- Pressdee has confessed to killing or attempting to kill patients over five years at multiple long-term care facilities.
- Allegations include administering lethal doses of insulin.
On November 2, Heather Pressdee was charged with two new counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person.
In total, 17 patients who were being cared for by Pressdee over a five-year period died.
Pressdee had already been held in a county prison without bail since May for the murder charges of two long-term care facility patients.
The defense team reports that Pressdee is cooperating with prosecutors and investigators.
According to the police criminal complaint report, Pressdee took substantial steps to kill the patients in question intentionally. Currently, four of the deceased have confirmed causes of death. Five of the patients survived the overdoses. The victims ranged from 43 to 104 years old.
Presdee obtained her registered nurse (RN) degree in 2018 and worked at 12 different nursing homes or long-term skilled nursing care facilities from October 2018 until her arrest in May. The alleged murders took place at seven of those care facilities.
The criminal complaint includes statements from previous co-workers. According to multiple staff members, Pressdee allegedly openly and frequently commented that the patients “just need to die.”
One facility that Pressdee worked at performed an internal investigation after that staff suspected she was responsible for four patient deaths that occurred. However, management determined there was no wrongdoing.
One of Pressdee’s defense attorneys, James DePasquale, stated that while acknowledging it’s not a legal defense, “These were ‘mercy killings,’ and they came from a place of caring and that she wanted to spare them of their poor quality of life.”
Investigators noted that Pressdee had a similar pattern of activity. She was often in charge of the medication cart on the overnight shift when fewer staff members were present. She would then administer excessive amounts of insulin to her victims.
Pressdee also confessed she sometimes gave a second dose of insulin or pushed an air embolism into a patient’s blood vessel if she thought they would survive the initial insulin overdose.
By the time the morning staff came on, the patients had already died.
Pressdee told investigators that she knew if the residents got to the hospital too soon, she would be found out through their bloodwork if hypoglycemia was part of the patient presentation at the emergency room. The body will significantly decrease the production of C-peptide when an excessive amount of insulin is present.
One facility Pressdee worked at had four deaths. Her co-workers expressed concerns to management about the death-related statements she made about the residents. The facility suspended her during an internal investigation but found no identifiable evidence to support the concerns.
After charging Pressdee, Pennsylvania Attorney General (AG) Michelle Henry gave a statement. “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,” she said. “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.”
ABC News interviewed Phil DiLucente, Pressdee’s second DA, and offered, “The hope is to strike a plea deal with the state AG’s office to avoid the death penalty.”
How Did This Happen?
Long-term care facilities are often understaffed, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signs can go unnoticed due to staff busyness and fatigue.
Despite suspicions, it may also seem inconceivable to nurses that another nurse would intentionally harm their patients. Others may see the signs but fear the repercussions of whistleblowing.
The case of Heather Pressdee may bring up many questions from family members, the community, and investigators. Specifically, how a nurse hired at 12 different facilities within five years had openly shared her disdain for long-term care residents yet gone so long being suspected of multiple deaths without legal action.
The questions are still being answered.
Page last reviewed on December 2, 2023
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