A nurse in the United States, who intentionally administered fatal doses of insulin to multiple patients over a three-year period, was sentenced to 380-760 years in prison. The court found her responsible for the deaths of at least 17 patients across five different health facilities between 2020 and 2023.
Heather Pressdee, a 41-year-old nurse from Pennsylvania, admitted to three murder charges and 19 counts of attempted murder. As a result, she received a life sentence in prison.
Pressdee faced charges for administering excessive insulin doses to 22 patients, even those who weren’t diabetic, during overnight shifts when staffing was minimal. Tragically, most of the patients either succumbed shortly after receiving the dose or later on. The victims ranged in age from 43 to 104 years.
An excessive insulin dose can result in hypoglycemia, increased heart rate, and even heart attacks. Initially charged in May of last year for the deaths of two patients, the subsequent police investigation revealed additional charges against her.
The families of the victims testified in court that the nurse, who took their loved ones’ lives, seemed to assume a godlike role with her ailing and elderly patients who were not prepared for death. Former coworkers had previously raised concerns about her behavior, noting that she harbored animosity toward her patients and frequently made disparaging remarks about them.
In her text messages to her mother, Pressdee expressed her discontent with patients, colleagues, and even individuals she encountered at restaurants. She frequently discussed her desire to cause harm.
In court, she insisted on pleading guilty. When one of her lawyers inquired why, Pressdee responded, ‘Because I am indeed guilty.’
“She is not sick. She is not insane. She is evil personified. I looked into the face of Satan myself the morning she killed my father,” one of the victims’ family members told the court.
Despite facing disciplinary actions for her behavior, Pressdee held various jobs in nursing homes from 2018 until 2023. Her nursing license was suspended after initial charges. Notably, she is part of a group of healthcare workers who have been convicted of killing patients.
For instance, Charles Cullen administered lethal doses of insulin to at least 29 nursing home patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. However, some experts suspect that his actual victim count may be much higher. Similarly, William Davis injected air into the arteries of four patients following heart surgery.
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