With millions in the bank as a motive, Lana Clayton sat back and watched as husband Steven suffered a slow and painful death thanks to her wicked plan to poison him subtly over days
The Claytons’ grand home sat majestically on the exclusive Lake Wylie peninsula in South Carolina. A short walk through the trees and married couple Steven and Lana could enjoy breathtaking views of the lake and scenery. Then back at their pillared $1million mansion, their home was the height of luxury.
Successful businessman Steven, 64, was retired and making the most of his wealth. He had more than $1million worth of assets too, which helped him indulge in his passions of collecting art, drinking fine wine, playing golf, going hiking and boating on the river. Steven had also worked tirelessly to restore his property to its palatial former glory.
Steven was well known in the area and had a big personality. He’d mentor up-and-coming business minds, coach local teens and share his advice with whoever asked.
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Lana, 53, was his seventh wife and they’d been married for five years. Steven was a hopeless romantic and, having not had any children, he poured himself into his relationships. Lana was a nurse and regularly attended Bible classes, so it seemed her compassion equalled Steven’s big heart.
But on 21 July 2018, tragedy struck.
Steven was found dead at the bottom of the stairs at home. It looked as though he had tripped at the top. Lana was now a widow and the community was heartbroken over the death of the philanthropist.
Although it was deemed that Steven had died from natural causes, an autopsy was requested as there were some unusual circumstances. Steven’s mattress and clothing were soaked in urine, suggesting he’d been in bed, incapacitated. Investigators wanted to know what illness might have caused Steven to lose his footing and stumble down the stairs.
As the coroner waited on the results, Lana held her husband’s memorial at their home. Tributes poured in for the gentle giant who always had a twinkle in his eye. But when the autopsy results were ready, they raised some worrying questions.
Steven had high levels of the chemical tetrahydrozoline in his system. It’s an ingredient found in the eye drops he had used, with the brand name Visine. When used externally in the eyes it is perfectly safe, but when taken orally it passes through the gastrointestinal tract, rapidly reaching the blood and the central nervous system. It restricts blood vessels and becomes poisonous. An overdose can be fatal.
Medical examiners determined that Steven had somehow consumed the eye drops and it had killed him. Suddenly, his death became a murder investigation.
The police went to Lana to reveal the news. Although she was stunned, she said Steven sometimes put the eye drops in his coffee to act as a laxative. It was an odd explanation and they were suspicious.
Steven was an intelligent man – he would know it was a risk consuming something that states it can only be used externally. And as soon as he became unwell, he would have got himself to a hospital. It was more likely that Steven had been unaware what was wrong because someone had laced his drink with the tasteless and odourless eye drops. He would never have noticed them.
MISSING WILL
Further investigation revealed that Steven’s will had mysteriously gone missing, and there was evidence that paperwork had been burned on the grounds of the Clayton property. Without the will, all of Steven’s wealth would go to Lana. It pointed the finger at her as the prime suspect. She was the only one to gain from his death.
Investigators also looked back into an incident at the Clayton home back in 2016. Lana had shot her husband in the head with a crossbow while he slept. At the time, they both agreed it was an accident and no charges were brought. But had it been a previous unsuccessful attempt to kill him?
Lana was arrested a month after the murder and eventually she broke down. She alleged that her marriage to Steven was mentally and physically abusive and she’d had enough because he would “hit, kick and choke” her.
Lana said she was mad with Steven for what he was doing and she wanted to hurt him, so she’d given her husband a dose of the eyes drops in his water on the Thursday. Then he’d died two days later on the Saturday. But the toxicologist knew that couldn’t be true.
The amount of tetrahydrozoline in Steven’s system was enough that if it had been given in one dose, he would have died on the Thursday. He wouldn’t have lived to the Saturday, so Lana must have been dosing Steven over three days, delivering the fatal dose on the day he died.
If Lana had simply wanted to hurt him, why had she continued to dose him until he died? Why hadn’t she got him help when she realised how much he was suffering? Lana was charged with murder and taken into custody. Investigators found no evidence Steven was abusive. It was very upsetting for his family to hear the allegations about such a gentle and kind man. No one believed it.
Lana was facing the possibility of the death penalty if found guilty of murder, so she decided to make a plea deal. In January 2020, she admitted poisoning her husband, pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and tampering with a food or drug.
Her defence said that Lana had been abused as a child, and then later in life raped on a military base, causing her to suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. It was also revealed that before her arrest, Lana claimed she’d attempted to take her own life due to the guilt she felt.
PLAYING THE VICTIM
Lana continued to claim that Steven was abusive as she spoke in court, and said that was why she’d done it. “I allowed these emotions to make me do something in a matter of seconds that I will forever regret,” Lana said. “I did impulsively put the Visine in Steven’s drink, and I did it with the intent to make him sick and uncomfortable. I was upset about the abuse and just wanted him to leave me alone. I never thought it would kill him.”
But the prosecution said that Lana knew the eye drops would be fatal – after all, she was a nurse. There are also clear warnings that come with them, and once Steven had started to suffer, she would have known the seriousness of what she’d done. The motive had been simple – the significant amount of money she would get when he was gone.
The prosecutor said Lana had let Steven suffer in agony for days and did nothing to help him. She’d even thrown his mobile in the lake so he couldn’t reach out to anyone.
A few days later, Lana faced sentencing.
The impact statements from Steven’s loved ones were emotional. His family said that Lana was trying to play the victim but she was simply cruel and heartless. Steven’s goddaughter told the court, “Lana has fooled a lot of people. Please don’t let her fool you.”
Steven’s sister said she was “sickened to be in the same room with the monster who killed my brother”.
Judge Paul Burch was damning when he addressed Lana. “How can you maintain you did this to teach him a lesson, when it is obvious from the facts that you let him suffer for three days?” he said. “You ignored him.”
He admitted it was the strangest case he’d been part of during his career. “This one takes the cake as far as being bizarre,” he said. “The old saying, ‘What a tangled web we weave.’ Ms Clayton, you sure have tangled this one up.”
Lana was given 25 years in prison. Under South Carolina law, she’ll need to serve at least 85% of the sentence before being considered for release, because of the severity of the crime.
Lana was living a life of luxury, but she wanted it all to herself. Now, because of her greed, she’s locked up behind bars.
