Mass. Nurse Guilty of Murder

March 14, 2001 -- A former veterans hospital nurse wasconvicted today of murdering four patients with drug injectionsand attempting to kill two others.

Kristen Gilbert, 33, faces the death penalty. She bent her headand wept quietly as the verdict was read.

Gilbert was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder,one count of second-degree murder and four counts of assault withintent to kill, along with other lesser charges. She was acquittedof attempting to kill one veteran.

Because the deaths happened on federal property — the VeteransAffairs Medical Center in Northampton — the case was tried infederal court, where first-degree murder can be punishable bydeath. Massachusetts does not have a death penalty.

Relative: 'I'm Really Happy'

The same jury that convicted her will begin hearing thepenalty phase of the case Monday to determine whether she should besentenced to die.

"I'm really, really happy," said Susan Lessard, the onlydaughter of Stanley Jagadowski, 66, of Holyoke, who died Aug. 21,1995. Gilbert was convicted of second-degree murder in his death.

"I don't care whether it was first-degree or second-degree,though the death penalty wouldn't have bothered me because she tookmy father's life," Lessard said.

Prosecutors said Gilbert injected the patients with overdoses ofepinephrine, or adrenaline, which sent their hearts racing out ofcontrol. They said she wanted to put herself in the middle ofmedical emergencies to be noticed and to attract attention from herlover, a hospital security guard.

Gilbert's lawyers blamed the emergencies and deaths on naturalcauses, and argued that she was falsely accused by co-workers whowere upset she was having an extramarital affair.

Prosecution Wins Despite Setback

The government was dealt an early blow in the trial whenprosecutors were forced to drop a key piece of evidence.

At the start of the trial, prosecutors said Dr. Fredric Riederswould testify that his analysis of tissue samples from the patientsproved epinephrine poisoning. But Rieders was dropped as a witnesswhen the government learned he had miscalculated.

Prosecutors also said Gilbert confessed to the murders to herthen-boyfriend, James Perrault, and her estranged husband. Bothtestified against her.

Gilbert's lawyers attacked those confessions, saying she madethem while hospitalized because of the stress of the murderinvestigation.

Defense attorney David Hoose said Gilbert's patients werealready ill and at risk of heart failure.

"Every single one of these people had a coronary disease, wereat risk for a coronary disease or at risk for sudden cardiacdeath," he said in closing arguments. "If you start out lookingat these cases with a suspicious eye, then you'll find suspicion."