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Captain Michael Fontana
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An Air Force nurse was acquitted of murder charges Saturday in the deaths of three patients at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea reports.
November 23, 2009 · Military judge William Burd delivered a brief verdict in Captain Michael Fontana’s court martial: not guilty on all three counts of murder.
Fontana, a 35-year-old intensive care nurse at Wilford Hall was accused of killing three terminally ill patients with lethal doses of narcotics.
The three civilian patients had been taken off artificial life support per the wishes of their families and were being given medication to keep them calm and pain free.
The prosecution asserted that Fontana deviated from medication orders written by doctors and injected the patients with large amounts of morphine and Fentanyl causing their deaths.
But the defense team said Fontana was following orders, which did not specify a maximum dose of medication. They also accused doctors at Wilford Hall of altering medical records to cover up their own mistakes.
Upon hearing the not guilty verdict, Fontana told reporters that he would like to continue his nursing career. He could have faced life in prison if convicted. |
