joey Dardano
And we'll talk about it.
Emily Simpson
Right.
Joey Dardano
Because once you text her from the store. Pictures of the root of the root beer.
Emily Simpson
Yeah, well, I mean, there were all kinds of texts. They also. There was also a text messages of a screenshot of when the freeze was delivered. They're like, yay. It's. It's here. I love Amazon. Today's the day. All right, thank you guys so much for listening. Till death do us part. We appreciate you as always. Please follow Legally Brunette. And also if you listen to us in the two T's feed, we also have our own feed where all of our episodes go. Not every episode goes into 2T, so if you want to listen to every episode Illegally Brunette, you have to follow us on our own feed. Thank you so much for listening. And again, if you have any cases out there that have to do with husbands and wives, please DM me and let me know. We love your recommendations and thank you so much for listening.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced Games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year, within probably
Joey Dardano
10 days, I'd put on £10.
Emily Simpson
I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Superhuman Podcast Narrator
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jordan Sillers
Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.
Joey Dardano
I seen something in the room road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bed and there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something.
Jordan Sillers
I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Emily Simpson
Your twenties can be so exciting, but they can also be really overwhelming, confusing, and honestly, just kind of lonely. May is mental health awareness month, and the psychology of your twenties is breaking down the science behind the biggest roadblocks we face. I was six years into my career, the 80 hour weeks, and just the
Cheryl Strayed
first one in, the last one out, and I ended up burning out. There was a large chunk of my twenties that I like, was just so wanting to, like, be out of that phase, out of my skin. And I just, like, really regret not living in the present more.
Emily Simpson
You don't need to have everything figured out right now. You just need to understand yourself a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Cheryl Strayed
This is Saigon, the story of my
Emily Simpson
family and of the country that shaped us.
Jordan Sillers
From iheart podcasts.
Emily Simpson
Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring petrol all over him. Freedom of Vietnam. There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything.
Joey Dardano
Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app,
Jordan Sillers
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Emily Simpson
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Podcast: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode: Legally Brunette Presents: ‘Til Death Do Us Part: The Root Beer Float Murder
Date: May 3, 2026
Hosts: Emily Simpson & Joey Dardano
This episode of "Legally Brunette" dives deep into the chilling case known as "The Root Beer Float Murder," featuring the murder of Harold Allen by his wife, Marcia Allen, and her daughter, Ashley Jones. The hosts, Emily Simpson and Joey Dardano, explore the intricacies of the plot, examine evidence drawn from digital trails, and reflect on the psychological makeup behind such crimes. The case is compared to other infamous spousal murders, highlighting the recurring theme of women using poison and then publicly mourning their victims.
This episode is a gripping, darkly humorous, and incisive breakdown of one of recent years’ more shocking family murders. Through their conversational, observational style, the hosts expose the banality and brutality of “in lieu of divorce” murders, emphasize the importance of digital evidence, and caution listeners about the dangers of leaving digital fingerprints behind. The ongoing investigation into Ashley’s previous husband’s death, the reflection on familial betrayal, and the hosts’ empathetic but critical take on justice and motive round out a riveting true crime story.
For more episodes and recaps, follow Legally Brunette through their dedicated podcast feed!