More than thirty years after pleading guilty and being imprisoned for her role in the murders of five residents in a Michigan nursing home, one of the two aides imprisoned has been paroled from federal prison. Relatives of the murdered residents tried unsuccessfully to keep the woman in prison; however, after a judge deliberated on their request, he decided to allow the parole board’s decision to release the woman.
The woman had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy in the depraved scheme she and another aide concocted to kill residents whose initials would spell out the word “MURDER.” According to officials, the paroled woman played a significant role in the conviction of the other aide by testifying at her trial. She claimed that she was only the “look-out” and that the other aide was the perpetrator in the killings-smothering the victims with a wet washcloth. Both of the aides were sentenced to prison, but the now paroled woman was sentenced to serve a term of from 20 to 40 years, while the other woman was sentenced to life without parole.
The pair bragged about their killings to co-workers, but they were not believed, so the incidents were not reported, and the deaths were not investigated. Sometime later the paroled woman, feeling concerned that the other woman would continue killing, told her ex-husband about the deaths, and an investigation was begun.
Compliance Perspective
Failure by staff members to report alleged abusive, criminal incidents that other employees talk about committing, whether perceived as true or false, may result in the facility being cited for abuse, neglect, and jeopardizing the well-being of its residents, in violation of resident rights and state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures regarding ongoing training of staff to report alleged violations and reasonable suspicion of crimes immediately in order for the facility to investigate and prevent further incidents from occurring.
- Train all staff regarding the regulations requiring that any alleged incidents and possible crimes be reported immediately and investigated by advising a supervisor or through use of the Hotline.
- Periodically audit to determine that resident deaths are investigated to ensure that there is no evidence of abuse or suspicious concerns.
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