UPDATE MAY 3, 2024: Heather Pressdee, also dubbed the “Killer Nurse,” pleaded guilty on Thursday to killing multiple patients with lethal doses of insulin. She killed 17 nursing home patients at five facilities, reports the Post Gazette. Pressdee pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted homicide. She was given three life sentences and 380-760 years consecutively.
ORIGINAL NOVEMBER 2023 POST:
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — A Pennsylvania nurse who was previously charged in May for her mistreatment of three nursing home patients is facing additional charges. She has admitted to trying to kill 19 of her patients at five rehabilitation centers in Pennsylvania since 2020.
Prosecutors say Heather Pressdee, 41, administered excessive amounts of insulin to her patients. Some of the patients were diabetic and required insulin, while others did not. She allegedly administered the insulin during overnight shifts when staffing was low and the emergencies would not prompt immediate hospitalization.
The victims ranged in age from 43 to 104, and the total number of victims was 22.
The alleged crimes happened while Pressdee was employed as a registered nurse at Concordia at Rebecca Residence; Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation (Guardian); Quality Life Services Chicora; Premier Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Center; and Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, according to a statement from Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle A. Henry.
On Thursday, Pressdee was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person.
In response to the killing spree, the state’s nursing home industry is calling for changes. Pennsylvania Health Care Association Zach Shamberg told WTAE that current state law enabled Pressdee to get other nursing jobs because employers aren’t allowed to share with other employers the red flags they’ve seen with their former staff members.
Two of the nursing home facilities where the murders occurred had other warning signs as well. One didn’t check patients for high glucose levels, which led to the death of one patient. Another facility didn’t accurately account for controlled substances.
However, even if both of these issues had been addressed before the murders, Presslee would still be able to switch jobs.
Anyone with information about this case or Heather Pressdee is asked to contact the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s tipline at 888-538-8541.
