August 28, 1982 - Heather Pressdee
A registered nurse working across five Pennsylvania nursing homes, Pressdee administered lethal doses of insulin to patients in her care — a population among the most vulnerable to undetected harm. Authorities linked her to the deaths of 17 patients in total, though she was convicted on three counts of murder and 19 counts of attempted murder. She told her attorney she believed she was ending her victims' suffering, a justification that placed her within a documented pattern of healthcare workers who have used proximity and medical access to cause patient deaths at scale.
From Wikipedia
Heather Irene Pressdee (born August 28, 1982) is an American registered nurse and convicted serial killer. She is serving life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering three patients by lethal injection. Investigators have linked her to a total of 17 deaths in Western Pennsylvania.
Early life
The daughter of Michael and Bonita Pressdee, she was born on August 28, 1982 and is the oldest of two children. From 2003 to 2004, she attended the Community College of Allegheny County but did not graduate. She later became a registered veterinary technician before returning to obtain a nursing degree.
Crimes
Pressdee intentionally administered lethal doses of insulin to patients across five nursing homes in Pennsylvania. The first two victims she was charged with murdering were James Bartoe, 55, and Joseph Campbell, 83. They died on December 4 and 25, 2022, respectively. Her third victim was Nicholas Cymbol, 43, who died on May 1, 2023.
Pressdee told her attorney that she believed she was ending the suffering of her victims.
Arrest and trial
Pressdee was arrested on May 25, 2023. She was charged with three counts of murder and 19 counts of attempted murder.Authorities also linked her to the deaths of 17 patients. To avoid the death penalty, Pressdee pleaded guilty to all charges. She ultimately pleaded guilty to the murders of James Bartoe, 55; Gerald Shrum, 90; and Nicholas Cymbol, 43. On May 2, 2024, she was sentenced to three consecutive life terms, along with 380 to 760 additional years. She is incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution in Muncy, Pennsylvania.
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