Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink - Why didn't everyone involved in mercy killing get arrested and charged?

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Specializes in Student.

I'm reading this book for a class, and I can't get past this one question. I don't understand why everyone involved in the mercy killings didn't get arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Why were Dr. Anna Pou and the two ICU nurses, Landry and Budo, the only ones charged with a crime? What about Dr. John Thiele and Wynn? They injected patients with the lethal combination as well according to the book. What am I missing here? Why did Dr. Anna Pou take all the heat?

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

I'd never heard of this story until I stumbled on your post.  Have you finished reading all the way through?  I checked out the Amazon "look inside" feature just to get an idea.  It does seem a rather compelling story.

Wish I could engage in discussion with you, but first I have to read the book.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
On 5/2/2021 at 11:20 PM, RacheleRachelle said:

I'm reading this book for a class, and I can't get past this one question. I don't understand why everyone involved in the mercy killings didn't get arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Why were Dr. Anna Pou and the two ICU nurses, Landry and Budo, the only ones charged with a crime? What about Dr. John Thiele and Wynn? They injected patients with the lethal combination as well according to the book. What am I missing here? Why did Dr. Anna Pou take all the heat?

They weren't charged because they didn "murder" anyone.   All the charges by an over-zealous DA were dropped.  He exaggerated by using terms like "lethal cocktail".  No one was given a muscle relaxant or paralyzed in any way.  Dr. Thiele died in 2011 of cancer at 58.

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Specializes in oncology.

Thank you for posting. I am going to get the book. I remember when Katrina happened of course, and the media was full of stories about the horrible circumstances facing the health care providers and the patients. I vividly remember one RN saying quite loudly in the station, I would have injected those patients too..(I was standing there with my students and wished that RN had maybe taken her assertions to a small group of her friends.) There was no accurate reporting about the actual circumstances of the patients on TV. Certainly there was not a full description of what the facilities were like, the condition of the patients, the supplies, the electricity for cooling the facility...just a lot of hyperbole on everything that was happening in New Orleans. I am interested in reading the book to get a clearer picture as to what was really happening. 

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Read the account of the Tenet owned Memorial Hospital post Katrina hurricane response written by Allnurses members  surviving a five day post storm without power, minimal supplies , non-functioning toilets, water and food rationing, temperatures above 100 degrees etc. to fully understand the magnititude of this experience.

Staff witnessed that  the ventilators and life-support monitors of Memorial began beeping its alarms, signaling that their now operating on its battery reserves and would need an immediate power supply fast. The lights all over the building flickered and died -staff used flashlights --few had replacement batteries.  The power supply provided by the generators failed to function.  IV pumps were switched to gravity drips to conserve power.

I've spent 10 + years visiting New Orleans for several weeks at a time. First visit 5yrs.  post Katrina, city still had much devastation throughout the 9th ward and around hospital--which was never rebuilt.  My last trip in 2019, 9th ward  was 90% rebuilt. 

I've cared for vent dependent adults for over 20 years in hospital and homes.  Been in hospital night shift when it lost power and emergency generator didn't kick in with 4 patients on vents in step down -- manually bagging two as I taught security to take over so I could go to next room and bag other patients who's alarm started ringing  awaiting hospital power plant guys to come in ---  power restored in an hour.

In disaster triage, most stable with highest chance of survival are first to be evacuated, medium change survival next and last, those on life support with limited life expectancy --with morphine given to those in pain/on vents as oxygen supply dwindled on several floors ordered by several physicians.. 

Focus on DA investigation was on the 7th FL Life Hospital LTAC as a family member was present for several days until escorted by police on 3rd day post Katrina (evacuated non hospital staff) and had overheard some of the physicians discussion. They went to the police post family member death.

So I can put myself in the nurses and physicians shoes who were stranded in this facility and understand the actions they took in the LTAC unit. 

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Further reading

NPR: Jury Sides with Doctor in Katrina 'Mercy Killings'

Nurses Lab Hurricane Katrina and the Deadly Choices at Memorial Medical Center

Seton Hall Law 5-1-2014 The Story of Hurricane Katrina and Memorial Hospital

Pro Republica 2009 The Deadly Choices at Memorial

 

 

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18 hours ago, NRSKarenRN said:

Further reading

NPR: Jury Sides with Doctor in Katrina 'Mercy Killings'

Nurses Lab Hurricane Katrina and the Deadly Choices at Memorial Medical Center

Seton Hall Law 5-1-2014 The Story of Hurricane Katrina and Memorial Hospital

Pro Republica 2009 The Deadly Choices at Memorial

 

 

Phew! That nurseslab was a harrowing read. I know I won't be reading the book or watching the movie if it comes out. 

It's why I'm in Psych, I fled Pediatric Oncology, couldn't take it anymore especially with the religious people and God's will. 

Some people are just so courageous and strong, enough to make decisions about life and death especially in those circumstances after being abandoned by the govt, the hospital owners etc and then be prosecuted for practicing mercy! 

I bet nothing happened to that overzealous Prosecuters? 

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Don't you think that aside from elections affecting the outcome of their careers, Prosecuters should be liable for frivolous charges? It's tax payers money after all and they ruin lives and the circle of people surrounding those lives. 

There's huge conflict of interest in their prosecutions being politically motivated etc. It's my tax dollars and I think an anonymous panel sitting at home consisting of educated citizens, like a jury duty thing, should be in place where encrypted briefs are submitted by both defense and prosecution for evaluation and it shouldn't be left up to one person. 

When you see the resulting damage brought by these conflicted DAs to the community, something has to be done. 

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