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| '''Dr. Anna Pou''' is an associate professor in the Department of ] at the ]. |
'''Dr. Anna Pou''' is an associate professor in the Department of ] at the ]. She is best known for having been accused of giving lethal "cocktail" painkiller injections to four of her elderly patients at ] three days after the ] in that city. A year after her arrest, the grand jury opted not to indict her on second degree murder charges, thus clearing her. | ||
| ==The Lifecare Patients== | ==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 name = 60min/> | ||
| ⚫ | 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>{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/12/katrina.hospital/index.html | title = Staff at New Orleans hospital debated euthanizing patients | author = Kathleen Johnston | publisher = ] | date = 13 October 2005}}</ref> King attempted to explain his own actions in terms of his opposition to Pou's alleged actions, arguing "I`d rather be considered a person who abandoned patients than someone who aided in eliminating patients."<ref> CNN.com, 14 October 2005</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | 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. |
||
| ⚫ | 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. |
||
| ==Accusation== | ==Accusation== | ||
| On Tuesday, ], Louisiana Attorney General ] 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 ] on 1 September 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana in the days following ]. | On Tuesday, ], Louisiana Attorney General ] 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 ] on 1 September 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana in the days following ]. | ||
| ⚫ | 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>{{cite news | author = James Varney | url = http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1154844156102520.xml&coll=1 | title = Doctor's drug mix not ideal killer: Evidence in Memorial case called unreliable | publisher = ] | date = ]]}}</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 name = 60min/> Without backup power, temperatures reached 110 degrees, and at least 34 patients died, including some critically ill patients.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/neworleans/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1171610882303630.xml&coll=1 | title = Memorial Evidence To Be Reviewed | publisher = ] | date = 16 February 2007}}</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 name = 60min>{{cite news | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/21/60minutes/main2030603.shtml | author = Morley Safer | title = Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings | publisher = ] | date = 24 September 2006}}</ref> | ||
| 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>{{cite news | author = James Varney | url = http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1154844156102520.xml&coll=1 | title = Doctor's drug mix not ideal killer: Evidence in Memorial case called unreliable | publisher = ] | date = ]]}}</ref> |
||
| ==Coroner's Report, Grand Jury== | ==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. |
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.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-7/117031723220570.xml&coll=1 | author = Jeffrey Meitrodt | title = N.O. coroner finds no evidence of homicide | publisher = ] | date = 1 February 2007}}</ref> | ||
| 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. |
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.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6089207 | title = Grand jury selected for Memorial Medical deaths | publisher = ] | date = 15 February 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/neworleans/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1171610882303630.xml&coll=1 | title = Memorial Evidence To Be Reviewed | publisher = ] | date = 16 February 2007}}</ref> | ||
| The grand jury was sworn in on 6 March 2007, and prosecutors took the unusual step of having its meetings at an undisclosed location (i.e. away from the courthouse), in order to prevent the media from observing the identity of witnesses coming and going. |
The grand jury was sworn in on 6 March 2007, and prosecutors took the unusual step of having its meetings at an undisclosed location (i.e. away from the courthouse), in order to prevent the media from observing the identity of witnesses coming and going. The grand jury was selected to deal solely with the Memorial case, rather than the dozens to hundreds grand juries normally hear; and prosecutors stated it could hear testimony for months.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives/2007_03_06.html | title = Grand jury starts work in Memorial case | publisher = ] | date = 6 March 2007}}</ref> The unusual moves prompted legal observers to speculate the district attorney considered the evidence ambiguous and wanted to be able to assure the public of a thorough investigation if he decided to drop the case without bringing formal charges. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolono told the media, "Doing it this way certainly speaks to the ambiguity of the evidence and the prosecutor's deliberation as to whether to seek an indictment. . . . Or it could be that he's made up his mind that he does not want to bring charges and wants the grand jury to provide his cover."<ref> Associated Press, 8 March 2007</ref> | ||
| The grand jury proceedings were far from rushed: |
The grand jury proceedings were far from rushed: near the end of March 2007, Pou's attorney Rick Simmons told the media that a decision on indictments could take until the end of April. Both sides were involved in extensive investigations: Simmons himself planned to interview a grand total of about 2,000 people in the case.<ref> Modern Healthcare, 27 March 2007</ref> | ||
| ==Cleared of charges== | ==Cleared of charges== | ||
| On July |
On ], 2007 it was announced that a Louisiana grand jury declined to indict Dr. Ana Pou.<ref> July 24, 2007</ref> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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Revision as of 01:09, 1 August 2007
Dr. Anna Pou is an associate professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. She is best known for having been accused of giving lethal "cocktail" painkiller injections to four of her elderly patients at Memorial Medical Center, New Orleans three days after the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in that city. A year after her arrest, the grand jury opted not to indict her on second degree murder charges, thus clearing her.
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. King attempted to explain his own actions in terms of his opposition to Pou's alleged actions, arguing "I`d rather be considered a person who abandoned patients than someone who aided in eliminating patients."
Accusation
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.
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.
The grand jury was sworn in on 6 March 2007, and prosecutors took the unusual step of having its meetings at an undisclosed location (i.e. away from the courthouse), in order to prevent the media from observing the identity of witnesses coming and going. The grand jury was selected to deal solely with the Memorial case, rather than the dozens to hundreds grand juries normally hear; and prosecutors stated it could hear testimony for months. The unusual moves prompted legal observers to speculate the district attorney considered the evidence ambiguous and wanted to be able to assure the public of a thorough investigation if he decided to drop the case without bringing formal charges. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolono told the media, "Doing it this way certainly speaks to the ambiguity of the evidence and the prosecutor's deliberation as to whether to seek an indictment. . . . Or it could be that he's made up his mind that he does not want to bring charges and wants the grand jury to provide his cover."
The grand jury proceedings were far from rushed: near the end of March 2007, Pou's attorney Rick Simmons told the media that a decision on indictments could take until the end of April. Both sides were involved in extensive investigations: Simmons himself planned to interview a grand total of about 2,000 people in the case.
Cleared of charges
On July 24, 2007 it was announced that a Louisiana grand jury declined to indict Dr. Ana Pou.
References
- ^ Morley Safer (24 September 2006). "Katrina Doc Denies Mercy Killings". 60 Minutes.
- Kathleen Johnston (13 October 2005). "Staff at New Orleans hospital debated euthanizing patients". CNN.com.
- Louisiana AG Orders Autopsies of 50 Memorial Medical Patients; Susan Polk Goes on Trial CNN.com, 14 October 2005
- James Varney (August 062006). "Doctor's drug mix not ideal killer: Evidence in Memorial case called unreliable". The Times-Picayune.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Memorial Evidence To Be Reviewed". The Times-Picayune. 16 February 2007.
- Jeffrey Meitrodt (1 February 2007). "N.O. coroner finds no evidence of homicide". The Times-Picayune.
- "Grand jury selected for Memorial Medical deaths". KATC-TV. 15 February 2007.
- "Memorial Evidence To Be Reviewed". The Times-Picayune. 16 February 2007.
- "Grand jury starts work in Memorial case". The Times-Picayune. 6 March 2007.
- Grand Jury to investigate hospital deaths Associated Press, 8 March 2007
- It's Slow, But There Is Progress in New Orleans Modern Healthcare, 27 March 2007
- 'Dark Cloud' Lifted From Pou, Attorney Says: Grand Jury Declines To Indict Doctor In Hospital Deaths July 24, 2007
External links
- Official Bio at LSU
- Support Dr Pou Official Website
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