Richard Angelo

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Richard Angelo
Born (1962-08-29) August 29, 1962 (age 59)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Other namesAngel of Death
Conviction(s)Murder
Manslaughter
Criminally negligent homicide
Assault
Criminal penalty61 years to life in prison
Details
Victims8 killed, 26 poisoned but rescued
Span of crimes
April 1987–October 1987
CountryUnited States
State(s)New York
Date apprehended
November 15, 1987[1]

Richard Angelo (born August 29, 1962) is an American serial killer who operated within Long Island and West Islip, New York.[2] In 1989, he was convicted of murdering several of his patients and sentenced to 61 years to life in prison.

Early life[]

Angelo was born on August 29, 1962, to parents who were both working in the educational sector. His mother was an economics teacher, and his father was a high school guidance counselor for the Lindenhurst school district on Long Island. He graduated from St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in 1980 and then entered a two-year nursing program at Farmingdale State College, where he was a well-regarded honor student.[3]

Arrest[]

Angelo first came to the attention of the public in October 1987 when he was suspected of poisoning a patient at Good Samaritan Medical Center. He was accused of injecting Gerolamo Cucich with Pavulon via his I.V. The patient felt unwell after the injection, and later paged a nurse to help him. Angelo was arrested for assault on the 73-year-old patient because he was the only person to match the description given to the police.[4]

Following his arrest, Angelo confessed to having poisoned other patients with Pavulon and Anectine. As a result, as many as 30 recently deceased patients were exhumed and examined for traces of these powerful paralyzing agents.[5]

It was later concluded that he had poisoned at least 35 people at the hospital while working there for seven months. The poisoning resulted in ten deaths. He claimed that his motive was to portray himself as a hero. After poisoning his victims, he would wait until they went into cardiac arrest and then come by and save them in front of his colleagues.[1] He was held in Suffolk County Jail for more than a year, awaiting trial. He declined to pay his $50,000 bail, fearing for his safety — given the high-profile nature of the case.[2]

Conviction[]

In December 1989, Angelo was found guilty on two counts of murder, one count of manslaughter, and one count of criminally negligent homicide. He was also convicted of assault in connection with the deaths of four other patients, and he was suspected of being responsible for several other deaths.

On January 25, 1990, he was sentenced to 50-years-to-life in prison. He was 27 years old.[6] He is serving a life sentence at the Great Meadow Correctional Facility.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Gutis, Philip S. (December 23, 1988). "Nurse faces New Murder Charges". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b "State cites 'Angel of Death' hospital for shortcomings". The Evening News. December 18, 1987. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  3. ^ Schmitt, Eric (November 17, 1987). "Nurse known as Dedicated Worker". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Colen, B.D. (November 17, 1987). "Hospital's Waking Nightmare". Newsday. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  5. ^ Joshua Quittner, B.D. Colen (November 24, 1987). "Hospital Policies Scrutinized NY weighs rule to speed notice to authorities". Newsday. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  6. ^ "Nurse gets 50 years to life". Times Daily. January 25, 1990. Retrieved March 17, 2012.

External links[]

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