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A Pennsylvania nurse is trying to avoid the death penalty after allegedly killing her patients with lethal amounts of insulin.
Former nurse Heather Pressdee, 41, is facing more murder charges after allegedly doling out lethal doses of insulin – which has been linked to 17 deaths of nursing home patients under her care.
The Pennsylvania-based healthcare worker is charged with two new counts of murder, 17 new counts of attempted murder and 19 counts of neglect of a dependent.
Pressdee, from Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, was accused of killing two patients in May but has since confessed to trying to kill 19 others at five different rehabilitation centers across the US since 2020.
Her lawyers admitted they were only trying to avoid the death penalty.
Heather Pressdee, 41, of Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, is trying to avoid the death penalty after allegedly killing her patients with lethal amounts of insulin
Pressdee is charged with two new murders, seventeen new attempted murders and nineteen counts of neglect of a dependent person
Her lawyers said: “What our goal in this case has been from the beginning is to avoid the possibility of the death penalty. I think we are very close to that.”
That’s what the lawyers – James DePasquale and Phil DiLucente – said ABC news : “What our goal in this case has been from the beginning is to avoid the possibility of the death penalty,” DePasquale said. “I think we’re very close to that.”
DiLucente said: ‘Within the next 90 days we will be able to provide more comment on how this case will proceed, but it involves a significant number of people and it is a very serious matter. Probably one of the most serious cases I’ve seen in my career.’
Pressdee claimed she killed the patients because she felt sorry for their “quality of life.”
The deranged killings took place at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility in Chicora where Pressdee worked as a nurse.
The two patients Pressdee admitted to killing were a 55-year-old nonverbal man with a serious medical condition and an 83-year-old man in hospice care.
The first incident, according to Law&Crime, occurred in August 2022. Heather Pressdee clocked out of work and two hours later, Quality of Life Services staff found the 73-year-old.
According to an affidavit, the man began having seizures and suffering from severe hypoglycemia shortly after Pressdee provided him with direct care.
Officials said: “The alleged crimes occurred while Pressdee was employed as a registered nurse at the following facilities: Concordia at Rebecca Residence, Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Quality Life Services Chicora, Premier Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
‘Pressdee typically administered the insulin during night shifts, when staffing levels were low and the emergencies would not result in immediate hospital admission.’
The former nurse’s victims ranged from 43 to 104 years old.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michselle Henry said, “The allegations against Ms. Pressdee are disturbing. It is difficult to understand how a nurse, who has the confidence to care for her patients, could choose to deliberately and systematically harm them.
‘The damage to the victims and their loved ones cannot be overestimated. Everyone in a medical or healthcare facility should feel safe and cared for, and my office will work tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable for her crimes and protect healthcare-dependent Pennsylvanians from future harm.”
Pressdee is also said to have been punished since 2018 for abuse towards patients and/or staff at eleven health institutions, and she had resigned or been dismissed from there.
Pressdee, from Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, was accused of killing two patients in May but has since confessed to trying to kill 19 others at five different rehabilitation centers across the US since 2020.
The deranged murders took place at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility in Chicora, where Pressdee worked as a nurse.
A typical room at the Quality of Life Services facility in Chicora, PA, where Pressdee had worked
After police arrived at her home in May, Pressdee apparently admitted responsibility.
She told officers that the surviving victim, who had been in COVID isolation, had asked Pressdee to “kill” him.
Pressdee also told investigators that she felt sorry for the two men who later died and that their “quality of life was not good” before she injected them with insulin.
In a statement, Quality Life Services said: “Quality Life Services is shocked and devastated to learn that the charges against Ms. Pressdee by the Attorney General’s office include alleged illegal activities that occurred at our QLS – Chicora facility.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the Public Prosecution Service as necessary in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
“We can assure our community, our residents, our families and our staff that all residents of Quality Life Services – Chicora are safe and receiving appropriate care and services.”