Texas Man Suspected in Deaths of 14 Nursing Home Residents
A 47-year-old Texas man, charged with being a serial killer and indicted in the murder and robbery of 12 nursing home residents in northern Texas, was recently indicted for capital murder of two more women who died suddenly in the summer of 2016. According to investigators, in all of the cases the man entered the nursing home disguised as a maintenance worker in order to gain entry to the women’s apartments where he allegedly murdered and robbed them.
Many of the first 12 victims that the man is charged with killing were initially thought to have died of natural causes, and their deaths were not investigated. However, when another woman living in a nursing home operated by the same company survived a similar attack and identified the accused as being her assailant, he was arrested. Information from that case led to the investigations and indictment of the man for multiple other deaths.
Families of several of the victims have filed or are planning to file lawsuits against the company operating the nursing homes where several of the deaths occurred. The lawsuits allege that the facility’s security system failed by repeatedly allowing a serial killer to enter the property, and that the operating company jeopardized the lives of their loved ones by valuing profits over people in not taking the steps needed to ensure the safety of their family members.
Convictions for capital murder in Texas result in either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The district attorney has indicated they will seek the death penalty on at least one of the cases the defendant is accused of committing.
Compliance Perspective
Allowing an unauthorized person to enter the facility disguised as a worker seeking to gain entry to private resident rooms is a breach of resident rights to a safe and secure environment, and places them in immediate jeopardy for harm. This may indicate that the facility’s security system and procedures are inadequate, and could be considered provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding the facility security system’s ability to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing residents’ living areas.
- Train staff regarding the need to report suspicious persons who may be disguised as maintenance or other personnel in order to gain access to residents’ living areas. Also, train reception personnel on how to recognize and confront unauthorized persons.
- Periodically audit by having drills to ensure employees’ ability to identify unauthorized persons who may have entered the facility for illicit purposes.
