Posted on 07/19/2006 7:53:58 PM PDT by catholicfreeper
NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) - US investigators have charged a doctor and two nurses with murder in the deaths of four patients in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, officials said.
"We're talking about people that pretended maybe they were God and they made that decision," Louisiana attorney general Charles Foti said at a press conference in the state capitol of Baton Rouge.
"This is not euthanasia. This is a homicide."
The affidavit charged that the three gave lethal doses of morphine and another drug to patients at Memorial Medical Center who were deemed too sick to be evacuated three days after the hurricane devastated New Orleans on August 29.
Two of the victims were in their 90s and two were in their 60s, including a 380-pound man who was described as "alert" but paralyzed.
Doctor Anna Pou, 50, and nurses Cheri Landry, 49, and Lori Budo, 43, were charged with four counts of second-degree murder. They were released on bail to await formal arraignment.
The charges followed an investigation launched after rumors circulated that medical staff had euthanized patients whom they thought would not survive the harsh conditions that followed Katrina, including lack of food, drinking water and air conditioning.
The attorney general's office investigated 13 nursing homes and five hospitals throughout the region but found credible evidence of mercy killings at only one.
Four hospital administrators at Memorial Medical Center heard of plans to give patients lethal doses, although none of the key witnesses said they knew who made the decision, the affidavit said.
During a meeting about the evacuation plan, one hospital administrator who has not been charged told employees they did not expect to evacuate nine critically ill patients.
She also said the plan was they "were not going to leave any living patients behind."
Pou later told a hospital worker that many of the patients on the seventh floor "were probably not going to survive" and that "a decision had been made to administer lethal doses," the affidavit said.
At least one patient was "aware, conscious and alert, but he weighed 380 pounds and was paralyzed. Dr Pou decided that (he) could not be evacuated... and that they didn't have a lot of time and that she needed to clear the floors as soon as they could," the affidavit said.
Court documents show that the killings were not done in secret.
Budo was observed giving an injection to a 92-year-old man who said, "That burns," as she administered a lethal dose of morphine.
The attorney general said that more charges could be laid in the case, and that more victims might be found among the 45 bodies recovered from the hospital -- 11 of which were already in the morgue when the storm hit.
He also said he believed the patients "would have lived through it" if Pou and the nurses had not taken "the law into their own hands."
But Pou's lawyer said the attorney general was more interested in staging a "media event" for political gain than in pursing justice.
"It's a year later and the blame game is now shifting to a doctor and two nurses and maybe others," Rick Simmons said at a press conference in New Orleans.
"They're victims of the storm not victims of homicide... There's no criminal misconduct."
Simmons said Pou - who was arrested in her hospital scrubs - would plead not guilty to the charges.
Most of New Orleans was flooded by Hurricane Katrina, which killed as many as 1,500 people across the Gulf Coast. Much of the city was without power, water or transportation.
Emergency generators in the city's hospitals quickly ran out of fuel and hospital staff used flashlights to tend to patients in the sweltering heat and stench of backed-up sewage.
Outside, the city descended into chaos and evacuations were stymied by reports of snipers shooting at medical helicopters.
The decision to impose murder charges does not sufficiently address the issue of motive and the complex ethical questions underlying the situation, University of New Orleans criminologist Peter Scharf told AFP.
"This is a case that involves a clash possibly between moral duty and legal duty," he said.
"The issue that escapes discussion in the action of the attorney general is ... what are your duties in that kind of situation? Were these acts of conscience or acts of crime?"
A situation like this could happen again. I suspect that the massive rumor mill and lack of communications contributed in part to this very bad decision and crime. I hope medical schools and hospitals re evaluate their procedures before another emergency or disaster hits an area that makes it for a time cut off from the World.
I am going to do a full recap of this and other news sources and I will put it in the blogger section.
Since murder has no statute of limitations, why don't we also go after Teddy Kennedy while we're at it. At least Mary Jo Kopeckne was not on her death-bed when she drowned in Teddy's car.
I think the cahnces of that happening is the same as me being proclaimed Pope tomorrow
Or me being both King AND Pope
So do I. And, I'd like to know where Charles Foti was when these people were attempting to minister to these people. I'll just bet that he was nowhere to be found.
Does anyone know for sure whether these people asked for this to be done to them?
The issue is discussed all the time. And the medical profession and organizations have always taken the stand that only God ends a life, euthanasia is not acceptable, pain control is.
The nurses would have operated under a doctors order.
It sounds like in the case of the 600 lb man that they just decided he was too much effort to evacuate.
I just don't understand what they were supposed to do... The power was out...the floods were coming...these people couldn't be moved. Were the nurses and Dr.'s supposed to stay with them? I don't know why plans weren't in place before...but that's for other people to explain...I agree with you..this is very, very complicated. Just to portray these professionals as killers is not fair. This was a tragic situation. I'd like to know what some of you think they should have done...I've yet to hear what the solution was.
Well , what happen I think was wrong. I think people panicled and went a little crazy I think. The rumor mill was taking over and it probally seemed to those Doctors and Nurses that were stuck there that week that the whole world was coming to the end in their minds. The fact is that the military nor the State police nor anybody was going to leave any patients behind when they got there, They would have found a way. I am not justifying what went on at all. But I think it shows what happens when panic sets in a crisis situation that goes on for days. Thus the next time this happens or there is some major attack god forbid, or earthquake or whatever Hospitals can learn how to deal with this
Non-sequitor and red herring. Has nothing to do with the question at hand.
Well I will ping ou when I gather all the stuff and post on it. I mean I think this case is more worthy of prosecution in many ways than that nursing home case down in St Bernard. I amn still conflicted over that one especially after the Cornor startinmg making statements about it.
Oh I think they did. And it appears more arrest might be coming.
He can't and that's why he is leaving this to Orleans Parish DA Eddie "Hatewhitey" Jordan.
Foti will never get another vote from anyone after this. He is a grandstanding jerk who thinks this will be his 15 minutes of fame. He spent 30 years as the sheriff in New Orleans and did nothing and now he will insure that no self respecting Dr. or Nurse will stay behind to help patients when a storm is coming.
They didn't euthanize these folks and Foti knows it but he drove his investigators working them 90 hours a week in order to find the truth he wanted. Now he will have to live with the consequences.
Foti is an ASS!
So you think they should have just left the hospital and take the chance that the military would come in time and take the risk that these people would die a terrible death by drowning? What a choice they had. But I agree that hospitals will learn a great deal from this horrible tragedy...but I think to judge these people when they truly believed they were doing the humane thing is...inhumane.
Well, I am going to do my best to withold judgement. That these fokks also were not going to drown. At this point the water level was pretty stable and the hosital is basically a highrise. I mean if some one was thinking there they would have realized when the guard or army or wildlife nad fisheres showed up no one would have been left. I think it was panci and fatigue
I suspect you're right. Nearly a year after the occurrence, near the anniversary, Foti comes out with an indictment that he will have a very difficult time proving.
Well, I suspect if she is working for the Baptist Hospital she is not some extrem medical doctor. I am not saying there were not mitigating factors that perhaps were clouding peoples judgment here
Do you think this is all a politcal deal? It might be. Heck, I have no love for Fotti. I campaigned for Suzie Terrel against him. But it appears there is something here. OF course, I ma not sure where this person was working when she got arrested. That is a point ot consider. If there were serious allegations you would think she would have been put on temp suspension while an investigation was made.
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