Montevideo, 18 mar ( EFE).-two Uruguayan nurses were charged today by the death of sixteen patients in the intensive care units of two hospitals in Montevideo with the argument that did “by mercy” toward their victims, judicial sources reported.
“Ordered the prosecution of three people: one for five offences of especially aggravated homicide in regime of repetition, another for eleven crimes of murder in regime of real repetition, and a woman for complicity in an offence of homicide”, said the judge leading the case, Rolando Vomero,
Men, aged 36 and 49, and with long professional career, apparently had no relationship between itself and the cases were uncovered after some dubious considered deaths.
Killings occurred in cardiac Hospital Maciel, dependent on the State, unity and the CTI neurosurgical of the first Spanish Association of mutual aid, one of the most reputable in the country and private capital mutualist.
Two nurses admitted “that many people had provided medication that they suffered”, added the judge to press when you finish take statements the defendants, whose detention met this same weekend.
“For photographs one recognized five and another eleven victims and investigations will continue”, said judge after a day of interrogation that extended for eleven hours and in which police sources warned that the number of victims could reach sixty.
One of the nurses “applied morphine” to victims and other “air through a central” what “was causing the death in a few minutes,” explained Giordano.
The judge also said that research “stems not connection” between the cases and were “independent situations”.
The defendants – he added – stated that its action was “because they did not want to see people suffer”.
The case was fully exposed by the suspicions of an official of the Maciel Hospital, which reported it to the police.
Victims had serious health problems but were not all terminally ill patients, stressed the judge.
Santiago Clavijo, lawyer of the nurse of 36 years and also processed women, both employees of the Spanish Association, said that the nurse “was looking for tempering the pain of the patients”.
“My defendant confessed to five murders in very elderly patients and said that he acted with a handset of piety”, said.
Clavijo said “certainly” appeal the judge’s ruling because in his opinion “is not the figure of especially aggravated homicide”.
La lawyer Inés Massiotti, defender of the nurse in 49 years who worked in the Maciel Hospital, said that his client “is conscious of his acts, confessed fully to the judge, the Prosecutor and the defence that he did by motives of piety”.
Legal, his client, who in the youth was abused sexually, said before the judge “that after 20 years of work in a CTI (Centre for intensive treatment), with the stress which implies to be between life and death not could endure”.
The lawyer added that in his opinion “there is a psychological pathology, not psychiatric, because (the nurse) was periciado comprehensively and correctly by the coroner”, and anticipated that not appeal the Court ruling.
The case caused a sensation at the Uruguayan authorities while the country is home to the 53 General Assembly of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), involving ministers, senior officials, bankers and businessmen from more than 50 countries.
Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, who heads this evening a dinner in honor of visiting delegations, was reported throughout the day on the progress of the process by the Minister of public health, Jorge Venegas, official sources reported to Efe.
