New Delhi: Heather Pressdee, a nurse in the US state of Pennsylvania, previously charged with causing the deaths of two patients through excessive insulin doses, now faces further legal action. This comes after her confession to attempting to harm 19 people across various rehabilitation centers where she was employed.
Ms Pressdee, 41, had been allegedly administering excessive insulin to these patients since 2020, regardless of their diabetic status, resulting in the tragic deaths of 17 of those patients.
Attorney General Michelle Henry has filed new charges against her, including two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of care-dependent individuals, all linked to the 19 patients she is accused of mistreating. The victims are aged between 43 and 104.
“The allegations against Ms Pressdee are disturbing. It is hard to comprehend how a nurse, trusted to care for her patients, could choose to deliberately and systematically harm them,” said Attorney General Henry.
“The damage done to the victims and their loved ones cannot be overstated. Every person in a medical or care facility should feel safe and cared for, and my office will work tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable for her crimes and protect care-dependent Pennsylvanians from future harm,” the Attorney General added.
Ms Pressdee had previously been charged in May for mistreating three patients, two of whom died. This increases the total number of patients she is accused of mistreating to 22.
She is facing different charges based on the evidence available. She is charged with first-degree murder when there is concrete physical evidence linking her to the cause of death. She is charged with attempted murder for the cases where victims survived or in which the exact cause of death could not be determined.
Ms Pressdee has opted not to have a preliminary hearing and is in custody at Butler County Prison in a Pennsylvania without bail.