No one has to worry about Heather Pressdee ever taking care of a patient again. The 41-year-old dubbed the "killer nurse" by her own colleagues pleaded guilty to murder and other charges on Thursday, avoiding the death penalty but earning herself three consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder, plus an additional consecutive sentence of 380 to 760 years in prison for attempted murder, report the AP and CNN. The former Pennsylvania nurse had been accused of administering excess insulin to patients in her care at five different health care facilities between 2020 and 2023, playing a role in the deaths of at least 17 patients, ages 43 to 104.
Prosecutors said in court that Pressdee had given too much insulin to at least 22 patients, even ones who weren't diabetic, often during her overnight shifts when not many other staffers were around. Many of the patients died soon after. Court documents showed texts from Pressdee that showed her contempt for patients, co-workers, and people in general, including thoughts on harming others. She'd also been disciplined "for abusive behavior towards patients and/or staff at each facility, resulting in her resigning or being terminated," prosecutors said, per the AP. When one of her attorneys asked her why she'd entered a guilty plea, Pressdee said, "Because I am guilty."
Initial charges against Pressdee in May 2023 alleged she'd killed two nursing home patients and hurt a third, but as investigators dove deeper into her case, dozens more charges emerged. Family members of the patients who died at Pressdee's hands gave impact statements in court, including one woman who said Pressdee actually sent a sympathy card and flowers after her mother, 78-year-old victim Irene Simons, had died, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Knowing all the while you were the reason she was gone," Elizabeth Ozella said to Pressdee in court. "Have fun with the devil, Heather," Ozella's brother added.
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Pressdee remained mostly emotionless—until the sister of one victim who survived an insulin overdose spoke, although that victim suffered a stroke as a result and can no longer use one arm and can barely speak. "He is a God who loves and forgives," Sherry Gibson said. "We all have a second chance." The Post-Gazette notes Pressdee "wept quietly at the defense table" as Gibson spoke. Pressdee also cried as she made her own statement before her sentence was handed down by Judge Joseph E. Kubit, who called her actions "absolute depravity." "I'm very sorry for what I've done," Pressdee said. "I impacted a lot of people's lives." The New York Times notes that capital punishment is legal but rarely used in Pennsylvania. (More nurse stories.)
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