Katrina deaths: Three charged
2006-07-18 18:19
New Orleans - A doctor and two nurses at
a New Orleans hospital have been charged with murder in the
investigation of possible "mercy killings" of patients after
Hurricane Katrina, a state spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Attorney general Charles Foti planned to announce details
later in the day of his investigation into whether some of the
patients at Memorial Hospital were killed, spokesperson Kris
Wartelle said.
More than 200 sick and elderly patients in area nursing
homes and hospitals died in the aftermath of the August 29
hurricane, when food and water was scarce, electricity spotty
and hospitals overwhelmed.
Witnesses have said conditions at Memorial deteriorated
quickly as temperatures rose above 38°C inside the building and the sanitation system
broke down.
The three people were charged with second-degree murder and
arrested on Monday night, said Wartelle.
She declined to say
whether euthanasia, or mercy killing, was an element in the
case.
Foti in October issued 73 subpoenas for hospital employees
after dozens died in the medical centre.
The attorney general
at that time was investigating allegations ranging from
abandonment of patients to euthanasia at six hospitals and 13
nursing homes in the state.