Nurse charged in killing patient released from jail

State News

October 15, 2009

Anonymous The Richmond Register Thu Oct 15, 2009, 09:43 AM EDT

LEXINGTON — A nurse charged with murdering a patient at a veterans’ hospital was ordered released Wednesday, but under house arrest and electronically monitored pending trial.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James Todd said 32-year-old Maria Kelly Whitt would remain in the custody of her mother Bonnie Whitt of Mount Sterling. Todd’s ruling came after a two-part hearing concerning the September 2007 death of 90-year-old World War II veteran Jesse Chain and whether Whitt was a danger to others if released.

Prosecutors say Whitt gave Chain a series of morphine injections while he was at the Lexington Veterans’ Administration Hospital. Prosecutors say those injections led to Chain’s death.

Whitt, whose nursing license was suspended on Tuesday has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury indicted her earlier this month and her trial is scheduled for Dec. 17.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West said prosecutors will not ask for the death penalty if Whitt is convicted.

“We’ve not sought that,” West said. “We will not seek that.”

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Special Agent Rick Ellison testified Wednesday that Whitt admitted giving Chain a series of at least six 10 milligram morphine shots within a period of just a few hours.

Whitt told investigators that she was trying to render Chain unconscious in his last hours of life so she could better tend to the other patients in her care, Ellison said.

“I would never intentionally do anything to hurt any patient in any way,” Ellison quoted Whitt as saying. “I thought I was doing it to help make him comfortable.”

Ellison also testified that Whitt told a Secret Service agent she was “overwhelmed” and “overworked” the day Chain died, even though duty records show she was carrying the same two- to three-patient load as the other nurses.

Whitt’s attorney, Patrick Nash, said Lexington police initially said the case was not a homicide. Federal criminal investigators became involved two months later when the Fayette County coroner ruled the death a homicide, Nash said.

“There were several points in this case where this was not a murder,” Nash said.

Nash also argued that Chain was given only hours to live the day he died and that no independent reviewer has looked over the medical equipment and records involved in the case.

“It’s a complicated case,” Nash said.

West said the case is simple — Whitt overdosed a dying man to free up time to care for other patients.

“She made a conscious, deliberate and intentional choice to cause the death of Mr. Chain,” West said.

Text Only

State News

State lawmakers call for constitutional convention
With U.S. Sen. Rand Paul leading the cheers, the state Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for a limited constitutional convention to pass a federal balanced budget amendment.
The vote was 22-16 — Republican Sen. Julie Denton of Louisville joined the 15 Democrats in opposing the measure — on the measure sponsored by Senate President and Republican candidate for governor David Williams. The vote followed Paul’s speech to the body and his earlier remarks to the Senate State Government Committee.

February 23, 2011
Company that blundered pollution reports will again test mining sites
The same people blamed for inaccurate pollution reports from mining sites operated by ICG Coal will be responsible for collecting samples under that company’s corrective action plan submitted to the state.
ICG and Frasure Creek Coal entered a consent decree with the state's Energy and Environment Cabinet in December after environmental groups discovered reams of inaccurate pollution reports by the two companies.

February 17, 2011
Immigration bill delay may be about political leverage
The House Local Government Committee conducted a second day of hearings on a Senate immigration bill Wednesday without taking a vote, but the delay may be about political leverage as much as it is about philosophical objections.
The hearing also got testy, when the sponsor, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, objected to critics who have characterized the measure as racially motivated and after suggestions by one Democrat committee member that another supporter of the bill used “self-righteous and venomous” language in his testimony.

February 10, 2011
House passes immigration bill
The Democrat House overwhelmingly passed its version of immigration control Tuesday while Senate leaders tried and fell short for now to garner enough votes to pass a bill to require a prescription for cold remedies used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The House voted 90-6 to pass HB-3, which would require employers who contract with the state and public agencies to verify the immigration status of new hires using the federal EVerify system. Those who violate the law would be prohibited from securing state contracts for one year after the first offense. A second or subsequent offense would bar contracting with the state for five years.

February 9, 2011
Payday lenders targeted for interest rates
Mary Love doesn’t look the part. A retired pastor and former employee of UPS Logistics from Oldham County, Love, 65, found herself retired, divorced and trying to live off “a small pension.” Soon, she found herself in a “debt trap.”
It began when one month she was a bit short and her rent was due. She visited a “payday lender,” and wrote a $230 check that the lender held for two weeks. She walked out with $200. But two weeks later she owed the lender $230 and still couldn’t make ends meet. This time she wrote a check for $460 and left with $400.

February 8, 2011
State settles case with Medicaid administrator
The third-party administrator for a Medicaid managed care program has agreed to pay more than $2 million in damages for falsely reporting patient results in order to secure a $700,000 bonus payment.
The settlement was the result of a nine-month investigation by the office of Attorney General Jack Conway acting on tips from a whistleblower inside AmeriHealth Mercy, the administrator for Passport Health Plan, the state-funded managed care program which serves clients from Louisville and 15 surrounding counties that has come under scrutiny by the state auditor and lawmakers. The over-reporting of positive health outcomes occurred in 2009, and the state Medicaid fraud statute allows the state to assess the company triple damages, Conway said.

January 27, 2011
Republican primary for governor grows
The Republican primary for governor grew by one on filing deadline day as expected, but Gov. Steve Beshear is getting a free pass in the Democratic primary.
Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw and her running mate, retired naval officer and high school teacher Bill Vermillion, filed candidacy papers Tuesday morning, promising a competitive race despite a late entry and delayed fundraising start.

January 26, 2011
Williams-Farmer ticket is official
FRANKFORT — Kentucky Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and his running mate, Commissioner of Agriculture Richie Farmer, made it official Monday. They filed paperwork to run for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

January 19, 2011
Poll: Majority favors state smoking ban
Though advocates of anti-smoking laws don’t believe a statewide smoking ban will pass in the General Assembly this year, they see public support for it and have come to the conclusion that it is time to get the discussion started.

January 14, 2011
Lawmakers consider requiring prescriptions for meth precursors
FRANKFORT — Kentucky ranks No. 3 among 50 states in the number of reported meth labs, which is why lawmakers are considering legislation that would require a prescription to purchase such meth precursors as ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

January 14, 2011 1 Photo
More State News Headlines

State News

Search Results

Nurse charged in killing patient released from jail

Have you ever attended a meeting of a local government agency or taxing district?

Site Map