| Revision as of 23:27, 26 February 2007 edit65.5.209.49 (talk) Moved sentence regarding Pou's academic activities nearing the beginning of article; previous version stuck it incongruously in the middle of description of murder charges← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:05, 27 February 2007 edit undo65.5.209.49 (talk) added Lifecare section, 60 Minutes citesNext edit → | ||
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| The ] says Pou and the nurses "intentionally (killed)" Emmett Everett Sr., 61; Hollis Alford, 66; Ireatha Watson, 89; and Rose Savoie, 90, by administering or causing to be administered lethal doses of ] and/or ]." | The ] says Pou and the nurses "intentionally (killed)" Emmett Everett Sr., 61; Hollis Alford, 66; Ireatha Watson, 89; and Rose Savoie, 90, by administering or causing to be administered lethal doses of ] and/or ]." | ||
| <ref>James Varney ] ]]</ref> Conditions at Memorial were difficult following the hurricane: |
<ref>James Varney ] ]]</ref> Conditions at Memorial were difficult following the hurricane: The hospital's ground floor was inundated with 10 feet of floodwater. Patients were threatened by not only their existing illness, but also suffocating heat and dehydration. <ref>"Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings," CBS-60 Minutes, 24 September 2006</ref> Without backup power, temperatures reached 110 degrees, and at least 34 patients died, including some critically ill patients. <ref></ref> Doctors could hear gunshots in the vicinity of the hospital, but despite the danger to their patients officials told the doctors that evacuating Memorial was not as high a priority as evacuating citizens stranded on rooftops.<ref>"Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings," CBS-60 Minutes, 24 September 2006</ref> | ||
| '''The Lifecare Patients''' | |||
| The patients whom Dr. Pou and the nurses were accused of killing, were patients of a company called Lifecare which ran an acute care facility for the extremely ill. Dr. Pou and other medical staff were caring for these patients after the doctor assigned to care for them did not appear.<ref>"Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings," CBS-60 Minutes, 24 September 2006</ref> | |||
| The investigation apparently began after Dr. Bryant King, a physician working at Memorial following the hurricane, charged publicly that one or more health care workers had killed patients. King told CNN that when he believed, based on conversations among other health care workers, that a doctor was about to kill patients, he boarded a boat and left the hospital.<ref>"Staff at New Orleans hospital debated euthanizing patients," CNN.com, 13 October 2005</ref> It is possible that one line of defense at any trial, would be to imply that King is accusing others of wrongdoing to assuage his own guilt at leaving before the evacuation; or beyond that, to question why he would leave the hospital without attempting to persuade others from committing a criminal act, especially if his motive for leaving was really a concern for the fate of the patients. He implicitly acknowledged this potential criticism by telling CNN, "I`d rather be considered a person who abandoned patients than someone who aided in eliminating patients."<ref> CNN.com, Nancy Grace transcripts, 14 October 2005</ref> | |||
| '''Coroner's Report, Grand Jury''' | |||
Revision as of 00:05, 27 February 2007
Dr Anna Pou is an associate professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. In addition to her clinical expertise, Pou has authored many papers concerning cancer of the head and neck and has been an active teacher of medical students and residents.
On Tuesday, 2006-07-18, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti arrested Pou (along with two nurses, Cheri Landry and Lori Budo), accused of being "a principal to second-degree murder" in the deaths of four patients at Memorial Medical Center on 1 September 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana in the days following Hurricane Katrina.
The affidavit says Pou and the nurses "intentionally (killed)" Emmett Everett Sr., 61; Hollis Alford, 66; Ireatha Watson, 89; and Rose Savoie, 90, by administering or causing to be administered lethal doses of morphine sulphate (morphine) and/or midazolam (Versed)." Conditions at Memorial were difficult following the hurricane: The hospital's ground floor was inundated with 10 feet of floodwater. Patients were threatened by not only their existing illness, but also suffocating heat and dehydration. Without backup power, temperatures reached 110 degrees, and at least 34 patients died, including some critically ill patients. Doctors could hear gunshots in the vicinity of the hospital, but despite the danger to their patients officials told the doctors that evacuating Memorial was not as high a priority as evacuating citizens stranded on rooftops.
The Lifecare Patients
The patients whom Dr. Pou and the nurses were accused of killing, were patients of a company called Lifecare which ran an acute care facility for the extremely ill. Dr. Pou and other medical staff were caring for these patients after the doctor assigned to care for them did not appear.
The investigation apparently began after Dr. Bryant King, a physician working at Memorial following the hurricane, charged publicly that one or more health care workers had killed patients. King told CNN that when he believed, based on conversations among other health care workers, that a doctor was about to kill patients, he boarded a boat and left the hospital. It is possible that one line of defense at any trial, would be to imply that King is accusing others of wrongdoing to assuage his own guilt at leaving before the evacuation; or beyond that, to question why he would leave the hospital without attempting to persuade others from committing a criminal act, especially if his motive for leaving was really a concern for the fate of the patients. He implicitly acknowledged this potential criticism by telling CNN, "I`d rather be considered a person who abandoned patients than someone who aided in eliminating patients."
Coroner's Report, Grand Jury
In February 2007, seven months after Dr. Pou's arrest, the case against her and the two nurses appeared more questionable after the Orleans Parish Coroner, Dr. Frank Minyard, announced that he had classified the patient deaths at Memorial as "undetermined," which means that on available evidence he cannot classify the deaths as due to homicide or natural causes. Minyard told the media that he had retained some of the nation's leading experts as consultants in the case.
Nonetheless, the coroner's determination does not bar the district attorney from seeking an indictment, and in mid-February 2007, District Attorney Eddie Jordan's office proceeded with plans to impanel a grand jury to investigate the deaths at Memorial. Jordan's office stated that rather than using the grand jury in a perfunctory manner, as is usual in modern practice, it planned to use the grand jury as an active investigative tool and subpoena witnesses. Jordan's office declined to provide information on the grand jury's schedule or how long it expected the investigation to take.
If indicted, the defendants face the possibility of life in prison, or even the death penalty: In Louisiana, second degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. First degree murder, which under Louisiana law is a killing when the offender has specific intent to kill more than one person (and thus could apply in the Pou case since the accused allegedly killed four people), or a murder of a victim over age 65, carries a sentence of either death, or life in prison without parole.
External links
- Official Bio at LSU
- Support Dr Pou Official Website
References
- Rukmini Callimachi 3 Arrested in New Orleans Hospital Deaths Associated Press July 182006
- James Varney Doctor's drug mix not ideal killer: Evidence in Memorial case called unreliableTimes-Picayune August 062006
- "Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings," CBS-60 Minutes, 24 September 2006
- "Memorial Evidence To Be Reviewed," Times-Picayune, 16 February 2007
- "Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings," CBS-60 Minutes, 24 September 2006
- "Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings," CBS-60 Minutes, 24 September 2006
- "Staff at New Orleans hospital debated euthanizing patients," CNN.com, 13 October 2005
- CNN.com, Nancy Grace transcripts, 14 October 2005
- "N.O. coroner finds no evidence of homicide," Times-Picayune, 1 February 2007
- "Grand jury selected for Memorial Medical deaths," KATC-TV, 15 February 2007; "Memorial Evidence To Be Reviewed," Times-Picayune, 16 February 2007
- Louisiana second degree murder statute
- Louisiana first degree murder statute
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