Kristen Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Kristen Gilbert is an American
serial killer
who was convicted for three first-degree murders, one second-degree murder, and two attempted murder
s of patients admitted for care at the VAMC ("Veteran's Affairs Medical Center") in Northampton, Massachusetts
. She killed her patients by injecting them with epinephrine
, at the time a ward stock medication and a non-controlled substance
, causing them to have heart attack
s.
As a child, young Kristen Strickland exhibited a high scholastic aptitude. As she entered her teen years, friends and family took notice that she had become a habitual liar and was prone to neurotic behavior. She graduated high school at age sixteen, graduated from Greenfield Community College
, and received her certification as a registered nurse
in 1988. Later that year, she married Glenn Gilbert. In 1989, she joined the staff of the VAMC in Northampton. She distinguished herself early on, and was featured in the magazine "VA Practitioner" in April, 1990.
Although other nurses noticed a high number of deaths on Gilbert's watch, they passed it off, jokingly calling her the "Angel of Death." In 1996, three nurses reported their concern about an increase in cardiac arrest
deaths and a decrease in the supply of epinephrine; an investigation ensued.
Gilbert's motives are not clear, but it has been speculated by staff at the Northampton VAMC that her intent was to demonstrate her nursing skills by creating emergency situations, since there were an unusual number of cardiac arrests during the time in question, and many of the patients survived. Others claim that she was using these emergency situations to gain the attention of James Perrault, a VA police officer who later had an affair with Gilbert (VA hospital rules required that hospital police be present at any medical emergency).
It is not known for certain, but VA hospital staff speculate that Gilbert may have been responsible for eighty or more deaths, and over three hundred medical emergencies.
The prosecutor in her case, Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Welch II, asserted that Gilbert was having an affair with VA police officer Perrault at the hospital. Perrault testified against her, to the point of saying that she'd confessed at least one murder to him. The defense attorney, David P. Hoose, claimed reasonable doubt, based on a lack of direct evidence.
Kristen Gilbert, who had two children and was divorced from Glenn Gilbert, was convicted on March 14, 2001 in federal court. Though Massachusetts
does not have capital punishment
, her crimes were committed on federal property and thus subject to the death penalty; however, upon the jury's recommendation, she was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole plus 20 years.
Gilbert was the subject of Connecticut author M. William Phelps's book Perfect Poison.
Gilbert was transferred from a federal prison
for women in Framingham, MA, to a federal prison in Texas, where she has remained ever since. She is serving her sentence at Carswell Federal Medical Center
in Fort Worth, Texas
. Kristen Gilbert dropped her federal appeal for a new trial, due to a recent US Supreme Court ruling that would have allowed prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who was convicted for three first-degree murders, one second-degree murder, and two attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
s of patients admitted for care at the VAMC ("Veteran's Affairs Medical Center") in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. She killed her patients by injecting them with epinephrine
Epinephrine
Epinephrine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. In chemical terms, adrenaline is one of a group of monoamines called the catecholamines...
, at the time a ward stock medication and a non-controlled substance
Controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use are regulated by a government. This may include illegal drugs and prescription medications ....
, causing them to have heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
s.
As a child, young Kristen Strickland exhibited a high scholastic aptitude. As she entered her teen years, friends and family took notice that she had become a habitual liar and was prone to neurotic behavior. She graduated high school at age sixteen, graduated from Greenfield Community College
Greenfield Community College
Greenfield Community College is a two-year Community College in Greenfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1962, currently has an annual enrollment of 3,000, is regionally known for its art program, its small-town atmosphere, and its setting amid picturesque old farmland at the foot of...
, and received her certification as a registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
in 1988. Later that year, she married Glenn Gilbert. In 1989, she joined the staff of the VAMC in Northampton. She distinguished herself early on, and was featured in the magazine "VA Practitioner" in April, 1990.
Although other nurses noticed a high number of deaths on Gilbert's watch, they passed it off, jokingly calling her the "Angel of Death." In 1996, three nurses reported their concern about an increase in cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
deaths and a decrease in the supply of epinephrine; an investigation ensued.
Gilbert's motives are not clear, but it has been speculated by staff at the Northampton VAMC that her intent was to demonstrate her nursing skills by creating emergency situations, since there were an unusual number of cardiac arrests during the time in question, and many of the patients survived. Others claim that she was using these emergency situations to gain the attention of James Perrault, a VA police officer who later had an affair with Gilbert (VA hospital rules required that hospital police be present at any medical emergency).
It is not known for certain, but VA hospital staff speculate that Gilbert may have been responsible for eighty or more deaths, and over three hundred medical emergencies.
The prosecutor in her case, Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Welch II, asserted that Gilbert was having an affair with VA police officer Perrault at the hospital. Perrault testified against her, to the point of saying that she'd confessed at least one murder to him. The defense attorney, David P. Hoose, claimed reasonable doubt, based on a lack of direct evidence.
Kristen Gilbert, who had two children and was divorced from Glenn Gilbert, was convicted on March 14, 2001 in federal court. Though Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
does not have capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, her crimes were committed on federal property and thus subject to the death penalty; however, upon the jury's recommendation, she was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole plus 20 years.
Gilbert was the subject of Connecticut author M. William Phelps's book Perfect Poison.
Gilbert was transferred from a federal prison
Federal prison
Federal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
for women in Framingham, MA, to a federal prison in Texas, where she has remained ever since. She is serving her sentence at Carswell Federal Medical Center
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
The Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility that provides specialized medical and mental health services to female offenders. FMC Carswell is located in the northeast corner of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . Its address is...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Kristen Gilbert dropped her federal appeal for a new trial, due to a recent US Supreme Court ruling that would have allowed prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.
See also
- Beverley Allitt, another nurse also dubbed the "Angel of Death", responsible for killing her patients
External links
- CBS News Bio
- Interview with M. William Phelps, author of Perfect Poison
- Article by Judge Michael Ponsor, Is the penalty worth the price?
- Remarks by Defense Attorney Hoose
- http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=john_brigham