An Italian nurse, Daniela Poggiali, was arrested for the murder of one of her patients, Rosa Calderoni, on October 9, 2014. RT News reported that Poggiali was found liable for the death of Calderoni, and that the investigation included testimonies of up to 200 witnesses.
Poggiali’s accountability first came into question immediately after Calderoni’s death in April of this year. An investigation into the numerous deaths that occurred under Poggiali’s watch began that same month according to the Italian paper Revenna Today.
It was initially thought that Poggiali was possibly responsible for up to 38 deaths, an assumption that was supported by disturbing pictures she posted of herself with the cadavers of her patients. Regarding one such picture, lead prosecutor Alessandron Mancini commented that, “She appears euphoric in the photo, next to someone she may have just killed,” and they “reveal an unbearable cruelty that I have not seen in 30 years on the job.” Daily Mail shared reports by other nurses of Poggiali’s self-incriminating statements such as, “Don’t worry, I will take care of them,” while supposedly stealing money from one patient, “You’ve got five euros left and you won’t need it.” A week later that patient was dead.
Reports of Poggiali’s disturbing comments didn’t stop there. Life News and Newsweek published the following quotes, respectively: “Leave it to me, I’ll quiet them,” and “Two phials of potassium and it would all be resolved.”
Although it is heard of that some doctors or nurses will kill patients out of pity for their extreme pain or suffering, Poggiali has never made that claim. Rather she has maintained her innocence all along.
Poggiali was actually suspected of foul play prior to Calderoni’s death, but there was no hard evidence until Calderoni’s autopsy which showed signs of elevated amounts of potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is naturally found in the body, but mass doses can cause a heart attack. It is hard to identify as a cause of death since it is quickly absorbed by the body, and the larger than normal amounts can only be detected within a 48 hour period after administration.
The autopsy was ordered after Calderoni’s death because she died on Poggiali’s first day shift. She had been transferred from night shift due to the high mortality rate of patients under her care. Mancini indicated that Poggiali “thought she was so clever, so cunning, that she could kill in the daytime, right under everyone’s noses. She had a sense of power, which made her feel capable of doing whatever she wanted.” and “is sound of mind but simply took satisfaction, and real pleasure, in killing.”
As the investigation continued, the number of suspected murders increased. It is now thought that she may have killed up to as many as 96 patients, not in the 12 years she has served as a nurse, but within a single year (April 2013 – April 2014). According to Newsweek, she has been nicknamed “The Angel of Death,” and according to Mancini “is sound of mind but simply took satisfaction, and real pleasure, in killing.” Poggiali may be considered, if found guilty of 96 deaths, one of the most copious serial killers ever.