OMERVILLE, N.J., Dec. 15 — A former nurse who told prosecutors he had killed 30 to 40 patients since 1987 was charged today with murdering a priest who had been in his care at a hospital here. Posted on 12/15/2003 5:12:23 PM PST by sarcasm
OMERVILLE, N.J., Dec. 15 — A former nurse who told prosecutors he had killed 30 to 40 patients since 1987 was charged today with murdering a priest who had been in his care at a hospital here.
Prosecutors also charged the suspect, Charles Cullen, with the attempted murder of another patient at the same hospital.
Mr. Cullen, who was arrested last Friday, told prosecutors he had administered excessive doses of drugs to those two patients and to dozens of others to "alleviate patient pain and suffering," according to an affidavit released today.
In an attempt to validate Mr. Cullen's stunning claims, investigators are reviewing hospital records at 10 medical facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the suspect has worked since 1987.
"There is still a lot of work to do to investigate 30 to 40 other homicides," the Somerset County prosecutor, Wayne Forrest, said. The investigation, he added, would be "protracted."
Mr. Cullen, 43, was charged with murdering the Rev. Florian J. Gall, who died in June at the age of 68 while a patient at Somerset Medical Center. Father Gall's body had extremely high levels of digoxin, a heart medication that can cause heart failure when given in high doses.
The attempted murder charge involves another patient at the same hospital who was discovered with a high level of digoxin. The patient, a 40-year-old female cancer patient whose name was not disclosed, recovered from the overdose and was discharged but died in September.
Today, during his first court appearance to hear the charges against him, Mr. Cullen, who was ordered held on a $1 million cash bail, said he did not want a lawyer to represent him. "I don't wish to contest the charges," he declared. "I plead guilty."
He added, "I don't plan to fight this."
Mr. Cullen's comments were unsolicited, and the court did not consider a formal plea in the case today.
Mr. Cullen worked at Somerset Medical from September 2002 until October 2003, when he was fired.
Officials have said Mr. Cullen was either fired or forced to resign from at least three medical centers, including Somerset Medical, for incompetence or questions about his handling of potentially lethal drugs.
Yet no complaints about his work were reported to medical licensing boards in either New Jersey or Pennsylvania, board officials said. His license remains in good order, they said.
Mr. Cullen, a resident of Easton, Pa. and the divorced father of two daughters, was arrested on Friday while dining with a woman at a restaurant in Bridgewater, N.J., a town adjacent to Somerville.
Mr. Forrest said Mr. Cullen told prosecutors and detectives that he had killed 12 to 15 patients at Somerset Medical and dozens more in other hospitals.
Your name page says that the King James Bible is the number one document.
How does it make you feel to know that the Catholic Church and Catholic priests put the entire Bible together at the Council of Nicea, 300 A.D.
Yes its really true. The Catholic clergy got together and decided which books were inspired by God and put them together in the Bible.
Put that in your ignorant pipe and smoke it!
A male nurse.
(steely)
Pardon me for dragging up an old thread, but I see a lot of parallels between this nurse (Charles Cullen,) and the one you mentioned (Michael Schiavo.)
You pointed out that he offed his own parents, and I'd like to add that he had Terri's healthy cats euthanized too. I'm real suspicious about his concubine's mother dying in his home from "cancer," soon after she was diagnosed. Did she have any other family besides the daughter that is under Michael's control? I'm just wondering if there was an investigation, and if not, why not?
So are you Pro-Bible or Anti-Bible? :-)
Not many people know that little fact.
And they left out one of the oldest and best documents.
THE DIDACHE, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
11:1 Whosoever, therefore, shall come and teach you all these things aforesaid, him do ye receive;
11:2 but if the teacher himself turn and teach another doctrine with a view to subvert you, hearken not to him; but if he come to add to your righteousness, and the knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord.
11:3 But concerning the apostles and prophets, thus do ye according to the doctrine of the Gospel.
11:4 Let every apostle who cometh unto you be received as the Lord.
11:5 He will remain one day, and if it be necessary, a second; but if he remain three days, he is a false prophet.
11:6 And let the apostle when departing take nothing but bread until he arrive at his resting-place; but if he ask for money, he is a false prophet.
http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/St.Pachomius/Liturgical/didache.html
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