York County woman who admitted poisoning husband to death with Visine going to court
After almost 18 months in jail the York County woman who confessed to poisoning her husband to death using Visine eyedrops is set to appear in court Thursday.
Lana Sue Clayton, 53, is charged with murder and malicious tampering with drug products or food. Arrest warrants state she confessed to the crime after Steven Clayton, 64, fell down the stairs of the couple’s more than $1 million Mount Vernon-replica home on Lake Wylie to his death on July 21.
Clayton, 53, has been housed in the women’s unit at the York County jail without bond since her August 2018 arrest.
She is set to appear in York County criminal court at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in front of visiting South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Paul Burch. Prosecutors and her defense lawyers declined to say what the proceedings are about or discuss the facts of the case.
“We have a hearing set, but ethically cannot say what the hearing concerns,” said state-appointed defense lawyer Harry Dest of Dest Law firm in Rock Hill.
Dest and 16th Circuit Public Defender B.J. Barrowclough are Clayton’s two defense lawyers.
No trial date has been set, court documents show. No court motions have been filed in the case since summer 2018, according to York County Clerk of Court records.
On Thursday, Clayton could ask for bail, or the lawyers could make motions in the pending case. Or, she could plead guilty to the charges or reduced charges if there have been plea negotiations.
She faces 30 years to life in a South Carolina prison if convicted of murder. She could face the death penalty under South Carolina law if there is a trial, because poisoning someone to death is considered an aggravated factor in a homicide.
The ‘shocking’ case
The case received international attention after it was first reported in The Herald. The alleged killing that “stunned” and “shocked” friends of the couple was featured by People.Com, New York Post, Dateline and news outlets in Australia and England.
The Herald also reported that in 2016, she went to the York County Sheriff’s Office to report she had shot her husband in the head with a crossbow. She and her husband told police it was an accident and no charges were filed.
After his death, The York County Sheriff’s Office detectives and York County Coroner officials said toxicology reports revealed he died from poisoning.
Days before her arrest, she attempted to commit suicide on Aug. 30, police said.
Clayton confessed to surreptitiously poisoning her husband’s water with the chemical tetrahydrozoline for three days July 19 to July 21 until he died, arrest warrants show. The chemical found is in eyedrops and is fatal if swallowed in high doses, officials said.
About the Claytons
Steven Clayton, a Florida native, retired after founding and running Physical Therapy Resources. The company had branches across the United States, according to his obituary.
He also was a former wrestling coach who mentored children in sports and other ways for many years.
Lana Sue Clayton was a nurse with the Veterans Affairs Charlotte health care center, records show.
The Claytons had been married a few years and did not have children together.
Check heraldonline.com for updates on Thursday.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 5:30 AM.
