NEW ORLEANS – On July 24, a grand jury cleared Dr. Anna Pou of administering lethal injections to four patients during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, bringing the storm’s only mercy-killing case to a close.
Last summer, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti accused Pou and fellow nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry of giving fatal drug injections to four already seriously-ill patients at the flooded Memorial Medical Center where they worked. The New Orleans district attorney presented the case to the grand jury shortly afterward, asking it to file charges of murder and conspiracy.
Budo and Landry testified before the grand jury last June, which led to the jury’s decision to drop charges against them.
In her defense, Pou admitted administering medication but insisted it was only intended for pain relief. She worries that this case will cause other doctors to leave their posts in a crisis for fear of facing a lawsuit.
Foti does not agree with the grand jury’s ruling, citing reports from four medical experts who concluded the deaths were homicides.
However, public opinion seems to have taken Pou’s side. Last week, hundreds of people flocked to a rally held by doctors and nurses to commemorate the anniversary of Pou’s arrest.
