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CNN Live At Daybreak

Former Texas Nurse Faces Murder Charges

Aired July 17, 2002 - 06:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In the small Texas town of Nocona, some 100 miles northwest of Dallas, a mystery. Investigators have been looking into the death of as many 20 patients at the community's only hospital during December of 2000 and January of 2001. Vickie Dawn Jackson, a 36-year-old former nurse at the hospital, now facing two charges of capital murder this morning.

Our Ed Lavandera has more on what led to the charges that were filed yesterday against Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An unimaginable crime haunts the small north Texas town of Nocona. As one prosecutor puts it, "A serial killer might have been at work in the town's only hospital." Authorities are investigating an unusually high number of deaths at Nocona General during a two-month stretch around the beginning of the year.

DONNA BOWEN, PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY: I think this case is very interesting to everyone, how something like this can happen. We plan to get to the bottom of how it did happen.

LAVANDERA: What a team of investigators that includes the FBI is looking into is whether someone surreptitiously gave lethal doses of a powerful drug to patients, causing the deaths of an unknown number of people.

Donnelly Reid has filed a lawsuit against Nocona General Hospital and a nurse who no longer works there. While he was at the hospital in January of last year, he asked for some pain medication.

DONNELLY REID, HOSPITAL PATIENT: And this lady come in there and on my right side and ground (ph) something in my IV, and within just a short, short, short time, I started going out.

LAVANDERA: Reid says he felt intense pressure weighing on his chest.

REID: I couldn't move my fingers, I couldn't talk. I was just there.

LAVANDERA: He claims the nurse slipped Mivacron into the IV. Mivacron is commonly used to relax chest muscles so breathing tubes can be inserted, but using too much can be deadly.

TIM COLE, MONTAGUE DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Based on the investigative information that I have seen, that I have been given by the investigating officers, I certainly believe that this is a murder case.

LAVANDERA: So last summer, investigators exhumed the bodies of 10 people who died at Nocona General during the time period in question. Autopsies focused on finding traces of the Mivacron drug.

WANDA RUSSELL, PATIENT'S DAUGHTER: The nurse that is in question...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

RUSSELL: ... came in and gave her a shot in her IV.

LAVANDERA: One of the possible victims is 95-year-old Oma Wyler (ph). Her daughter says moments after a nurse injected what they thought was Valium, Oma Wyler (ph) quickly slipped away.

RUSSELL: Of course, she was going to heaven, yes, but maybe not just now.

LAVANDERA: Investigators say Nocona General Hospital is not under investigation. They have only one suspect, a person some say was playing God.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: And we should note that the attorney for the nurse has not returned calls from CNN, and officials in the Texas community do plan a news conference today about this case, and we will bring you more information as we get it.

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