A Pennsylvania nurse involved in the deaths of 17 patients given lethal doses of insulin was sentenced Thursday to hundreds of years in prison.
Heather Presdy, of Natrona Heights, pleaded guilty in Butler County court to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted murder, Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office said in a news release. Ta.
Presdy, 41, worked as a Quality Life Services nurse until her arrest in May 2023.
Prosecutors say Presdy’s crimes began in 2020, when he administered “lethal and potentially lethal doses of insulin” to at least 22 patients at facilities in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland counties. did. According to Dr. Henry’s office, 17 of the patients died “immediately” or “sometime later” after receiving insulin.
“This plea and life sentence will not bring back the lives lost.”
Prosecutors said Presdy was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, and an additional 380 to 760 years in prison for 19 counts of attempted murder. He will be punished.
“The defendant used her position of trust to poison patients who relied on her for their care,” Henry said in a statement. “This plea and life sentence will not restore the lives lost, but they will ensure that Heather Presdy never again has the opportunity to cause any more harm. To all those who have suffered at the hands of this defendant. My heartfelt condolences to you.”
Henry’s office said relatives of Ms Presdy’s victims told the nurse’s sentencing hearing: “We are deeply saddened by the pain and suffering of knowing that our loved one’s death was not caused by natural causes but by criminal activity.” I felt it,” he said.
“She’s pure evil,” said Melinda Brown, the sister of victim Nicholas Symbol, according to Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV. “There is no justice in this. We will have justice when she meets her creator.”
Elizabeth Simmons Ozella, the daughter of victim Eileen Simmons, told the station that unlike other victims’ families, she will never forgive Presdy.
“We are angry and hurt that she pretended to be a caring nurse,” she said. “She took people off this earth that she had no right to take, and she played God when she had no right to do so.”
How was Heather Presdy caught?
Henry’s office said she became aware of Presdy’s crimes in late 2022 when her office received a referral regarding a patient under the nurse’s care. A “comprehensive investigation” later revealed “numerous deaths” caused by Presdy’s actions.
Presdy’s registered nurse license was issued on July 31, 2018, and was scheduled to expire at the end of October 2023, according to Pennsylvania state records. The license was renewed in August 2021 and marked as valid on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website in May 2023, before Presdee’s license was issued. Arrested.
According to the original criminal complaint obtained by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Ms. Presdy is also one of 11 people who worked in nursing jobs in Western Pennsylvania and was “disciplinarily disciplined for abusive behavior toward patients and staff.” , either resigned or were fired from their respective facilities.”
According to prosecutors, the charges against Presdy were filed in May and November 2023. Mr. Presdy has remained in the Butler County Jail since his arrest at his home.
“A very emotional day”
The original goal of Presdy’s attorneys, Phil DiLucent and James DePasquale, was to avoid the death penalty, but their client was executed Thursday.
“Given this many deaths and the attempted murder charges resulting in death or disability, this was extremely difficult to accomplish,” DiLucente told USA TODAY.
Mr. DiLucente said that before Mr. Presdy consulted a lawyer, his client “wanted to confess and show remorse” for his crimes.
“This is a very emotional day,” the lawyer said. “A huge number of sad stories have been told by the victims’ families…and Mrs Presdy shed many tears and finally apologized in front of open court.”
Many of the family members did not forgive Presdy for his crimes, but some did, something neither Dilucent nor DePasquale expected.
“It’s a little different than the typical cases we handle,” the attorney said.
Heather Presdy believed “she saved me.”
DiLucente said Presdy once “truly believed” that he was “helping” patients.
Before becoming a nurse, Presdy worked at a veterinary hospital, where her job was to euthanize animals, her lawyer said.
DiLucente said Presdy believed that what he did could end the suffering of many people, but now “understands that is not the case and has apologized for his actions.” Ta.
Contributor: Natalie Neysa Alund/USA TODAY
