Former Virginia Nursing Assistant Kills 7 Veterans By Injecting Doses Of Unprescribed Insulin, Pleads Guilty

A former nursing assistant at a medical center for veterans in West Virginia Tuesday, July 14, pleaded guilty to intentionally killing seven elderly veterans and attempting to kill an eighth by injecting unprescribed doses of insulin.

Reta Mays, a former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Clarksburg, pleaded guilty for seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with the intent to commit murder.

During the hearing, the 46-year-old admitted to the slaying of the veterans by injecting them with excessive doses of unprescribed insulin. The insulin overdose caused a drop in the victims’ blood sugar levels which resulted in severe hypoglycemia.

"It was determined that the defendant injected exogenous insulin into the eight victims, causing seven of them to die from the resulting effects of hypoglycemia," Bill Powell, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia said in a press conference Tuesday.

Mays committed the horrifying crime during her overnight shifts at the hospital between July 2017 and June 2018.

Powell said that the serial killings finally came to light after doctors noticed a series of "unusual" deaths in the area due to hypoglycemia and reported it to the authorities. The suspicion of a foul play grew stronger as some of the patients who died were not diabetic.

"We were informed in late June 2018 of possible suspicious deaths of the medical center. Within 24 hours we had a team on the ground and within days we identified Reta Mays as a person of interest," WDTV quoted Michael Missal, Veterans Affairs Inspector General, as saying.

In July 2018 Mays was fired from the hospital.

Powell, during the press conference, said that Mays' motive behind committing the crime is still unclear. He added that authorities did not receive a "satisfactory response" when they questioned her about her intentions of committing the crimes.

"Nothing we have done will bring your loved ones back," Powell said at the press conference.

"But we do hope that the work of these agents and prosecutors honored the memory of your loved ones in a way that they so justly deserved and, in some small fashion, assuage the anguish you have suffered," he added.

Mays now faces life sentences for each second-degree murder charge and 20 years for the assault. Her next court hearing is on October 30.

"My heart goes out to the families and loved ones who tragically lost a Veteran and have had to endure this injustice," Sen. Joe Manchin, West Virginia, said in a statement Tuesday, NPR reported.

"As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I will not stop until we determine how this could have happened, and ensure it never happens again," Manchin added.