Ontario nurse pleads guilty to killing eight seniors, among other charges

WOODSTOCK, ON. (NEWS 1130) – A former Ontario nurse accused of killing eight seniors in her care has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges in their deaths. Elizabeth Wettlaufer also pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

The 49-year-old, who is appearing in a Woodstock, Ont., court, acknowledged under questioning from the judge that she used insulin in all 14 cases. A lengthy agreed statement of facts detailing Wettlaufer’s activities was read in court this morning.

Some family members of Wettlaufer’s victims broke down in the courtroom as Wettlaufer entered her pleas.

Andrea Silcox, whose father James is among those who died, says the impact of losing a loved one won’t ever fade. “I will forgive her. I have to forgive her, it’s the Christian thing to do. My father would have wanted that. Forget? I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget my dad.”

Arpad Horvath, whose father is among those who died, says he’ll never get this past this. “She took away my best friend and my hero and I can’t forgive that and as well as forget. I’ll probably forget she ever existed after today, but I can’t forget the pain she caused everyone.”

 

Laura Jackson, whose friend Maurice Granat was among those who died, says there’s a silver lining to the guilty pleas. “I think that her taking responsibility and admitting that she did this, is going to make it easier on all of this because it isn’t going to be a great, big, giant ordeal. And once it’s over and she’s sentenced then we can begin to heal.”

Police have alleged the crimes involved the use of certain drugs and 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.

The police investigation into Wettlaufer began last September after police in Toronto became aware of information she had given to a psychiatric hospital that apparently caused them some concern.

First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

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