It is estimated that up to 440,000 patients die every year due to medical malpractice. More than 100,000 of these deaths are believed to be related to complications with medication. These deaths are caused by thousands of doctors and nurses throughout the nation; of the healthcare professionals that commit medical malpractice, most do not kill more than one patient in their entire career by these means (Maloney Law Group). However, one man would go on a medical murder spree unlike any other in history: Charles Cullen. After suffering through some rough times in his early life, Cullen would go between jobs at several hospitals as a nurse, managing to escape the authorities and notice of medical facilities and wrongfully euthanize hundreds of …show more content…
Somerset would be the last institution where Cullen committed murder and where he would meet one of his only friends, Amy Loughren. Loughren began to notice suspicious patterns in Cullen’s behavior as a nurse; Cullen was ordering excessive amounts of acetaminophen from the medical center’s digitalized drug dispensary, used to keep track of drugs the nurses requested. After investigation, Loughren came to realize why Cullen was doing this: acetaminophen was kept in the same drawer as the heart medication Cullen used to kill his victims (SC 7). However, Loughren was not the only person employed on the case (“Where is …show more content…
While in custody, Cullen admitted to killing only twelve to fifteen patients and explained how he took their lives. Eventually, he confessed that he had taken the lives of several more people, estimating the total count was thirty to forty patients. A few days after this, he underwent his first hearing, where Cullen announced he planned to plead guilty. Despite Cullen’s confession to only dozens of murders, investigators believe this number could have been in the hundreds. After a long, strenuous trial, Cullen pleaded guilty to twenty-nine murders across Pennsylvania and New Jersey from 1988 to 2003 (“Where is Charles…”). He was sentenced to eighteen life sentences without possibility for parole until the year 2403 (Jack & Lo,
He was sentenced in June 2005 to three 20-year jail terms. Linder, 2016 = =References== = ==Bibliography=== JECF. (2017).
For these crimes, Woodfield was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 90-year sentence. Then later that year in December, another 35 years were added to his sentence for being found guilty of a weapons
This was denied by the prosecutors… obviously. Once again, Rubin and John were found guilty by the jury and their previous sentences were reinstated. John Artis (pictured left) was awarded Parole in 1981, Carter on the other hand still had another life sentence to endure. A
He would later be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of
He was given many chances for parole but he believed he was not suitable for life outside of prison so he waived his rights for parole hearings. The public was happy with the outcome of the case as he was off the streets not able to do this again. The death penalty was wanted by many who believed sitting in jail did not compensate for his
On July 1965, he pleaded guilty to armed robbery in Wisconsin (Gagnon v. Scarpelli: 411 U.S. 778 (1973). (n.d.). Later, the judge sentenced him to 15 years sentences in the Wisconsin State Reformatory at Green Bay. Within three years they suspended his sentences given his a seven-year probation.
Cullen murdered twelve more elderly patients at Somerset all in the year of 2003 with different non prescribed medications. During this time, he was living with his pregnant girlfriend, but she was unaware of his
A jury found Shipman guilty of 15 killings in January 2000. His sentence included he never be released. After his trial, The Shipman Inquiry began on September 1, 2000, lasting almost two years it was an investigation into all deaths certified by Shipman. His youngest victim was a 41 year old man.
Arne Johnson was ultimately found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. However, he served only five years
Charles Edmund Cullen was born February twenty second 1960. He is fifty eight years old and he was born in West Orange, New Jersey. He was a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a pet owner, a nurse in New Jersey and an American serial killer. Charles Edmund Cullen killed over twenty nine to thirty five people and is a suspect to several hundred more victim. Through his confession, others opinions and my opinion will expose more things about Charles Edmund Cullen.
“He’s dead, you can’t save him, there is nothing you can do about it” this sentence haunts medical professionals as doctors are trained to save lives. Perhaps what’s even more haunting is a doctor ending a patient’s life. Samuel Shem’s the House of God sheds light on the issue through its intern, Roy who goes through a rough time after killing a patient. Roy falsely thought he killed the patient to release his suffering, however, that’s not the case as he killed him to make peace with his own death.
Three months passed between this call and the call made to the authorities who solved the case and Cullen got away with killing five more patients. Despite the passiveness of Cullen’s employers, investigators did not give up on his case (“Detectives on
He spent 10 months in Philadelphia prison in 1929. He was put in prison after being convicted of possessing a concealed handgun. He was also sentenced to 11 years in prison on October 17th, and was sentenced a week later to 11 years in federal prison. He was fined $50,000 plus $7,692 for court cost, and was held liable for $215,000 plus interest due on his back taxes. He also had a hard time with his health conditions.
Cullen couldn’t control his anger, and lacked a conscience which he demonstrated when he tried to fight against bullying by spiking drinks at a party with rat poison (Jennifer Hash, 2006, p.1). Charles believed that being victim of bullying justifies killing people. He justified killing people because he thought of himself as a victim. He was the target of bullying in school and in the Navy. Then, both his mother and brother died young.
It is very clear to most that Grey ’s Anatomy is an inaccurate depiction of medicine and the healthcare industry. Though heavily dramatized and ‘doctored’, there have been moments of learning, especially with this ethical issue.