Former VA staffer charged with giving seven patients fatal insulin doses

by Marty Johnson - 07/14/20 4:01 PM ET

Reta Mays, a former VA nursing assistant has plead guilty to killing seven patients by administering to them a lethal dose of insulin.

Mays, who worked at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.V., was convicted of seven second degree murder charges and an assault with the intent to commit murder charge. Each murder charge carries a life sentence, while the assault charge carries 20 years.

Per court documents, Mays, 45, injected insulin into eight patients between 2017 and 2018, resulting in the deaths of seven of the patients. Mays was eventually fired from her position

The charging document notes that nursing assistants aren’t authorized to administer medication, including insulin.

Veterans Affairs Secretary had called for the investigation to move swiftly, according to The Associated Press.

The conviction comes after West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin (D) and Shelley Moore Capito (R) passed a bipartisan bill — Improving Safety and Security for Veterans Act of 2019 — that required the VA to do a thorough investigation of Clarksburg and then report its findings to Congress.

“Today’s guilty plea is an important step towards justice for the victims and their families in West Virginia. The VA must be held accountable to strengthen their oversight to prevent these heinous and cruel incidents in the future,” Montana Sen. John Tester (R) said in a statement.

Manchin added in a statement of his own, “My heart goes out to the families and loved ones who tragically lost a Veteran and have had to endure this injustice. While overdue, today justice is finally being served.”