Former nurse gets life for using insulin to kill eight elderly patients
A former nurse has been sentenced to life behind bars for killing eight elderly people in her care in Canada.
Elizabeth Wettlaufer told the court she is truly sorry and hopes her victims’ families can find peace and healing.
The 50-year-old pleaded guilty last month to eight counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
Authorities have said the crimes took place over the last decade in three Ontario long-term care facilities where Wettlaufer worked as a registered nurse, and at a private home.
Wettlaufer admitted to using insulin in all 14 cases from 2007-2016.
Susan Horvath, a daughter of victim Arpad Horvath, said she did not read her victim impact statement because she could not trust herself being too physically close to Wettlaufer in the courtroom.
"I am too angry," she said. "I didn’t trust myself up there."
Laura Jackson, a friend of one of the victims, said Wettlaufer "should spend the rest of her life in a small box contemplating what she’s done. It wasn’t rash. It was calculated".
Shannon Emmerton, the granddaughter of another victim, said other nurses could potentially commit the same crime.
The Ontario government launched a public inquiry soon after the sentence was announced.
"We want to assure the public that Ontario’s 78,000 long-term care residents are safe in their homes," Ontario’s attorney general said in a statement.
"It is our hope that through the inquiry process, we will get the answers we need to help ensure that a tragedy such as this does not happen again."
