A former Pennsylvania nurse, Heather Pressdee, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to killing at least three patients and attempting to kill more than a dozen others at various nursing facilities across the state, according to CNN. The 41-year-old nurse admitted to intentionally administering excess insulin to patients, some of whom didn’t even require the medication, in order to avoid the death penalty.
As part of the plea agreement, Pressdee was sentenced by a Butler County judge to three consecutive life sentences for the three counts of first-degree murder, plus an additional 380 to 760 years of consecutive incarceration for the 19 counts of criminal attempt to commit murder. She will not be eligible for parole.
Attorney General Michelle Henry condemned Pressdee’s actions, stating, “The defendant used her position of trust as a means to poison patients who depended on her for care. This plea and life sentence will not bring back the lives lost, but it will ensure Heather Pressdee never has another opportunity to inflict further harm.”
The victims’ families expressed their anger and pain during impact statements in court. Elizabeth Simons Ozella, the daughter of victim Irene Simons, told CNN affiliate WTAE, “We’re angry and hurt that she disguised herself as a caring nurse. She took someone from this earth that she had no right to take, and she played God when she didn’t have that right.”
According to a criminal complaint filed against Pressdee, she admitted to “harming, with the intent to kill” 19 patients between the ages of 43 and 104. The former nurse often administered insulin during the low-staffed night shift hours while working the medicine cart at the facilities. The complaint also stated that Pressdee took steps to ensure her victims would expire before the shift change to avoid detection of her scheme through medical testing, such as C-peptide tests.
Despite the lengthy sentences handed down to Pressdee, Melinda Brown, the sister of victim Nicholas Cymbol, expressed her belief that true justice will only be served when the former nurse meets her maker, stating, “She’s pure evil. We’ll get justice when she meets her maker.”
The case has shocked the community and raised concerns about the safety of patients in nursing facilities across Pennsylvania.
