Pa. woman convicted of stealing from husband, murdering him by poisoning his coffee

HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Pennsylvania woman was convicted of stealing money from her husband and murdering him by poisoning his coffee.

A jury found 78-year-old Myrle Miller of Union County guilty of first-degree murder, theft by deception, forgery, insurance fraud, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and perjury in the death of her husband John Nichols.

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said a grand jury investigation found that in the months leading up to Nichols' death in 2018, Miller drained his bank accounts, forged his signature on checks, fraudulently made herself the sole beneficiary on two of his life insurance policies and fraudulently obtained loans against those policies. 

When the fraud was about to be exposed, prosecutors said she killed her husband by mixing large amounts of her medication and his medication with his coffee. 

She was also involved in multiple romantic conversations with men through Facebook, the attorney general's office said. 

Shortly before Nichols' died, prosecutors said a representative from the Union-Snyder Agency on Aging visited the couple's home for a report of financial exploitation. Prosecutors said according to testimony, Miller panicked that Nichols would learn about the theft and told her son she would "handle it." 

Miller faces mandatory lifetime imprisonment when she is sentenced at a later date. After the verdict on Monday, she was remanded to the Union County Prison.