Ohio doctor faces 25 murder charges

Dr. William Husel turned himself in to the Columbus Police Department on Wednesday. He faces 25 murder charges in the deaths of Mount Carmel West patients.

Dr. William Husel turns himself in to ⁦@ColumbusPolice⁩. He is being charged with murder in 25 Mount Carmel deaths. https://t.co/xRFN0bdxTu pic.twitter.com/Bw6RjKDyks

— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) June 5, 2019

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien says he’s never seen a 25 count murder indictment in his career. He says the state does not have to prove (nor do they know) Husel’s motive. Cases of more than 500 mcg of fentanyl are being considered murder.

Prosecutor O’Brien says 500 mcg was chosen as the amount of fentanyl for murder charges because it “hastened” death of these patients and thusly is a violation of Ohio law that people must be allowed to die naturally.

The prosecutor does not consider the nurses and pharmacists as co-conspirators. He says many of the nurses who worked alongside Husel were early in their career. “That’s what we have heard when we talked to employees.”