A special grand jury that will decide whether to bring murder charges against a doctor and two nurses accused of administering lethal injections to four patients at Memorial Hospital was sworn in Tuesday, kicking off what could be months of testimony, Orleans Parish prosecutors said.34 patients died at the facility in the hours and days after Katrina hit. These four cases may be the easiest to prove were the result of actions taken by the staff.
The Memorial grand jury will meet an undisclosed location, in an attempt to prevent the news media from staking out witnesses, said Dalton Savwoir, spokesman for District Attorney Eddie Jordan.
The grand jury, which includes fourteen jurors and two alternates, was chosen in mid-February and may not hear testimony for several days, Savwoir confirmed. It will deal exclusively with the Memorial case.
The murder probe was initiated last summer by Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti Jr., who ordered the arrests of Dr. Anna Maria Pou and nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry for allegedly committing second-degree murder during the sweltering days after Hurricane Katrina, when Memorial was marooned as Claiborne Avenue became a river.
Foti said the three women conspired to deliver lethal injections of sedatives and morphine to kill four patients shortly before the hospital was evacuated.
The discovery of patients that may have been murdered by staff at New Orleans medical facilities, along with the deaths at St. Rita's Nursing Home were shocking because these were people who relied on the staff for their care and expertise to keep them safe. They failed miserably.
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