NBC's Dateline episode The Man Who Loved Christmas revisits the shocking murder of a 52-year-old man from Freetown named Harold Allen by his wife, Marsha Allen, and his stepdaughter, Ashley Jones. Sources revealed that the two had attempted four times to kill the old man, mixing pong pong seeds, water hemlock, and then ethylene glycol into his drink and food, ultimately succeeding in killing him in December 2022.Investigators found the plan in their text messages. In October 2023, Ashley admitted that she purchased ethylene glycol from the internet and gave it to her mother, and after that, her mother mixed it into a root beer float and served it to Harold. The police obtained all the information while investigating a burglary case in Marsha's home.Marsha died by committing suicide before authorities could charge her with murder. In 2025, Ashley pleaded guilty to attempted murder and to carrying out a plan to kill her stepfather. She received a 50-year sentence with nearly 2 years already served.Continue reading more about the full timeline of the Harold Allen case, from a burglary to courtroom drama.Dateline: Full timeline of Harold Allen's murder case View this post on Instagram Instagram PostSeptember 14, 2022The Dateline revealed that Ashley ordered pong pong seeds from a seller on eBay. These seeds are brown in color and oval in shape, and they contain a chemical, cerberin, that disrupts the heart's electrical activity. Cerberin has been linked to suicide and homicide cases in India, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.Mid-October, 2022The pong pong seeds arrived at Marsha's Freetown home.November 26, 2022According to Dateline, Ashley and Marsha decided to use the seeds by mixing them into a batch of brownies. They ground the seeds with a coffee grinder, added the powder into the dessert, and then served it to Harold.After Harold ate the brownie, messages between Marsha and Ashley that night and the next day showed that they were discussing his reactions to the seeds in the dessert. They also talked about how long the process was taking.November 28, 2022Marsha wrote to Ashley that she was irritated and unable to sleep peacefully. She added that she wanted the ordeal to end and wished it would reach its climax soon. Ashley replied that she agreed with what her mother had said.November 30, 2022Harold continued to suffer symptoms and returned to the emergency room. Later, doctors discharged him, stating that the issue was related to inflammation in his intestines.December 1, 2022After their failed attempt, Ashley reportedly ordered water hemlock from Etsy. The court documents described water hemlock as the most violently toxic plant in North America. If a small amount of this poison is consumed by a person, it can be fatal. Symptoms of water hemlock poisoning include nausea, epigastric distress, abdominal pain, dizziness, and flushing; in severe cases, it can lead to death.December 8 (2022) to December 20 (2022)The poison was delivered to their Freetown home, and text messages over the following days revealed that Ashley and Marsha tried several times to use it against Harold.On December 9, they mixed water hemlock into a bowl of chili, and the next day, they added the mixture to a glass of soda. On December 12, they mixed it into a margarita.When these attempts failed, Ashley reportedly ordered ethylene glycol on December 13 and successfully killed Harold on December 20 by mixing it with Harold's root beer float.On the day of Harold's death, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department received a call reporting an unconscious person in Freetown. Later, officials stated that they believed Harold had already died before the emergency call was made. At the time of his death, authorities did not suspect foul play.Dateline: What happened after Harold's death?Dateline: The Man Who Loved Christmas (Image via Instagram/@Dateline NBC)September 2023A burglary investigation helped police find evidence that connected Allen's wife and her daughter to his death. Investigators, who first believed Harold's death was due to natural causes, later discovered new facts after a burglary at Marsha's home less than a year after Harold's passing.Officers identified the burglar, Steven A. White, from Scottsburg. During the investigation, Steven revealed that Ashley and Marsha had secretly planned Harold's death. According to his statement, they poisoned him by serving a root beer float.October 16, 2023Before the police started investigating the Allen family, Marsha was found dead at her Freetown home. According to the True Crime Society, authorities said,"Upon arriving at Marsha’s home, officers found Marsha deceased with no signs of violence."The authorities described the case as a suicide.October 17, 2023The Dateline showed that Ashley revealed to the police that her mother had mixed ethylene glycol into the root beer float after purchasing it from the internet.October 18, 2023As per Dateline, Ashley was arrested in relation to the burglary.Late July 2024Detectives obtained access to two email accounts connected to Ashley. Investigators stated that ethylene glycol was purchased through one account with the address “topazmoonchild1793,” but the order was hidden by another created with Apple's "Hide My Email" feature, which carried the address "mouths-sloop.0o."After reviewing both accounts, detectives reported finding additional evidence that pointed to repeated attempts to poison Allen.August 2024That month, the police conducted an investigation and charged Ashley with murder, conspiracy to commit murder that caused Harold's death, and product tampering that led to serious injury.Dateline: Timeline of the courtroom dramaDateline: The Man Who Loved Christmas (Image via Instagram/@Dateline NBC)August 7, 2025The Dateline revealed that Ashley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder.September 23, 2025Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Richard Poynter imposed a maximum 50-year sentence. Earlier in 2024, Jackson County’s prosecuting attorney, Jeffrey Chalfant, stated in court documents that they were asking for a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. The request was based on two aggravating circumstances: that Ashley reportedly killed Harold and tortured him while he was alive.Follow Soap Central for more updates on Dateline.