Three former nurses have been charged in the neglectful death of a WWII vet in their care at a Woodstock, Georgia, nursing home. Back in February 2014, James Dempsey, 89, died at Northeast Atlanta Health and Rehabilitation Center. According to the staff treating Dempsey at the time, he was in distress and they administered CPR as 911 was called for transportation to a hospital. It turned out the nurses’ story was all a lie and now murder charges have been filed.
Dempsey’s family, like many across America, had suspicions of the neglectful treatment of their loved one at the nursing home. So, without the staff knowing, family members left a hidden camera and microphone in the room. The damning footage was used in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family in 2015. During a deposition of nurse supervisor Wanda Nuckles, she claimed that her staff responded promptly to Dempsey’s calls for help. But, in fact, they waited almost 30 minutes and simply repositioned his body in the bed. Also on duty in the room was nurse Loyce Pickquet Agyeman and nursing aide Mable Turman. When it was apparent that Dempsey had died, the nurses actually began laughing.
A criminal investigation was launched in November 2017 and this week indictments and arrest warrants were issued for the three so-called nurses. Nurse Loyce Pickquet Agyeman was charged with felony murder and neglect to an elder person, nurse Wanda Nuckles was charged with depriving an elder person of essential services, and nursing assistant Mable Turman was charged with neglect to an elder person. All three women were also charged with concealing the death of another under Georgia law.
The damning video deposition and graphic death of James Dempsey can be viewed after the break:
