Doctor charged with murdering dozens of patients with fentanyl overdoses

A doctor in Ohio has been charged with murdering 25 patients who authorities say were killed with deliberate overdoses of painkillers.

William Husel is accused of ordering high and sometimes fatal doses of fentanyl, which were administered by other medical workers on his orders.

Many of the patients who died were on ventilators and receiving palliative care.

Mr Husel pleaded not guilty after turning himself in to Columbus police after a six-month long investigation into what Mount Carmel Hospital called his administration of “inappropriate” doses of fentanyl.

A judge set bail at $1m (£788,000). If convicted, Mr Husel faces 15 years to life in prison for each of the deaths, which occurred between 2015 and 2018.

Franklin County prosecutor Ron O’Brien compared Mr Husel’s actions to extinguishing a dwindling candle.

“That candle, while there may be just a half an inch of wax left, if I blow that candle out, I’m causing that flame to go out sooner than it would naturally,” Mr O’Brien said. 

Authorities are not prosecuting nurses, pharmacists and others involved in the deaths, although dozens of hospital employees have been reported to professional boards for investigation and potential disciplinary action.

Mr Husel’s lawyer said he was trying to provide “comfort care” for dying patients.

“At no time did Dr Husel ever intend to euthanise anyone — euthanise meaning speed up death,” defence attorney Richard Blake said. 

The patients were going to die whether they were being treated by Mr Husel or another physician, Mr Blake added.

The Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System has publicly apologised, and on Wednesday it pledged to continue cooperating with authorities and making “meaningful changes” to ensure such events never happen again.

The hospital system found Mr Husel ordered potentially fatal drug doses for 29 patients, including five who might have received those drugs when there still was a chance to improve their conditions with treatment.

Six more patients were given excessive doses, but these probably did not cause their deaths, it added.

The murder charges were only brought in cases involving fentanyl doses of at least 500 micrograms. The prosecutor said the investigation remains open and other cases are still under review.

Police Sgt Terry McConnell said none of the families who talked with investigators believed what happened was “mercy treatment”.

Mr Husel was fired in December and stripped of his medical license after concerns about his orders were brought to the attention of officials at Mount Carmel, where he had worked for five years.

Mount Carmel has said it should have investigated and taken action sooner. It has acknowledged the doctor was not removed from patient care for four weeks after the concerns were raised, during which three patients died.

Additional reporting by agencies