South Carolina socialite who used eyedrops to kill philanthropist husband sentenced to 25 years in prison

A South Carolina woman pleaded guilty this week to fatally poisoning her husband with eyedrops and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, WCNC reported.

Lana Sue Clayton, 53, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and tampering with a food or drug, admitting that she had laced Steven Clayton’s drinks with Visine for three days before his July 21,  2018, death, the Greenville News said.

Lana Sue Clayton contended that her 64-year-old husband was abusive, and she intended only to “make him uncomfortable” not kill him.

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The Claytons, married for eight years, lived in an affluent Charlotte, North Carolina, suburb in neighboring South Carolina. Their $822,000 home in Clover was modeled after George Washington’s Mount Vernon, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

Steven Clayton’s body was found at the foot of the stairs in the home’s foyer, leading investigators to believe he’d fallen down the stairs, an assumption Lana Sue did not dispute. But when a toxicology screen later detected fatal levels of tetrahydrozoline — used in nasal sprays and eyedrops — she admitted she’d put the chemical in his water without his knowledge.

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[Featured image: Lana Sue Clayton/York County Sheriff’s Office]