Soldier to Healer to Night Shift Killer ~ Angel of Death ~ Trial & AFTERMATH

Amy Loughren was conflicted with the role she played in getting her friend and colleague Charles Cullen to confess to her; but in the end, she did the right thing.

Pretty much right after his confession to Amy Loughren, Charles Cullen was arrested; but it appeared Amy wasn't finished with her part of the investigation. 

Cullen refused to speak to the police detectives, so once again, the authorities asked her to intervene on their behalf. Surprisingly, Charles Cullen did confess to a number of the murders he committed over the years. He confessed to approximately 40; but experts believe the numbers are much closer to 400 patients!!!

As I had just stated, Charles Cullen confessed to murdering 40 of his patients; saying these were the ones that he could remember all the specific details of. Authorities and experts of the case, knew there were many more; but couldn't determine which ones he was directly responsible for, and which ones happened indirectly from him, with the help of unsuspecting co-workers. 

It is estimated that he killed more that 400 people, in the span of over 16 years, between his jobs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The problem with the case was that Charles Cullen worked in so many units and with patients that ranged between fairly healthy to critically ill; that it was impossible to get an accurate number; especially since Cullen was not cooperating!!!

It had been determined that the majority of Charles Cullen's murder victims were elderly, their age ranging between 60 to 91. We later learn that he also had several younger patients who died under his watch too. One that stuck out was 21 year old Michael Thomas Strenko, who was in Somerset Medical Center, on May 15, 2003, simply to have his spleen removed.  That would be the last day Michael Strenko would take his last breath, as his heart stopped after RN Charles Cullen gave him a concoction that made his heart stop. 

In court, Michael Strenko's father did not hold back with his impact statement, saying:

“We vividly remember, Charles Cullen walking into the waiting room. He looked us right in the eye and stated how Michael was gravely ill and people don't make it. And my wife told Cullen, 'That's enough. You can leave now.' We're haunted by the memory of Charles Cullen coming to the waiting room to get our reaction.”

I am not sure if Charles Cullen thought this would lessen his sentence, or if he felt this "good deed" would give him credit in the judicial system but while he was waiting for his sentence in prison, he received a letter from an ex-girlfriend saying her brother needed a kidney; and his children would be fatherless if he didn't find a donor. Charles Cullen was a perfect match, and his lawyer told the courts that this is how Charles Cullen "wanted to atone for his sins."

I cannot tell you if this idea was Cullen's or his lawyer's, but Cullen was literally using his kidney for hostage negotiation (of sorts); refusing to cooperate with the detective if the kidney donation was not approved. (This man is disgusting). After the request was approved in August 2006, Charles Cullen claimed he was "simply trying to help someone who was going to die without a kidney." 

(What a hypocrite. He killed dozens, if not hundreds of his patients who were in his medical care; yet now wanted to donate one of his organs to save a life. I don't buy it!!!)

Even his lawyer was heard admitting that he saw the irony in this ploy too. Many of the victims' families felt the same. They felt this was a deal with the devil and a slap in the face.

During his confession, Cullen stated:

“I tried to kill myself throughout my life because I never really liked being who I was. 'Cause I didn't think I was worthy of anything.”  Others have said that Charles Cullen sees himself as a victim, and because he feels that way, he is entitled to lash out; if that means killing patients, it is justified by his own traumatic childhood. Charles Cullen claimed he killed all the people he did, as an act of mercy. He felt that he was working mostly with people who were in so much pain, that he felt he was helping them not hurt anymore.

In order to avoid the death penalty, Cullen made a deal with New Jersey prosecutors. He agreed to plea guilty to take the death penalty off the table. When questioned regarding the people who were on the mend and were killed, he stated:

“You know, I mean, my goal here isn't to justify. You know what I did there is no justification. Um, I just think that the only thing I can say is that I felt overwhelmed at the time.”

After that he openly revealed that had he not been caught and arrested, he doesn't think he would have ever stopped!!!

In March 2006, a judge in Somerset County, NJ, sentenced Charles Cullen to 11 consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole for 397 years. He opening admitted to 40 murders; but was only found guilty for 29 — 22 in New Jersey, and 7 in Pennsylvania. (These were the murders that he was found guilty beyond any reasonable doubt). On top of those murders he He was additionally found guilty of 6 attempted murders. Later that year, he pleaded guilty to killing 9 more patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which just kepy adding more and more life terms in prison. 

Cullen has never apologized for his actions nor has he offered any explanation. He did try to say he would black out during the murders, but his coworker Amy Loughren debunked that, saying in order to do what he did, to the lengths he went; he had to be alert.

The sentencing trial began on March 10, 2006, in Lehigh County, PA. Charles Cullen became very belligerent feeling that the judge, the Honorable Judge William Platt had been very hostile towards him the entire trial. He even demanded that the judge needed to step down.

The judge denied all motions; even ordering the defendant, Charles Cullen to be quiet on several occasions. He became so disruptive, court marshalls were forced to place a mesh veil over his head, trying to silence him; when that didn't work they placed a towel over his head and duct taped his mouth shut. 

To the shock of everyone in the court room, even this didn't stop him; while the impact statements of victims' family members were read, he began screaming, "Row Row, Row your Boat"; forcing court officers to place a second piece of duct tape on his mouth, making an "X". When court was concluded, even though Charles Cullen was bound, gagged AND duct tapped, the gallery could still hear him chanting, as the doors were closing.

(In all my years of watching and reading about court cases, I have NEVER seen this happen before. Yes, I have seen the mesh placed over dangerous offenders heads, but never have I seen duct tape placed over their mouths!!!) 

Cullen’s murders exposed deep flaws in the medical hiring system. As a result of his actions, multiple changes to state laws were made in the years following his conviction. In 2004, New Jersey passed the Patient Safety Act, which led to the creation of “a confidential reporting system that allowed healthcare facilities to report adverse events to the Department of Health (DOH).”

New Jersey also passed the Health Care Professional Responsibility and Reporting Enhancement Act (AKA the Nurse Cullen Act) in 2005 as a direct response to the murders. The act requires healthcare professionals and medical centers to report information about the incompetence, impairment, or negligence of a healthcare worker. Criminal background checks ibecame mandatory to gain any type of healthcare licensing in the state of New Jersey.

Cullen had been able to continually find jobs because his former employers were hesitant and not obligated by law to share negative details about him with other facilities; because of that more than 30 states passed the law to protect employers who offer truthful - but potentially harmful - information about former employees.

No charges were brought against any of the hospitals that enabled Charles Cullen to get away with murder. Even though it was clear that Cullen was a murderer, many victims' families wanted to know why and how he got away with it. There was outstanding suspicion about Cullen, yet no one was willing to stop him until Loughren stepped in. Cullen himself said that he was sure the hospitals knew what he was doing; they just got him to resign rather than deal with the hassle of firing him or filing charges.

In 2008, families of Cullen’s New Jersey victims reached a confidential settlement with several hospitals. Their lawsuits were based on the claim that the hospitals had failed “to warn Somerset Medical Center to hire Cullen.” While several other suits were brought by other families, it was mainly Cullen that was understandably targeted. In March 2010, a jury awarded the families $95 million in damages. The damages would allow the families to collect the money if Cullen ever decided to sell his story.  

We hope the victims' families find peace somehow and through these vicious, senseless murders; may the medical field learn from their own negligence and protect the vulnerable patients in their care.