Pennsylvania Nurse Charged with 17 Murders and 19 Counts of Neglect After Unlawful Insulin Administration

Nurse Heather Pressdee, who worked at multiple nursing facilities in Pennsylvania since 2018, admitted to intentionally administering lethal doses of insulin to 22 patients, leading to 17 deaths; new homicide charges filed for victims where concrete physical evidence is available.

Heather Pressdee, a 41-year-old nurse based in Pennsylvania, has been accused of administering lethal doses of insulin to 22 patients across several health care facilities, leading to 17 deaths. These fatalities have been confirmed through concrete physical evidence, while the remaining victims survived or a cause of death could not be established.
Pressdee, who worked during overnight shifts, targeted some patients who were diabetic and required insulin, and others who were not. Those who died under her care ranged in age from 43 to 104.
Charges against Pressdee include two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person. The state's attorney refers to the allegations against Pressdee as being 'disturbing' and that they find it hard to comprehend how she chose to deliberately harm the patients.
Apart from her work life, Pressdee also sent numerous texts to her mother between April 2022 and May 2023, complaining about her unhappiness with certain patients and colleagues, and discussing her intentions to harm them. She even held grievances against people she encountered outside the healthcare facilities, like restaurants.
Previous to these accusations, Pressdee had a history of being 'disciplined for abusive behavior towards patients and/or staff at each facility, resulting in her resigning or being terminated'. Despite this record, she managed to hold jobs at various nursing homes and facilities in western Pennsylvania since 2018.
Pressdee is currently in custody at Butler County Prison, without bail. Her lawyer's goal is to avoid the death penalty. The attorney general's office is encouraging anyone with information about incidents involving Pressdee to contact their tipline.