Charles Cullen “The Angel of Death” "A Look Inside the Mind of the Killer Nurse." The Star- Ledger,

Background Youngest of 8 children Youngest of 8 children Lost father at 7 months old Lost father at 7 months old Attempted suicide at age 9 by drinking chemicals from a chemistry set Attempted suicide at age 9 by drinking chemicals from a chemistry set Described childhood as ‘miserable’ Described childhood as ‘miserable’ Dropped out of high school Dropped out of high school Enlisted in the U.S. Navy Enlisted in the U.S. Navy Began showing signs of mental instability Began showing signs of mental instability Received medical discharge Received medical discharge Enrolled at the Mountainside Hospital of Nursing in New Jersey Enrolled at the Mountainside Hospital of Nursing in New Jersey Graduated in 1987 and took a job at the burn unit of St. Barnabas Medical Center in NJ Graduated in 1987 and took a job at the burn unit of St. Barnabas Medical Center in NJ At 17, mother died in car accident At 17, mother died in car accident Two of his eight older siblings died in childhood Two of his eight older siblings died in childhood *Note: He was not in trouble with the law all his life.

Crimes CrimesSentences Lethal overdoes to Judge John W. Yengo, Sr Was not caught Overdose of insulin in AIDS patients Was not caught Murdered three elderly women at the hospital by giving them overdoses of the heart medication Was not caught Nonfatal insulin overdose on a patient in Somerset Employment history investigation. Arrested on December 14, 2003 and charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. Murder: kill intentionally and with premeditation (planned out) *Note: Many more crimes but too many to list them all. Killed people.

Recent Crimes The most recent crime was when Cullen attempted to murder Philip Gregor, a patient at Somerset. Gregor survived and was discharged; he died six months later of natural causes. The date of the attempted murder was on June 18, 2003.

Evidence An investigation into Cullen's employment history revealed past suspicions about his involvement with prior deaths. Somerset Medical Center fired Cullen on October 31, 2003, for lying on his job application. Police kept him under surveillance for several weeks until they had finished their investigation. They pointed out that, between January and June 2002, Cullen had worked 20 percent of the hours on his unit but was present for nearly two- thirds of the deaths.

Sentencing In April 2004, he pleaded guilty to killing 13 patients and attempting to kill 2 others by lethal injection in a New Jersey court. In November 2004, he pleaded guilty to killing 6 patients in PA and attempting to kill 3 others. Cullen currently faces 18 life sentences Life sentence: must remain in prison for the rest of their life

Sociological Theory The sociological theory that I chose for Charles Cullen is the Social Control Theory. It says that the motive for committing these crimes was because he wanted to put people out of their suffering. He also claims that committing these crimes was to prevent the hospital personnel from de-humanizing the patients. He wanted to avoid Code Blue. During this code, patients experience intubation and chest compressions. He claimed that the murders were committed on an impulse, but did admit to thinking about it. He couldn't watch an attempt to save a patient's life. Reporters also discovered that the murders occurred in clusters around periods of stress. Intubation: the insertion of a cannula or tube into a hollow body organ

Sociological Theory Cont. With everything that happened to him in his adolescent years, he attempted to commit suicide about 20 times. His several suicide attempts led him to be discharged from the Navy. After he got his nursing license and degree, he got married. Six years later, she filed for divorce on top of two domestic violence complaints. She claimed that he was an alcoholic, abusive to pets, and cites other instances of bizarre behavior, including pouring lighter fluid into drinks and prank-calling funeral homes. When he attempted suicide again after breaking into a co- workers house and stalking her, he received treatment for depression for two months. Three years later, at the emergency room in Warren Hospital, he sought treatment for depression again. After and investigation discovering that he was throwing away large quantities of unused medications.

Reference to Cullen in Criminal Minds Cullen was mentioned in Limelight by Agent Jill Morris when she says the unsub might be the most prolific serial killer in New Jersey since him. Hotch retorts by asking about some of the names of Cullen's victims, and when she doesn't know them, he remarks that in serial killer cases that receive a lot of media attention, everybody remembers the killers but not the victims Unsub: UNknown SUBject