Jury deliberates in deadly meningitis outbreak trial

BOSTON — Friday is the first full day of jury deliberations in the case against a local pharmacist accused in a deadly meningitis outbreak.

Former New England Compounding Center pharmacist and co-owner Barry Cadden is facing 25 counts of second degree murder.

During closing arguments prosecutors claimed Cadden carelessly shipped more than 17,000 vials of tainted steroids in 2012 causing a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak.

Sixty-four people died.

Cadden could face a life sentence if convicted, but his lawyers argued that the outbreak was a horrible tragedy, and that Cadden tried to clean up the Framingham facility once he found out it was not following proper safety protocols.

Cox Media Group