TYLER, Texas — Three patients died and five others suffered serious injuries two years ago at a Tyler hospital.
Now, the former nurse who was hired to care for them is facing charges in connection with their tragic outcomes.
During a court appearance on Thursday, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty against William Davis, 35. He has been charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
In April 2018, Davis appeared in a Smith County courtroom for the first time after charges were filed against the ex-nurse after multiple reported incidents at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital.
"At the beginning of the investigation, CHRISTUS approached the Smith County District Attorney’s Office and the Tyler Police Department with concerns that a nurse may have been involved in intentionally harming, causing harm to patients at one of their hospitals," Tyler Police Department Chief Jimmy Toler said during at 2018 press conference.
A special criminal investigation team discovered eight patients at the hospital all experienced "similar unexplained incidents" from June 2017-January 2018. Seven of those were men and one was a woman -- all in their late 40s to early 60s.
"These patients were experiencing unexplained symptoms inconsistent with their treatment and recovery," Chief Toler said.
According to the arrest affidavit, several of the patients were recovering from various heart surgeries in the hospital's cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU) when they suddenly experienced "stroke-like symptoms." Multiple board-certified radiologists were able to identify a pattern and determine the cases were not accidental.
They say air was deliberately being injected to the patients' arterial lines -- triggering the symptoms -- ultimately killing three patients and seriously injuring five others.
The three patients who died were identified as:
- John Lafferty
- Ronald Clark
- Christopher Greenaway
The injured patients were identified as:
- Gary Parker
- James Wages
- Rickie Glenn
- Pamela Henderson
- Joseph Kalina
In a video statement following Davis' arrest, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System President Chris Glenney said the matter was "very troubling."
Three days after the last incident in January 2018, officials with CHRISTUS met with Tyler police to investigate.
According to law enforcement, they determined Davis was the only nurse who was present in the CICU at the date and time of each incident -- which all occurred overnight.
In February 2018, Davis was fired after five years at the hospital. A month later, the Texas Board of Nursing suspended his license.
Tyler police arrested Davis in April 2018 and was charged with murder. Two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were added when Davis was indicted two months later. A capital murder charge and three additional counts of aggravated assault followed in August 2018.
Davis will be back in court on April 24.