A former respiratory therapist has pleaded guilty to the deaths of two patients at a Missouri hospital two decades ago.
Jennifer HallD., 42, was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder but instead pleaded guilty Friday to underestimating the number of first-degree murders in the death of a 75-year-old. Vern Franco The Kansas City Star reported that 37-year-old David Wesley Harper. She also pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the second degree.
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Franco and Harper were among nine patients who died at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe over a period of several months in 2002 in what charging documents described as “medically suspicious” events.
From December 2001, when Hall began working at the hospital, until she was placed on administrative leave the following May, there were also 18 cardiac arrests or a “Code Blue” event, up from the average a year earlier.
The case was revived after an analysis of Franco’s tissue samples found morphine, a powerful muscle relaxant used for anesthesia, in her system. Investigators said doctors did not prescribe or order either medication.
Some of the hospital staff believed that Hall was responsible because of her Closeness to afflicted patientsfor having obtained the killer pharmaceuticals, and for having notified staff of each patient’s cardiac emergencies, according to court documents.
Hall had previously denied any involvement in the killing.
Before Hall’s Arrest, Verne Franco’s Family Haunted by a Lack of Answers and Accountability for Years, CBS Affiliate KCTV mentioned.
“My dad wanted answers so we could finally put flowers on her grave knowing that somebody was responsible,” April Franco told the station.
Prosecutors said an autopsy revealed medications that paralyzed Franco’s diaphragm that were not prescribed, KCTV reported.
“I didn’t know my grandmother,” Franco told the station. “But given the chance that she knew her. I’m focused now on getting answers and helping other families get the answers they deserve.”
The families of patients who died during Hall’s work later sued the hospital.
April Franco/AP
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