The Eye Drop Killer Lana Clayton (Photo: CBS 17)
A nurse in South Carolina poisoned her husband by adding Visine eye drops to his drinking water in an effort to make him “uncomfortable.”
According to a published article from CBS News, in the end, he fell gravely ill over three excruciating days in July 2018, eventually dropping dead at the couple’s home in affluent Lake Wylie. His wife, the eye drop killer, had hidden his phone, prosecutors said, so that he couldn’t call anyone for help.
Facing the death penalty if found guilty of murder, Lana Sue Clayton, the eye drop killer, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
According to the South Carolina newspaper The Herald, 53-year-old Clayton testified in court, “I did abruptly put the Visine in Steven’s consume beverages, but I just did it in order to make him uncomfortable.”
“I never imagined it would take his life,” Lana Clayton, the eye drop killer, continued.
However, the prosecution never believed Clayton’s version of events and maintained that she killed her 64-year-old businessman husband Steven Clayton to inherit his wealth.
A toxicology examination eventually revealed levels of Tetrahydrozoline that would have been lethal, contrary to the initial belief that Steven died as a result of the accident at his house.
Tetrahydrozoline, a medication used to cure red eyes, has a lethal dosage range.
The chemical was discovered by a private lab rather than by authorities, according to prosecutor Willy Thompson, because it isn’t something that authorities screen for in routine cases.
According to a published article from The National Post, Lana’s assertions that she had endured her husband’s abuse for years were rejected by the prosecution.
Judge Paul Burch of the South Carolina Circuit Court ultimately sided with the prosecution and handed down a 25-year prison term to Clayton, the eye drop killer, calling the case the strangest he had ever seen.
He claimed that Clayton, the eye drop killer, may have left her husband rather than killed him if she had been worried about any possible domestic violence.
The Eye Drop Homicide (Photo: CBS News)
Steven Clayton had been married six times prior to meeting Lana, the eye drop killer, according to court proceedings reported by the Herald, and the couple had been married for five years.
The prosecution claims that after killing him, she destroyed his will because she knew she would profit if he didn’t have a will.
Surprisingly, the couple had already garnered media attention prior to the murder in July 2018 when Lana, the eye drop killer, admitted to authorities in 2016 that she had crossbow-shot Steven in the back of the head.
The Washington Post said that it was determined to be an accident and no charges were filed.
ALSO RECOMMENDED:
