DA: ‘Rogue nurse’ killed patients with lethal doses of insulin

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A former nurse has been charged with murder and attempted murder after prosecutors say he killed two patients and nearly killed a third.

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Johnathan Howard Hayes, a registered nurse who worked at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist medical center, is accused of giving the patients lethal and near-lethal doses of insulin, WSOC reported.

In a news conference announcing the charges, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill described Hayes as a “rogue nurse,” and that he “has forfeited the honor of being called a nurse. From this day forward, he will be known as a defendant,” WSOC reported.

Prosecutors said Hayes was responsible for the death of Gwen Crawford, 61, on Jan. 8, the death of Vickie Lingerfelt, 62, on Jan. 27, and the attempted murder of a 62-year-old woman who received a near-lethal dose of insulin on Dec. 1, WSOC reported.

Atrium Health officials contacted detectives in March to present an investigation that appeared to show Hayes had caused a patient’s death with a lethal dose of insulin, WSOC reported.

A spokesperson from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist told The New York Times that the hospital began its investigation after it “identified a deviation from patient care.”

O’Neill said the investigation showed that Hayes acted alone, but prosecutors have not identified a motive and it does not appear that Hayes knew the patients, The Associated Press reported.

Hayes was previously nominated as a “nurse of distinction” by his wife, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. In the nomination, Hayes’ wife said her husband took excellent care of his patients: “He sings to them, makes sure they’re comfortable, makes sure they have everything they could possibly need. He lets people know who he is and that they will be taken good care of.”

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