Guardian angel or serial killer?

[Susan]

In 1984 Kristen Strickland enrolled in Bridgewater (MA) State College as a pre-med major. Bright and attractive, she never lacked for boyfriends. In 1986 she met Glenn Gilbert and transferred to a college in western Massachusetts to be closer to him. They married in 1988. Later that year, Kristen earned a nursing diploma from Greenfield Community College.

In March 1989 she got a job at the Leeds Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Massachusetts. Her co-workers were impressed with her nursing skills and dedication. Her supervisors rated her work as "highly skillful" and said she reacted especially well during medical emergencies.

Or so it seemed.

But soon an alarming number of patients began dying on Ward C during Kristen's shift.

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[Susan]

I think a lot of cops need that adrenaline rush when the s*** hits the fan. And a lot of them are definitely into the power trip. But there are a lot of them that just do their job, and it's often a thankless one. Same with the nurses. But seriously, many female serial killers have been nurses who've killed patients. And not all of them are female nurses. Pretty creepy when you think about it. There you are, sick and helpless in bed and along comes a spider ...

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

That is super duper creepy all right.

I can't imagine having a drip in your veins.  Like an open freeway to the world to just drop in and wack you out, like wondering around with a loaded gun taped to your forehead.

It's interesting that a large enough percentage of female serial killers to be profiled work in the same area.  Not at all true of mail mad dogs, I don't think.   

In fact, I kind of think of serial killer as being a mostly-male field of endeavor.  One of those glass ceiling things.  :-)

But apparently not.  Hmmmm

[Susan]

Were you thinking about brreaking that ceiling, Cammy? Maybe just toying with the idea?? hmmmm?  Perhaps using the Steampunk vibrator??

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

"But she seemed so nice and normal,"  neighbors state after five-state joy-killing rampage.

[Susan]

yeah yeah, that's what they all say  ... Those neighbors don't know about the vibrator ....

[D R Forey]

We had a similar case in England, where a nurse started killing patients. I believe that these sorts of serial killers are known as Angels of Death. 

The case we had in England involved and individual called Beverley Allitt, she to was a pathological liar and seemed to enjoy the role of playing god. However Beverly wasn't 'bright and attractive' as Kristen is described. Instead Beverly was a rather dumpy and slower individual. It is suggested that Beverly Allitt actually suffered from a mental health disorder called munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is where people enjoy the attention of being linked to seriously ill people and actually inflict illness in order receive such attention.This must be doubly reinforced if you are actually the nurse who is caring for the sick person! You literally hold someones life in your hands and receive all the praise for saving them from an illness that you have caused. - if you are that way inclined then this must be quite a power trip. 

Sorry for rambling I just thought that the Beverly Allitt case made an interesting comparison. 

[Susan]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, I think this sort of thing happens all over the world, or at least in the most well-developed countries. Interesting that the Allitt woman had Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy. Pretty scary. I knew there was a reason I try to stay out of hospitals!

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

I just read one, this "serial infector".  A man, worked at at least four hospitals, injecting patients with his own blood, which carried Type 2 Hepatitus

[Susan]

That's near me in NH. He didn't actually inject them on purpose. He was addicted to painkillers, so he'd steal theirs, put sugar water in the needles and inject them with it. But because he had Type 2 Hepatitis, he would infect the patients. He had already been fired from hospitals in two other states. An article today say the might have infected thousands of people. Pretty awful. Mega lawsuits coming up.