A nurse already accused of killing two nursing home patients with lethal insulin doses has been charged with the “mistreatment” of 19 additional patients at five different facilities since 2020.
Heather Pressdee, 41, is accused of wrongly administering insulin to patients, often in extremely high doses, and often to patients who were not diabetic. In total, state prosecutors said Thursday, 17 patients died who had been cared for by Pressdee.
Attorney General Michelle Henry announced dozens of new charges against Presdee, who was charged with homicide and attempted murder in May related to the cases of three patients at a nursing home in Western Pennsylvania.
The new charges include two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person, according to a release from Henry’s office.
The victims ranged in age from 43 to 104.
In total, Pressdee is charged for the mistreatment of 22 patients. While Henry’s office said 19 of those patients died, Presdee was only charged with two additional first-degree murder counts Thursday. Henry said those cases had clear physical evidence “available to support the cause of death.”
Attempted murder charges have been brought in cases where the victims “either survived the excessive dosage of insulin, or the cause of death could not be determined.”
Investigators said Pressdee admitted to “harming, with the intent to kill” all patients named in a 32-page affidavit. While that document outlined different rationales for each insulin event, charging documents from the previous cases said that Pressdee told law enforcement officials that she “felt bad” for patients’ quality of life and “had hoped they would just slip into a coma and pass away.”
Presdee was arraigned on Thursday by Butler County Court of Common Pleas Judge Maura L. Palumbi. Henry’s office said Pressdee waived a preliminary hearing and remains in custody at Butler County Prison without bail, Henry said.
“The allegations against Ms. Pressdee are disturbing. It is hard to comprehend how a nurse, trusted to care for her patients, could choose to deliberately and systematically harm them,” said Attorney General Henry. “The damage done to the victims and their loved ones cannot be overstated.”
The alleged crimes happened while Pressdee was employed as a registered nurse at Concordia at Rebecca Residence; Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation (Guardian); Quality Life Services Chicora; Premier Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Center; and Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
In addition to the extensive criminal charges against Presdee, the family of one victim has already filed a lawsuit against one of the facilities where she allegedly dosed her victims.
