Man Admits 54 Killings (Press, 20 August 1987)
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Summary: Man Admits 54 Killings (Press, 20 August 1987)
On 20 August 1987, Donald Harvey, a hospital orderly, was sentenced to three life terms in prison for the murder of 24 patients, most of whom were terminally ill or comatose. Harvey, aged 35, was involved in a plea bargain that allowed him to avoid the death penalty by pleading guilty to aggravated murder while admitting to the killing of 24 individuals, 21 of whom were hospital patients. It was revealed that all of the murders were committed through poisoning, with the exception of one victim who was suffocated using a plastic bag. During a confession made a month prior to his sentencing, Harvey recounted details of his actions, stating he injected poison into the intravenous lines of many patients. In some instances, he also encouraged patients to consume cyanide-infused orange juice. Following the plea, Harvey’s lawyer, Mr William Whalen, disclosed that Harvey had acknowledged an additional 30 murders that he had committed, although information on these was scarce and vague. Whalen indicated that eight of these admissions dated back 16 or 17 years to another hospital location. Harvey was additionally charged with the attempted aggravated murder of four other patients and for felonious assault involving arsenic against a man identified as his homosexual partner and roommate. The sentencing was conducted by Judge William S. Mathews, who ordered Harvey to serve three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole until he is 95 years old. Prosecutor Mr Arthur Ney made the plea deal to secure Harvey's confession, asserting that had they not reached this agreement, it would have been challenging to build a case against him due to lack of evidence. Harvey had worked as an orderly at the Veterans Administration Medical Centre for a decade starting in 1975 and spent an additional year at Drake Memorial Hospital in Cincinnati. Throughout his time in these roles, he appeared to rationalise his actions as 'mercy killings', believing he was relieving the suffering of patients near death.
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