For a span of 16 years, Charles Cullen, a nurse at various medical facilities, was surreptitiously causing the deaths of patients by administering lethal doses of medication through their intravenous lines.
It is believed that Cullen could have been responsible for the deaths of approximately 400 individuals, ranking him as one of the most prolific serial killers in recent times.
Cullen faced hardships from an early age, with the loss of his father as an infant, his mother in a car accident during high school, and the subsequent deaths of two siblings. He took care of his ailing brother for many years until his brother’s demise due to cancer.
After quitting high school, Cullen briefly served in the U.S. Navy before pursuing nursing education at Mountainside Hospital School in Montclair, New Jersey. Following graduation in 1987, he started a family, marrying and having two daughters.
In 1993, Cullen’s wife filed for divorce, citing fear for her safety due to his concerning behavior, including allegations of spiking drinks with lighter fluid and making odd inquiries at a funeral home. Despite her efforts to seek a restraining order, her pleas were initially denied by a judge.
Following the divorce, Cullen’s life took a downward turn, marked by financial struggles, custody battles, and suicide attempts, leading to a series of disturbing events.
His criminal activities went undetected for years as he moved between hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, manipulating medications to end the lives of unsuspecting patients. Despite suspicions raised by colleagues and authorities, it took a more comprehensive investigation by Somerset Medical Center to finally halt Cullen’s deadly actions.
Upon his arrest, Cullen confessed to multiple murders and attempted murders, detailing his methods of using various drugs to carry out his heinous acts. He ultimately faced multiple life sentences for his crimes, although the full extent of his murderous spree may never be fully known.
Cullen’s twisted justifications for his actions, claiming mercy killing to end suffering, were debunked by experts as mere rationalizations to justify his unfathomable deeds.
The tragic impact of his actions was felt deeply by the families of his victims, who saw through his facade of false mercy and sought justice for the lives he callously ended.