Ohio doctor charged with murder in 25 patient overdose deaths

(Image credit: AP Photo/Kantele Franko)

published 6 June 2019

A former critical-care physician at Mount Carmel Health in Columbus, Ohio, has been charged with 25 counts of murder, after allegedly ordering lethal doses of pain medication for patients.

On Wednesday, William Husel, 43, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Authorities say the incidents took place between 2015 and 2018, when Husel allegedly ordered that patients receive at least 500 micrograms of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, and during a press conference Wednesday, Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien said expert witnesses told investigators "that a dosage to that level could not support any legitimate medical purpose and a dosage at that level would cause someone's death." Authorities said they have no motive, ABC News reports.

In December, police received a tip that "numerous patients" at Mount Carmel Health died while under the care of Husel, and they went on to investigate the deaths of 35 people. Husel was fired that month, and Mount Carmel Health, which is now facing several lawsuits, released a statement Wednesday saying they have "made and will continue to implement meaningful changes throughout our system to ensure events like these never happen again."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox