On Thursday, a Pennsylvania nurse who provided lethal or possibly lethal amounts of insulin to many patients pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and other offenses and received a life sentence.
Heather Pressdee, 41, was convicted to three consecutive life terms and another consecutive term of 380-760 years in jail during a court in Butler, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh. Prosecutors said she contributed to the deaths of at least 17 patients who lived in five health facilities in four counties between 2020 and 2023.
The victims' ages ranged from 43 to 104. Coworkers frequently questioned Pressdee's behavior, stating that she showed disrespect for her patients and made negative comments about them, according to officials.
Pressdee pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 attempted murders. Initially, she was charged in May 2023 with killing two nursing home patients and injuring a third. A further inquiry resulted in dozens of additional charges against her. During a February hearing in which she battled with her attorneys, she claimed that she intended to plead guilty.
The plea session was likely to extend until Friday because several people wanted to submit victim impact statements, officials said. Prosecutors stated that Pressdee, of Harrison, administered excessive doses of insulin to patients, some of whom were diabetic and others not. She typically provided the insulin during evening shifts, when staffing was limited and emergencies did not call for rapid hospitalization.
Her nursing license was suspended early last year, shortly after the primary charges were filed. According to court documents, Pressdee contacted her mother between April 2022 and May 2023 about her discontent with several patients and colleagues, even threats of harming them. She made similar worries about folks she met at restaurants and other locations.
Pressdee had a history of being "disciplined for abusive behaviour towards patients and/or staff at each facility, resulting in her resigning or being terminated," according to court applications. According to the reports, Pressdee worked for a variety of nursing homes and facilities in western Pennsylvania for short periods of time beginning in 2018.
(Input from Various Sources)
(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey)