Naman Shrestha
In Freetown, Indiana, Harold “Peanut” Allen led a seemingly content and healthy life until he suddenly met his untimely demise in December 2022. Considered to be a natural death at first, some dark family secrets were uncovered several months later, following a burglary. As a string of chilling text messages between the perpetrators came to light, it turned out that Harold was targeted and killed. The episode titled ‘The Root Beer Float Murder’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ delves deep into the entire case and the investigation that followed, with the help of exclusive, insightful interviews with Harold’s loved ones and the officials who worked hard to solve the case.
Harold “Peanut” Allen’s Death Was Initially Deemed Unsuspicious
Born on September 29, 1970, in Scottsburg, Indiana, Harold “Peanut” L. Allen Jr. was the beloved son of Harold L. Allen Sr. and Carolyn Allen. He was raised in a loving and supportive household alongside his brothers James Allen and Matthew Allen, with whom he shared a close-knit bond. Growing up, Harold developed a passion for motorcycles and playing bluegrass music. After finishing his education with flying colors, his professional career led him to being employed at Aisin USA.
In 2021, Harold tied the knot with Marsha Allen, whom he loved and adored. She also had a daughter, Ashley Jones, from a previous relationship. Unfortunately, he only got to spend a little over a year with Marsha as fate intervened on December 20, 2022, and the 52-year-old man suddenly passed away in his Freetown, Indiana, home. In the previous month, Harold had been in and out of the hospital a couple of times for numbness and gastrointestinal issues, as he had a fever and diarrhea. At the time of his death, no foul play was suspected, but a few months later, it was determined that he had died after drinking a root beer float laced with antifreeze.
Several Attempts Were Made on Harold Allen’s Life Before the Fatal One
For several months, Harold Allen’s death was not deemed suspicious. However, when Marsha Allen reported a burglary at her home on September 19, 2023, new truths about Harold’s death began unraveling. After the police arrested Steven Andrew White and Nathaniel Kane Napier for committing the burglary, they learned that the two men were allegedly hired by Ashley Jones — Marsha’s daughter and Harold’s stepdaughter. Marsha also told the authorities that she suspected her daughter’s involvement because the burglars knew the combination to a gun safe in the house, something that only Ashley knew besides herself. During an interrogation, Andrew White also told the detectives that Ashley had claimed that Marsha had poisoned Harold.
When they confronted Marsha with the allegations, she denied them and surrendered her cell phone. Upon going through her phone, they found text messages with Ashley, with whom she discussed poisoning her husband. It turned out that Ashley had ordered ethylene glycol, an antifreeze, online, but she claimed that Marsha had poisoned Harold’s drink with it. The investigators then seized other electronic devices from Marsha’s home to gather more evidence. They discovered that Marsha and Ashley tried to kill Harold on three different occasions with three different substances. On September 14, 2022, Ashley ordered pong pong seeds from eBay and put them into a batch of brownies on November 26.
Harold ate the brownie and reportedly ended up in the hospital the following day. As he survived the poisoning and slowly recovered, Marsha texted Ashley: “I am irritated and can’t sleep peacefully…I need this to be over. I wish it would reach its climax and be done lol.” The mother-daughter duo then purchased hemlock from Etsy and allegedly used it three times in December, but it failed to kill Harold. Ultimately, Ashley ordered ethylene glycol, which investigators say Marsha added to Harold’s root beer, which led to his death. While Ashley was held in custody for allegedly being involved in the burglary of her mother’s house, the police obtained a search warrant for Marsha’s home. However, on the morning of October 16, 2023, she died of an apparent suicide in her home on North State Road 135.
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One of the Conspirators Was Brought to Justice in 2025 After a Guilty Plea
On October 17, 2023, Ashley Jones confessed to ordering the poison from the internet, and the following day, she was charged with two counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of consumer product tampering, and two counts of attempted murder. Nearly two years later, on August 7, 2025, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder in exchange for a reduced sentence. On September 23, during her sentencing hearing, Harold’s brother, Matthew Allen, took the stand and gave an emotional victim impact statement.
He stated, “My family and I would like to thank all of the law enforcement officers and prosecutors for their countless hours and hard work to get us where we are today. Your time and efforts are a testament to my brother’s life and have meant more than we can ever show.” Harold’s sister-in-law, Samantha Allen, also extended her gratitude towards the law enforcement and stated,”Nothing can give us back the time we lost with Harold, but with the conclusion of sentencing, we choose to move forward focusing on his life and our memories, and not on the cruelty and greed that led to his death.” Ultimately, Ashley Jones was sentenced to 50 years in prison for her involvement in the death of her stepfather.
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