Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of death. Reader discretion is advised.
In November 1987, authorities apprehended nurse Richard Angelo for giving a high amount of muscle-paralyzing drugs to his patients. Reportedly, Angelo gave the injections to the patients so that they would go into respiratory arrest, only to revive them afterward. By doing this, he wanted to be seen as a hero. However, during the process, some of his patients died due to the overdose.
Following his arrest, Richard Angelo, aka Angel of Death, admitted to administering a drug named Pavulon to one of his patients. As a result, police charged him with first-degree assault. Citing the authorities, The New York Times reported that Angelo gave similar kinds of drugs to his patients in October 1987 as well. Additionally, the surviving victim testified in front of the authorities, which led to Angelo’s arrest. Meanwhile, Angelo’s attorney questioned the authenticity of Angelo’s confession.
Per the outlet, the defense team said the biggest issue in this case revolved around validating the claims of confession. The defense attorney said, “Whether or not he has confessed is the issue. What is written on those pieces of paper may not be what the man said.” Moreover, in 1988, a grand jury indicted him on several counts of murder and assault. After eight weeks of trial, the jury deliberated for eight days before announcing a guilty verdict in December 1989. The following year, the court sentenced Richard Angelo to 50 years to life in prison for killing four patients, reported The New York Times.
According to New York’s Department of Corrections, Richard Angelo is serving his sentence at the Great Meadow Correction Facility in New York.
Richard Angelo’s case explored
During the trial, Richard Angelo’s attorney admitted that the injections given by his client might have caused some deaths. However, he made it clear that the nurse didn’t know how lethal those injections could have been for his patients. Citing his closing arguments, The New York Times requested the jury to find his client guilty of a much lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.
On the other hand, the prosecution team called Richard Angelo “a monster.” Additionally, they told the jurors that the accused must have known about the drug and its consequences. The prosecutor said, “I’m not saying he intentionally killed anyone. I’m saying he just didn’t give a damn.”
The jury found Richard Angelo guilty of murder, manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide. The court sentenced him to 50 years to life in prison.
