Capturing the Killer Nurse

You know, in my life,

I've gotten a lot of happiness out of helping people.

So I thought it would be a good thing for me

to become a nurse.

I started off working at night.

I would find myself...

feeling overwhelmed.

Feeling like

I couldn't watch people hurt.

At times, the only thing I could do...

was to try and end their suffering.

I couldn't stop.

Thank you for calling the New Jersey Poison Control Center.

Please stay on the line. A poison specialist will be with you shortly.

Poison Control Center, can I help you?

Hi, I'm calling from Somerset Medical Center.

We're trying to investigate a toxicity that occurred in a patient.

That was on the 16th.

On the 28th, in the same unit, we had another Dig-toxicity.

- Same unit? - Yeah.

First thing I think of is lab error.

He... He died.

Off the record, there were two people in the hospital before this

that went hypoglycemic really strangely.

- Uh-huh. - And we were starting to panic.

I'm gonna put it right in your hands.

You now have a police matter.

At Somerset Medical Center, patient safety comes first.

Hi, I'm looking for Nancy.

I'm just trying to follow up the outcome. What did you decide to do?

Actually, administration has kind of taken over the investigation.

They've called in our attorneys.

And they've asked me really not to talk to any outside agencies at this point.

So you don't know if they've gone to the authorities yet?

I don't know that, no.

And I've probably shared more than I should have right now.

I never really liked being who I was.

After my mother's death,

I didn't cope with it very well.

Mother was the only person at that time

that sort of kept a cushion between what was happening in the house...

...and me.

With her gone...

I...

I just felt very...

unprotected.

June of '87, I graduated my nursing school.

It was the only thing I thought I could do.

And I felt like I was helping people.

I wanted very much to

quit being a nurse

after Warren Hospital.

But they were telling me that I was a deadbeat dad.

That I had to continue to support the children.

I knew that if I was placed in these situations,

that I would feel the need to...

to end suffering.

I didn't know

how to say it.

What was happening, what I was feeling, what I was doing.

I used Digoxin because...

it would work...

over a period of a couple hours.

The nurses I was working with...

they didn't know what was going on.

I wish

I was stopped years ago.

I thought I would be.

- Good morning. - Hi, is this Bruce?

- Yes, how are you? - Hi, Bruce. This is Mary Lund.

Hi. Dr. Marcus will be here in one second.

Here he is.

Dr. Marcus, could you kind of summarize

what you've already spoken to Nancy about?

If there is somebody out there that is purposely doing this,

if you don't report it to the police and somebody else dies...

I would not waste time.

- Okay. - All right.

Well, we appreciate your input.

Saved message. Monday, 6:57 p.m.

Hey, Amy. This is Charlie. Just returning your call.

Um... Ugh, I...

There's a big story to tell.