Woman charged in Indiana root beer float murder orders hit on best friend, police say

When Marsha Allen’s Freetown, Indiana, home was burglarized on Sept. 19, 2023, the last thing investigators expected to uncover was a murder and a hit list of more potential victims.      

Detective Clint Burcham and Lt. Adam Nicholson of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department spoke with “48 Hours” correspondent Peter Van Sant in “The Root Beer Float Murder,” an all-new “48 Hours” airing April 4 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.   

The murder investigation began after Marsha Allen told police that she recognized one of the burglars recorded on her home security cameras. His name was Steven White, a friend of her daughter, Ashley Jones.    

“Ashley Jones and Steven White were actually best friends,” said Burcham.

Only hours after Marsha Allen reported the crime, investigators located White. He confessed to the burglary but then blindsided investigators with information about Marsha, declaring she was a “murderer.”   

Marsha Allen’s husband, Harold Allen, had died the year before, after months of sudden, declining health. At the time, his death was attributed to cardiac issues.  

White told police that Marsha Allen had killed Harold Allen by placing poison in a root beer float. He claimed Jones, who had lived with the couple at the time, was in on the murder plot and had masterminded the burglary. 

White tipped the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department that Marsha Allen and Jones’ text messages would reveal details about the poisoning plan. 

Through those messages, investigators discovered the two had attempted to kill Harold Allen multiple times in the months prior to his death with an array of exotic poisons. When those attempts failed, investigators say the mother and daughter turned to ethylene glycol, an ingredient found in antifreeze. On Dec. 19, 2022, police say Marsha Allen served Harold Allen that lethal, poisoned root beer float.

A month after the burglary, Marsha Allen was questioned by police and denied any involvement in her husband’s death. She returned home and took her own life hours later.

Ashley Jones was charged with Harold Allen’s murder and was booked into the Jackson County Jail. Awaiting trial, investigators say Jones 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.   

Nicholson says Jones told her cellmate the list contained the names of witnesses in the case. ”She was trying to get rid of them, off them,” said Nicholson.

First on that list, say investigators, was Jones’ best friend Steven White, who was charged in the burglary. 

Van Sant asked Nicholson, “And if Ashley had her way, are you convinced she would’ve killed these people, if she had the ability to do so?”   

“Oh absolutely, without a doubt, she would’ve had them killed,” replied Nicholson.

Jackson County Prosecutor Lynsey Fleetwood told “48 Hours” that Jones was not charged with any crimes connected to the list, though she notes that an analysis comparing it to Jones’ handwriting was found to be “favorable,” meaning it was likely penned by Ashley Jones.    

In August 2025, Jones took a plea deal in Harold Allen’s murder. She pleaded guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Jones was sentenced to 50 years in prison. For his role in the burglary, White was sentenced to three and a half years.