“It took nine months for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to dismiss a doctor who shouted “[the patient] can go shoot [themself], I do not care” at a suicidal veteran who shot himself dead six days later, according to a new report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). In 2019, a veteran in their 60s, accompanied with a family member, visited the emergency room at the Washington DC VA Medical Center to complain of withdrawals from alprazolam (Xanax) and oxycodone as well as insomnia. The patient was hoping to be admitted to safely detoxify and get help, according to the report.”
Police believe nurse Kristen Gilbert may have committed up to 60 murders at a hospital in Massachusetts. Some say an affair drove Gilbert to murder while others think her narcissism caused the death of these innocent patients. -Prescription for Death, Snapped Notorious, Oxygen (S23, E17)
Dates: March 1989-February 1996 Date of Arrest: July 11, 1996 Offender: Kristen Gilbert, 32, Department of Veterans Affairs Nurse Location: Department of Veterans Affairs, Northampton, Massachusetts Homicide Victims: Stanley Jagodowski, 66, Army veteran (August 21, 1995); Henry Hudon, 35, Air Force veteran (December 8, 1995); Kenneth Cutting, 41, Army veteran (February 2, 1996); Edward Skwira, 69, WWII Army veteran (February 15, 1996) Circumstances: The number of deaths increased dramatically at the Northampton VA Medical Center in 1995, a co-worker was surprised by all the codes at the hospital, when a patient codes, it means the heart stopped, some can survive codes but the patients at the VA died, the deaths didn’t make sense, February 29, 1996, the police received a call from the VA Center, they reported that the deaths doubled at the medical center, nurses came forward with concerns that one of their co-workers was killing patients and they thought they were dealing with a serial killer, one common denominator was the presence of Kristen Gilbert, KG came from ordinary family, she was intelligent, a great student, she had a bubbly personality, was sophisticated and had a lot of friends, she was addicted to getting attention, she needed more and more, she had a constant need to be the center of things, she had narcissistic personality disorder, she manipulated others to get her way, she threatened to kill herself if she didn’t get the attention she wanted from boyfriends, she also had Borderline Personality Disorder, her obsession was thrill and attention, she graduated from nursing school in 1988 and was hired at the VA Medical Center in Northampton the following year, she got great reviews from her bosses, she went undetected because she volunteered for extra work, she wore a mask of normality but underneath she was an evil person, Kristen met her future husband in New Hampshire, they were married and had two children, she had a volatile relationship with her husband, chased him around with a knife, but her husband wanted to hold the marriage together for the children, then Kristen had an affair with a security guard at the VA and as a result Kristen’s marriage ended, then patients started coding and the doctors were not able to save them, one of them was Stanley Jagodowski, the codes and death continued, a second suspicious death occurred, a young veteran was admitted for the flu, he coded three times and his heart gave out the third time, Kenneth Cutting was admitted for sepsis, later that night Kenneth coded and died of cardiac arrest, it appeared he died for no apparent reason, authorities learned KG injected patients with epinephrine to initiate cardiac arrest, they would code and then she was one of the people who rushed to the scene to deal with the crisis, as a result she got a lot of attention from her security guard boyfriend, they worked together to save the patients lives, she put patients into crisis to get attention from the security guard, she developed a callous attitude about the patients, authorities learned her boyfriend wasn’t involved, he was an innocent bystander, the nurses thought she had bad luck because patients died when she was around, she was known as the Angel of Death, Edward Skwira was the fourth suspicious death, he was admitted for alcoholism, that night he died from cardiac arrest and this should not have happened, her fellow nurses became suspicious, the nurses started looking for evidence and they found used bottles of epinephrine, record keeping allowed her to dip into the epinephrine supply with no detection, February 29, 1996, the cops got a call from the VA Medical Center, the nurses believed Kristen was killing patients, death followed Kristen from shift to shift to shift, the security guard ended the relationship when he began to suspect Kristen too, she took the break up badly and began panicking, when backed in a corner, her type turns to the extreme, authorities put her under surveillance, in September 1996, the VA received a bomb threat and the patients were evacuated, it turned out to be a bogus bomb threat, the police were watching Kristen and the same phone she used was traced to the VA bomb threat, after the bomb threat, she went home and the police got a warrant, the police found the jacket she had on when she placed the phone calls, she had operating directions on how to change your voice in her pocket, they also found a talk boy which changes the sound of your voice, this was the instrument most likely used to change her voice on the bomb threat call, they found medical books, computer records, journals, a page dog eared at epinephrine, but the police needed something more concrete to make their case, meanwhile she was held accountable for the bomb threat and received a 15 month sentence, when serving the sentence, there was a suicide attempt, she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, they use whatever they need to keep drawing attention to themselves, they are always the victim to keep the focus on themselves, while she was in jail, the police continued the investigation, they needed to prove what she did so they could win at trial, authorities exhumed some of the patients who died under Kristen’s care to find evidence of epinephrine in their system, the families were cooperative and thankful the police were investigating, the autopsies found much higher amounts of epinephrine than should be there, the patient’s hearts were good, and the police finally had their proof, the prosecution moved forward with homicide charges, some claimed she did it for love, her desire to get the attention of her boyfriend, she was tried in a federal capital felony case and was eligible for the death penalty, Kristen was cold during the entire trial, Kristen is a classic female serial killer, she has what they call intrinsic locus, it’s all about her, she is the number one priority in her own life and she’s self absorbed, she played the hero so she could save the day all in an effort to garner attention, if people have to die, its okay with her, she is a master of deceit, she is one of the most dangerous and evil Disposition: In 2001, Kristen Gilbert was found guilty of four counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder; the jury sentenced KG to life in prison as opposed to the death penalty; law enforcement officials believe she could be responsible for killing up to 60 patients; Gilbert appealed the decision but dropped it once she realized prosecutors could pursue the death penalty in a new trial
Notable Quotes: “Healthcare serial killers are the most unlikely villains. They prey on vulnerable victims and use medicine as their murder weapons.” -Oxygen
Source: Kristen Gilbert, Snapped Notorious, Oxygen
Kristen Gilbert
Deadly Women:
Full Episode: Poison is an ancient weapon, convenient, non-confrontational and secretive. Women are five times more likely to use it than men. The poisoner is a particularly sinister killer able to sit back and watch someone die. -Poisonous Women, Deadly Women
Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Charles ‘Chuck’ Kaczmarczyk called the police after finding his friend, Robert McClancy, dead in his home from what appears to be suicide, but something didn’t seem right. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Actual footage from the sentencing of Martha McClancy. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Catch up with the key players after the verdict. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
A churchgoing southern woman loses her husband to tragedy, but a cloud of suspicion haunts her new marriage and leads investigators to a new conclusion. -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. Keith Morrison reports. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
“Monroe County judge calls crime the most evil he’s seen.” -WATE.com
Robert ‘Bob’ McClancy, 47, and Martha Ann McClancy worked in the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department in Florida. Martha was a secretary and Bob was a detective. They fell in love later in life and Bob decided to take an early retirement from his job. The two decided to move away from the fast paced life in Florida and settled in Tellico Plains, Tennessee which is nestled in the Smoky Mountains. Bob suffered with severe stress after years of working as a detective and his time in the Marines. Bob was a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was also diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Bob went through some very traumatic combat experiences and was on strong medications. Bob would often take the wrong dose so Martha Ann decided it was time for her to take control.
In the meantime, Bob was grateful for his friend and fellow veteran Charles Kaczmarczyk because he understood what Bob was going through. Chuck said he had seen combat as well and was also awarded the Purple Heart. The pair had a lot in common. Over the course of time, Martha Ann quickly warmed up to Chuck, the “military hero.” Their relationship blossomed beyond a friendship over time and Bob was never aware of their ongoing affair. Martha Ann and Chuck frequently got together in Bob’s home. They fell in love and soon Bob was looking increasingly like a troubled third wheel. Martha often told Chuck things would be better if Bob went away. One night, Martha claimed to find Bob barely conscious after he had taken an accidental overdose of his medications for PTSD. When she got to the hospital, she claimed Bob was always messing up his medications.
On May 15, 2006, Chuck said he discovered Bob dead after another accidental overdose on his medications. Chuck found his friend dead in his chair with an empty pill bottle in one hand and a 38 revolver in the other hand. Chuck appeared distraught after finding his friend as did the sobbing Martha Ann after she found out. Everything pointed to a tragic suicide and Martha Ann leaned harder on her friend Chuck. Five months later, Martha and Chuck got married and embarked on a new life with a whole new look. They didn’t even look like the same people when they started their new careers as fraudsters. Martha Ann took on the role of a veteran pretending to be a Purple Heart recipient and claimed she earned it after the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. And Chuck doesn’t have PTSD, he was faking it for the veteran benefits. Chuck had been in the military but he never saw a day of combat.
Martha Ann and Chuck both faked permanent injuries and had this whole scam going at the Department of Veterans Affairs. They used a wheelchair or a cane to make it appear they had physical injuries as well. Over six years, the two defrauded the federal government of nearly $800,000 dollars until Chuck told one war story too many. Other veterans came forward and said he was lying because what he was describing was not what happened as they were there. Martha Ann and Charles both ended up behind bars and their criminal history was over. And then one day, Martha Ann’s son made a surprise discovery on her computer. Martha Ann’s son found pictures of his step-father, Bob, dead in a chair. In each picture, Bob was in a different position. There were pictures of Bob with the gun in his hand, then there were pictures of Bob without the gun in his hand.
Martha Ann’s son knew the photos would implicate his mother in the murder of his step-father Bob but he loved Bob and didn’t hesitate to contact authorities. Martha Ann’s son cooperated with the police fully in a sting operation to nail his mother. Martha Ann asked him to get rid of all the photos. The police knew where to find the person who took the pictures because Chuck was spending 30 months in jail for his part in the disability fraud. Chuck immediately wanted to know what was in it for him so the police agreed to tell the district attorney that Chuck cooperated with them in the investigation. Chuck confessed that Martha Ann had crushed up Bob’s pills and put them in his drink and then confessed to the entire twisted tail. Martha called the crushed pills her “magic dust.”
The police would learn that Martha Ann crushed up the medication and put it in Bob’s drinks in an effort to slowly kill him. And on May 15, 2006, Martha gave Bob a lethal dose of “magic dust” and then went to work to create her alibi. Chuck was supposed to check in on Bob later that afternoon and it was his job to pretend to find him dead. Martha Ann was sure Bob would be dead by then. But when Chuck arrived to check in on Bob, he was laying on the floor and wasn’t dead yet. So Chuck lifted him up, placed him in the chair, and fed him more of the crushed pills. Then Chuck sat there and waited until he died. Martha Ann told Chuck to keep it simple and make it look like a suicide. But Chuck went overboard, placed a gun in his hand, and took pictures of Bob in various positions. Martha wanted to see the pictures.
Despite Chuck’s confession, Martha Ann claimed Bob took the wrong medication and she had nothing to do with it. She never admitted to any involvement whatsoever. The detectives said she was one of the coldest people they had ever interviewed. In 2013, Charles Kaczmarczyk pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first degree murder and was sentenced to twenty-five (25) years in federal prison. Nine years after her husband’s death, Martha Ann McClancy was convicted of attempted first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder. She was sentenced to the maximum of fifty years in prison and is eligible for parole in 2028. Those involved with the investigation claimed Martha Ann never showed an ounce of regret or remorse or guilt for what she did to her husband.
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Oxygen:
Preview: Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Investigation Discovery:
Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
