Over a three-week period thirteen patients on the night shift suffered violent seizures that where followed by cardiac and respiratory arrest. Of the thirteen nine of the patients died and the nurses described the patients’ seizures to be similar to grand mal seizures that epileptics suffer. Seizures usually do not occur in cardiac patients. Soon after the cardiac care/ intensive care unit Community Hospital of the Valleys closed and the defendant took a job at San Gorgonio Pass Hospital. While the defendant was on duty within three days a patient died at the hospital display the same symptoms as the patients whom died at the cardiac care/ intensive care unit Community Hospital of the Valleys. The defendant was than arrested and charged with murdering the twelve patients in which two seizures were not observed. During the defendant’s trial it was found that the patients were injected with a massive overdose of lidocaine. The patients were receiving lidocaine for therapeutic purposes expect for one. This drug is used in the hospital setting in the intensive care unit to control rhythm disturbances in the heart. During the trail the prosecution showed that the defendant was caring for the patients to administer fatal doses of lidocaine. Syringes found had high concentration of lidocaine in the hospital and the defendant’s home. The defense for the cause claimed some patients died from natural causes while other had an adverse reaction to the medication given for therapeutic purposes. However, many of the patients were not terminally ill. The evidence in the case showed from autopsies that this was not mercy killings but brutal murder. A search warrant issued for the defendant home discovered syringes, empty lidocaine box and a vial with lidocaine. An affidavit in support of the search warrant was prepared by Marshall Tolford at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. A confidential informant told the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office that seventeen patients had died at Community Hospital of the Valleys between March 8 and April 14, 1981 with identical symptoms of severe seizures. It was also noted that the patients suffered respiratory arrest, blood work before death was acidic and all were extremely blue from chest area up. The Investigator Tolford assisted the Riverside coroner’ investigator Michael Worthington to obtain the records from the Community Hospital of the Valleys of the twenty-four patient that died March 8 and April 20, 1981. The average for the Community Hospital of the Valleys was three deaths per month. This was a red flag for the coroner who said the cause of death for a majority of the patients was a myocardial infarction. At least six of the patients had not been laid to rest. An autopsies of all six patients was order and the toxicological study showed that lethal quantities of lidocaine were in two of the bodies. The pathologist that performed the autopsies stated that a lidocaine overdose would be accompanied by symptoms of several symptoms including seizures, respiratory arrest, a bluish tint to the
Over a three-week period thirteen patients on the night shift suffered violent seizures that where followed by cardiac and respiratory arrest. Of the thirteen nine of the patients died and the nurses described the patients’ seizures to be similar to grand mal seizures that epileptics suffer. Seizures usually do not occur in cardiac patients. Soon after the cardiac care/ intensive care unit Community Hospital of the Valleys closed and the defendant took a job at San Gorgonio Pass Hospital. While the defendant was on duty within three days a patient died at the hospital display the same symptoms as the patients whom died at the cardiac care/ intensive care unit Community Hospital of the Valleys. The defendant was than arrested and charged with murdering the twelve patients in which two seizures were not observed. During the defendant’s trial it was found that the patients were injected with a massive overdose of lidocaine. The patients were receiving lidocaine for therapeutic purposes expect for one. This drug is used in the hospital setting in the intensive care unit to control rhythm disturbances in the heart. During the trail the prosecution showed that the defendant was caring for the patients to administer fatal doses of lidocaine. Syringes found had high concentration of lidocaine in the hospital and the defendant’s home. The defense for the cause claimed some patients died from natural causes while other had an adverse reaction to the medication given for therapeutic purposes. However, many of the patients were not terminally ill. The evidence in the case showed from autopsies that this was not mercy killings but brutal murder. A search warrant issued for the defendant home discovered syringes, empty lidocaine box and a vial with lidocaine. An affidavit in support of the search warrant was prepared by Marshall Tolford at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. A confidential informant told the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office that seventeen patients had died at Community Hospital of the Valleys between March 8 and April 14, 1981 with identical symptoms of severe seizures. It was also noted that the patients suffered respiratory arrest, blood work before death was acidic and all were extremely blue from chest area up. The Investigator Tolford assisted the Riverside coroner’ investigator Michael Worthington to obtain the records from the Community Hospital of the Valleys of the twenty-four patient that died March 8 and April 20, 1981. The average for the Community Hospital of the Valleys was three deaths per month. This was a red flag for the coroner who said the cause of death for a majority of the patients was a myocardial infarction. At least six of the patients had not been laid to rest. An autopsies of all six patients was order and the toxicological study showed that lethal quantities of lidocaine were in two of the bodies. The pathologist that performed the autopsies stated that a lidocaine overdose would be accompanied by symptoms of several symptoms including seizures, respiratory arrest, a bluish tint to the